Jesmond school given international education award from city council

Article written for JESMOND LOCAL University module

Image credit: @rgs_newcastle on Instagram

Newcastle’s Royal Grammar School has received the International School Intermediate Level Award from the British Council.

The award was given in recognition of the school’s commitment to bringing global perspectives into the classroom through events such as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Week, World Music Day and partnerships with schools in Germany, Spain, Sweden and Morocco.

Ms Sykes, head of modern languages, said: “I am delighted and proud that the RGS has achieved this British Council award for its work on developing internationalism.”

RGS has fostered international perspectives through multi-lingual performances, discussing ‘eurocentricism’ in music and connecting with other educational institutions in cultural exchanges and collaborations to address issues of global significance.

Sykes highlights;

“This award affirms all of RGS students’ and staff’s hard work to develop and maintain strong links with other schools overseas, working on collaborative projects such as our EDI Culture Week, and help raise global awareness amongst the school community.”

The British Council praised RGS on their application for the award. “It was an exciting application from the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle,” the Council said. “Moving forward, the RGS is very well placed to apply for the Full International School Award.”

Students at RGS marked the European Day of Languages on September, 26 by attending a British Council webinar and taking part in the online language competition during language lessons. Students of all ages who speak home and community languages were encouraged to put forward their submissions for the EDOL Creative Writing Competition.

The school looks forward to continuing their international work and collaboration this academic year with the aim of achieving Full Accreditation for the International School award in 2025-26.