International
Kingstone International
Specialist Language College Status and the International Ethos
At Kingstone High School we are very proud of our Specialist Language College status and the benefits this brings to our students. This is particularly pertinent today as global issues become increasingly relevant for the adults of tomorrow as the world shrinks and mobility increases. Global communication, travel and immigration mean that our students’ experience of the world is very different from that of the generations that went before them.
We want our students to become successful, confident, responsible individuals prepared for adult life in a global community.
Our school has always had a strong tradition with foreign languages but our specialism has allowed us to extend our provision such that students have a greater range of languages and courses to choose from. In addition to the more traditional French and German we offer Spanish and, last year we introduced taster Mandarin Chinese sessions. As we increasingly welcome students from other countries we also look to build on their current language strengths as well as supporting their English. Our specialist status has allowed us to equip the Language faculty with two multimedia ICT suites and install the latest software for language learning.
However, our specialism extends far beyond the Languages faculty as it plays an important role in promoting whole school achievement. This is evident from our results, which have improved consistently and, in the summer this year, reached their highest level ever.
The global dimension enriches learning across the curriculum and enhances the school environment through our internationally themed galleries. Several departments are linked with schools overseas and have initiated joint curriculum projects with their partner schools. We have an annual cross curricular year 7 trip to Normandy encompassing elements from the science, art, French and humanities schemes of work and the maths department have introduced a very successful maths/business based trip to Disneyland in Paris.
We seek out opportunities to bring in visitors from overseas to work with our students and to truly bring internationalism alive. Most memorable was the African dance and drumming troupe (the boys loved the drumming but were less sure of the dance!) and two Chinese teachers who worked in our school for twelve weeks teaching everything from Origami to Tai Chi during the summer term of 2009. We also run many internationally linked events which broaden our students’ awareness of the wider world and other cultures.
We believe in developing our staff’s understanding of, and passion for, the global dimension such that they are better placed to inspire our students. To this end during this academic year staff have visited schools in India and China to develop links first hand.
We have an active student exchange programme with links to schools in France and Germany and students also benefit from a varied programme of oversees trips and visits including Europe and further afield. The sports trip to Dubai was a particular favourite as was the exchange with our German partner school.
Language College status is not however solely about our school, but also the wider community. We work closely with our feeder primary schools providing outreach teaching in Art, Music, Languages and Technology and also through a programme of internationally themed taster days and events.
Looking to the future we are looking to extend our work further in to the community and bring a rural dimension to our specialist college work through the unique Fresh project which celebrates our rural location and the sustainability of the agricultural landscape. So watch this space for further news on that one.
Our success in this aspect of our work has been recognised by OFSTED who, during their last inspection of our school said:
“The language specialism helps to make the curriculum outstanding as it is used very well to provide a stimulus for learning and enrichment across all subjects.”
(OFSTED July 2009)
Following this inspection we were successfully re-designated as a Specialist Language College in December 2009. We were also delighted that the school gained the prestigious full International School Award in September 2009 for the first time as this award recognises excellence in the global dimension.
Our specialist status has added much to our work at school and brought a multitude of additional opportunities to our students. Particular thanks go to our original supporters Clive Richards, the Friends of Kingstone High School and the other generous contributors, without whose sponsorship we would not have begun this exciting and rewarding journey.
Mrs H. Bowler
Assistant Headteacher
The global dimension enriches learning across the curriculum and enhances the school environment through our internationally themed galleries. Several departments are linked with schools overseas and have initiated joint curriculum projects with their partner schools. We have an annual cross curricular year 7 trip to Normandy encompassing elements from the science, art, French and humanities schemes of work and the maths department have introduced a very successful maths/business based trip to Disneyland in Paris.
