Sir John Nelthorpe School’s international work includes:

• Creating important links and sharing practices with schools abroad to exchange knowledge and skills at staff and pupil level.
  
• Celebrating the annual European day of languages with pupils and staff embracing international diversities and cultural experiences.
  
•     Hosting visitors such as a French theatre company, so that our pupils can watch and actively participate in a live performance in French and engage in follow up workshops.
• Our German Sixth Form exchange with Gesamtschule Blankenheim, which benefits the whole school community in both countries. During the most recent visit to Sir John Nelthorpe School, the German students and staff visited KS3 and KS4 classes and led cultural workshops. This reciprocates when we are hosted at Gesamtschule Blankenheim.
  
• Pupils in year 8 and 9 are developing ‘friendships that bridge borders’ through exchanging letters, VLOGs and virtual get-togethers with pupils from our partner school.
  
• Year 8 pupils experience French culture and language on the annual trip to France
  
• The school’s annual trip to Berlin which sees our MFL and History departments coming together gives pupils an amazing opportunity to absorb the culture of this amazing city, visiting the German parliament and significant sights in Berlin which also helps us practise speaking German.
  
• Cultural awareness is developed across the curriculum through films, musicians and artists exchanges, providing pupils with a chance to identify and understand the many differences in cultures but also the many, sometimes surprising, similarities!
  
• The school supports our pupils for whom English is not their native language, including Ukrainian, Polish, Russian and Spanish currently.
  
• The school also established the Brigg community hub for Ukrainian families who have been displaced by the current conflict in Ukraine, allowing families to come together and support each other and collectively seek assistance and advice.
  

On hearing the news that Sir John Nelthorpe School had achieved the award, Mr R Biglands, Headteacher said “I’m so proud that we have achieved this award. It really is testament to all the hard work and dedication of our coordinator within the Modern Foreign Languages Faculty, Frau Wittig-Ostler, who has worked tirelessly alongside her full teaching commitment to make all these things a reality. Being able to offer our pupils so many opportunities both within the curriculum and as extra-curricular activities is such an important thing for us, particularly where a smaller rural community such as ours can often become quite insular in developing young people’s global knowledge, awareness, understanding and of course, tolerance.”

Shannon West, Head of UK Schools for the British Council, said: “Sir John Nelthorpe School’s international work has earned the school well-deserved recognition with the British Council International School Award. 

We are delighted and proud that Sir John Nelthorpe School is committed to developing a whole-school approach to embedding and celebrating international work. The dedication from everyone is enriching education and supporting globally aware young people and the development of key skills. 

We thank all involved in this important work; embedding an international ethos across a school can lead to International School Award accreditation, which is the highest level of the award. Schools looking to join this supportive and engaging global network should contact us at the British Council.”

The Award is now available worldwide in countries such as Greece, India and Nigeria. Over 6000 International School Awards have been presented to successful schools in the UK since the scheme began in 1999.

The International School Award encourages and supports schools to develop:

• An international ethos embedded throughout the school
  
• A whole school approach to international work
  
• Collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools
  
• Year-round international activity
  
• Involvement of the wider community