International Schools

At St Therese we are committed to developing and embedding international activity. We gained the British Council’s international schools award in December 2020. We have specifically decided to further develop our provision to broaden both the experiences and aspirations of the young people through a broad and balanced curriculum and examining issues around global goals, rights and respect.

We have a whole school approach to make global connections through a commitment to increase understanding of other nationalities particularly in Kenya. Issues like climate change, gender equality and how to live sustainably affect us all — and connect us all — wherever we are in the world.  In our cluster of schools (Christ the King and St Patrick’s Primary Schools) we have embarked on an exciting adventure in combatting these issues. We have gained new friends in Kenya and gained knowledge, skills and attitudes to act more thoughtfully, ethically and responsibly as citizens and contributors to society. Across all cluster schools, provide the pupils the chance to see they are part of a wider community – one that belongs to the wider world and one that learns from others around the world so they become more active and involved citizens.

Gender Equality 

We wanted to provide a thirst of knowledge and encourage our children to be ambitious; to encourage them to try new skills without a fear of failure. To be accomplished by sharing best practice prior to and during exchanges. We met together and one full day teacher conference was organised in each country to discuss and share best practice regarding high aspirations for girls.  We arranged for women scientists to speak to the children about possible careers, thus giving the children a range of experiences of Science in Industry. We virtually met Annette England, who received an MBE for her efforts towards the COVID 19 vaccine and shared all the photographs and ideas with our Kenyan schools.

Life on Land 

This involves developing a learning programme based around Forest School projects in the UK and conservation projects in Kenya. Using Christ the King’s Forest, we helped give students and staff a better understanding of climate change and biodiversity loss issues globally, whilst focussing on environmental concerns that are ‘local to the UK and Kenyan schools’. We already have a Bee Colony in our school, which has been established for over a year and this is embedded in the curriculum.

Climate Change

In our school we currently have a children’s group called our ‘Eco Warriors’ who support recycling, minimising the use of electricity and a number of environment friendly activities. The aim of this activity is to create a World Eco Warriors group with partner schools to share aims and focuses on how we can help our environment. We use Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si, on the environment as our mission statement. He has warned of an “unprecedented destruction of ecosystems” and “serious consequences for all of us” if humanity fails to act on climate change. He also described man’s destruction of the environment as a sin and accused mankind of turning the planet into a “polluted wasteland full of debris, desolation and filth”.

These groups will share ideas and brainstorm the methods and policies that need to be put in place for better practice within schools to reduce our effect on the world in which we live. Children and parents are working together to identify ways in which we can reduce the electricity we use and will make posters and leaflets to take home to remind themselves of what they can do at home to reduce the electricity we use.

Children will be able to compare their ideas with their partner schools to identify how we have similar concerns and can all work together to help each other. All school’s will exchange their work with each other and this will be shared with parents to demonstrate how we can all work together to reduce the electricity we use.

As well as a busy programme of work for our international projects, St Therese also sends children on an annual adventure to Holland where Year 6 learn lots about our near neighbours in Europe.