Last Thursday, we hosted the UK’s first ever #edutweetup – an informal opportunity to discuss International Education within the UK.  And, despite the typically miserable British weather, we were very pleased to welcome along a number of leading lights within the education and relocation space, including representatives from Gabbitas Education, Humphreys Education, School Guidance Education Consultancy, and  International HR adviser. 

Given the vast expertise in the room, there was plenty of discussion and debate to be had.  Topics ranged from the IB curriculum at large – what it offers students at each stage and suggested areas for improvement, to more specific conversations around its impact on the student’s confidence vs. the national curriculum, the potential for incorporating emotional intelligence, and the positive impact of integrating children from all backgrounds and abilities into one classroom. Furthermore, from a global perspective, we were very interested to hear people’s views on the increasingly onerous regulations associated with relocating families, the influx of cultures that previously made up a small proportion of the UK’s international community and Britain’s reputation as a global educator. 

It was a great opportunity to meet and share insights with likeminded people and is something that we will certainly be looking to repeat in the near future – if you would like to be informed directly of upcoming events, get in touch via @icslondon.

Lastly - a huge thanks to all those who braved the rain and made it along.

The International Community School is pleased to announce its recent accreditation by the National Autistic Society (NAS). The NAS Accreditation programme provides an autism-specific quality assurance programme for hundreds of organisations throughout the UK and across the world. By providing a unified standard of excellence and a systematic framework for continuous self-examination and development, the NAS aims to continuously improve the quality of service provision for people with autism and Asperger syndrome.

This is the latest of several accreditations that the International Community School currently holds. ICS is accredited to deliver the IB Primary Years Programme, IB Middle Years Programme, and IB Diploma Programme of the International Baccalaureate Programme. Additionally, we are accredited by the British Council which sets the standard for English Language teaching and learning.

ICS has long has a philosophy of educating the whole child and helping each student to meet their individual potential. We do not believe in a standardised “best” or in “fixing” children. As an international school of students and faculty from around the world, we know that our strength is in our diversity. Each student brings their unique perspective, interests, affinities, and strengths to the school. By focusing on this rather than deficit our students are able to develop and achieve.

Our view is that both socially-typical and socially-atypical students all gain from their interactions with each other. They learn to be more flexible thinkers and to have a greater understanding of communication and problem solving. We are very proud of our student population and all the efforts they make to engage with each other in peaceful and respectful ways. In our accreditation report the NAS gave special recognition to our students for how well they supported one another.

I would like to thank all of the ICS community for all your efforts that help ICS continue to be an international leader in inclusive education.

By Alan Andrew, Director of Student Support and Philip Hurd, Head of School

As part of one of the core components of the IB Diploma programme, students must complete 150 Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) hours. Earlier on this month, eight Diploma 1 students travelled to Ghana to complete the Service component of their CAS hours. ICS Travel and Learn has worked together with World Challenge, an organisation that provides educational expeditions in the developing world with the purpose of teaching life skills and developing minds outside the classroom. This was a unique opportunity to really help to facilitate our students’ personal growth and aid in the expansion of their view of the world and how other people live.

During their time in Ghana, the students worked with the Sabre Charitable Trust; this charitable organisation seeks to build a better future for school children in the area. Sabre works with the Ghanaian government to help deliver its promise of education for all, to all the schools in the KEEA district of Ghana. The project the ICS students were working on was located in Elmina in the KEEA district, approximately three hours west of the capital; Accra.

The Diploma students main task during their visit was to assist with the renovation and decoration of the staff common room - previously experiencing problems with a leaky roof.  In addition to this, our students were involved in preparing walls, painting and fixing broken concrete paths to name but a few tasks. Alongside the physical work, our students were also involved in a number of extracurricular activities with their Ghanaian counterparts - such as English conversation practice, reading and sporting activities. 

Whilst on this trip, the Diploma students kept a video diary of all their experiences in Ghana and the insights they have gained.

We hope this trip will be something that our students will always remember as a vital element of their time in the ICS Diploma programme.

By Joanna Cooper - IB Diploma Co-ordinator