Central Foundaton Girls' School

Central Foundation Girls' School Sixth Form

International Links

 Central Foundation Girls School has been awarded the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom. 

 
The International School Award celebrates the achievements of schools that do exceptional work in international education. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need for life work in today’s world.

 

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

 

For many years at CCFGS, several subjects have incorporated other cultures in their curriculum (e.g.: in art, students learn about the Nderbele people and their art. In drama, year 7 students work on and perform a Kenyan play. And of course, in modern foreign languages lessons, students learn to speak, read, and write in the target language while learning about the cultures). Students also take part in International events such as Write for Rights (https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/write-for-rights/) International Mother Tongue Day (https://www.un.org/en/observances/mother-language-day ) and International Women’s Day (https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ )

Since September 2024, we are going further to help students not only learn about different cultures but develop a curiosity, pride in their own heritage, and a sense of being a global citizen. 

 

The language of the month calendar:

Each month, International Ambassadors (students from year 7 to year 13) actively organise a variety of activities and events centred around one of our students’ languages and cultures (e.g.: storytelling sessions, calligraphy competitions, quizzes, cooking sessions, special menus in the canteen, and many more). 

 

 

We share news of activities in our CFGS news blog. Click here to share. 

Exploration of languages and cultures in lessons:

As part of the language of the month calendar, teachers in various subjects include the language/culture celebrated within their lessons.

A group of teachers and teaching assistants are also working on implementing translanguaging practices in lessons for students to see their knowledge of their home languages and cultures as resources that are valuable academically. This innovative approach is currently being trialled out in Modern Foreign Languages, maths, Science, and Religious Studies.

 

International Partnerships:

In science, year 7 students are part of a global project that helps them learn about environmental issues in different countries around the world. They share and discuss the environmental issues they see in their daily lives with students in our partner schools based in Spain, Kenya, India, and Bangladesh.

A group of students from year 10 to year 13, our Female Lead Ambassadors, are partnering with the Rotary Club of Kinoni (in Uganda) to discuss Female empowerment in both countries and globally.

All of the students studying Spanish at KS4 and several classes in KS3 are taking part in pen pal projects with schools in Spain, Argentina, Panama, and Mexico, which allow them to improve their language skills, connect with children in Spanish-speaking countries, and discover their culture.

 

Exciting events happening this year (2024-2025):

At CFGS, we want to celebrate every student’s language and culture. As a diverse school, the language of the month calendar only allows us to celebrate a handful of them each year. This is why we are also organising three events to celebrate everyone’s heritage. International Mother Tongue Day in February, International Day of Multilingualism in March, and World Day of Cultural Diversity in May.

Please note that an information evening will be organised on Wednesday 12th February where guest researchers will be talking about the importance of maintaining home languages alive, and how to do it. Information about the event will follow shortly.