St Mary’s secures British Council accreditation for international work

This prestigious accolade – which is valid for three years – demonstrates St Mary’s commitment to international education and its implementation of clear activity plans and impact assessments to develop its quality of international education.

Illustrating its work in this area, St Mary’s recently hosted its first international ‘Learning Lunch’ with former student, Chanel Tsui, who is now a clinical pharmacist at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. The learning lunch helped bridge the time difference of eight hours and almost 6,000 miles for the former alumna – enabling her to virtually meet students and answer any questions they had about her chosen career path.

Miss Dutton, International Coordinator at St Mary’s School, said: “Achieving this accolade is such fantastic news for St Mary’s. It’s so rewarding to be acknowledged for the ongoing commitment that we have to international learning. At every turn we strive to provide new ways for our students to connect with the wider world – this might be through activities such as working collaboratively with an overseas partner school, or by raising awareness of global issues in our learning. We now look forward to continuing this commitment and taking it to the next level.”

Charlotte Avery, Headmistress at St Mary’s School, Cambridge, said: “International learning is a big part of our school’s culture. As educators, our role is to encourage our girls to be outward-looking, well-informed, responsible world citizens. Our girls benefit from collaborating with young people from around the world through our partnerships with overseas schools. We continue to be highly committed to developing international awareness and understanding within our school, and we are overjoyed that this has been recognised and commended by The British Council.”

Scott McDonald, Chief Executive of the British Council, said: “The school has earned this prestigious award through its inspirational international work and links with schools abroad. The International School Award is a chance for schools to be recognised for their important work bringing the world into their classrooms. This is especially commendable when schools have been deeply affected by the global pandemic. The desire to build on their international work shines through and it is with upmost pride that we celebrate their achievements. By embedding an international dimension in children’s education, these schools are preparing their students for successful lives in the UK or further afield, empowering them to be global citizens, and are creating vital opportunities in an increasingly global economy.”

St Mary’s has an International Committee in place at the school, which consists of a wide range of students from across all age groups. The Committee works hard to raise awareness of issues that are of personal interest to international students, as well as promoting global developments that are of importance to the whole student body.