Ofsted
The document Evaluating internationalism in Schools (Ofsted, November 2006) describes "the way in which primary, secondary and special schools that had gained an International School Award wrote about their international work in their self-evaluation form and how this aspect of their work was reflected in their section 5 inspection reports."
Ofsted recommends that schools which have or are applying for the International School Award should:
- evaluate the impact of their international work and report this in their SEF
- ensure that they promote understanding of the diversity of multicultural Britain as well as internationalism and global awareness.
Of course you don't have to be applying for the Award to include international work in your SEF. There are several sections of the SEF in which international work can be mentioned, in particular:
Please summarise briefly your distinctive aims and describe any special features of your school
Please note any additional characteristics of your school that you would particularly like to draw to the attention of an inspection team.
How much do learners enjoy their education?
How well do learners make a positive contribution to the community?
How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners?
The DfES International Strategy, 'Putting the World into World-Class Education' (DfES 2004) includes the priority 'To instil a strong global dimension into the learning experience of all children and young people'. This clearly illustrates the importance of the Every Child Matters Agenda for the learning experience of all children and young people.
To read extracts which show how evidence of the impact of the International Dimension is assimilated into reports please click here.