The award follows the school’s British International School of the Year award, hosted by Independent School Parent magazine, for the top independent schools in the UK and one school internationally.
This latest International School Award recognised our Positive Education programme initiative which was recently launched at an event attended by Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Director-General of KHDA.
The International School Awards 2020 took place in London on Monday 20th January with over 225 senior figures from international schools and education organisations attending the event.
The annual International School Awards, which are hosted by ISC Research, recognise outstanding initiatives being delivered in English-medium international schools around the world. Award categories include school wellbeing and safeguarding, supporting students as future-thinking innovators, inclusion, supporting students’ pathways to higher education, digital technology in learning, and ethical values education.
This year, the Awards attracted 255 eligible nominations from international schools in 40 different countries including United Arab Emirates, USA, UK, China, Egypt, Guatemala, Colombia, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and South Korea.
Dubai College won the school wellbeing and safeguarding award for a research-led initiative which drew on best practice and expert advice to create a programme of positive psychology interventions for its students. The programme was co-written by our Heads of Positive Education, Mark Samways and Sheridan Teasel with the assistance of Dr Louise Lambert, a psychologist and editor of the Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology. The 25-minute classes focus on social skills, health and cognitive and psychological ability.
Mark Samways, Head of Positive Education (Years 7-10) at Dubai College said:
“I am beyond proud that our Positive Education programme has won the International School Award for our initiative to support school wellbeing and safeguarding from over 250 entries. I feel very grateful to work at Dubai College where wellbeing is given the time and funding it needs in order to develop such a programme. We are also incredibly lucky to work with the amazing Dr Louise Lambert who without, none of this would be possible. We are right at the beginning of our approach but it is amazing to get this recognition”.
In addition to this year’s headline sponsorship by TES, category awards were sponsored by BETT, New York Times inEducation, Enhanced Learning Services, InterHigh, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, British Council Schools, Furlong, Pearson, SpaceZero, Follett, Monash University and Impero Software.
According to ISC Research data, there are now more than 11,000 English-medium international schools around the world teaching over 6 million children. “There are some quite exceptional international schools implementing truly outstanding initiatives,” said CEO of ISC Research, Leigh Webb. “ISC Research is very proud to host the International School Awards which help to recognise and raise awareness of some of these very best initiatives. All initiatives have to demonstrate to the judges’ evidence of strategies that enable the initiative to be shared with other schools. Many congratulations to all the award winners.”
