International Schools

Cleves Cross works hard to introduce our children to the wider world around them, including places in other countries. Being involved in international projects such as Connecting Classrooms has enabled links with other schools and from these links children have gained a better understanding of the context of each school including cultural norms, school setting, children’s interests and how people in other countries live. Children at Cleves Cross are encouraged to become global citizens and take part in regular activities to champion children’s rights around the world.

International School Award – Reaccreditation

The International School Award (ISA) 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.

Cleves Cross successfully achieved the International School Award Reaccreditation status in October 2025, which is testament to the whole schools commitment to embedding a rich and creative range of international work.

Our Journey towards the International School Award 2025

Here is a link to our action plan: International Action Plan

International Policy

International Partnerships

Gran Canaria

Welcome to our new partner from CEIP Hoya Andrea Gran Canaria!

 

Sri Lanka

Mrs Hilton and Mr Hornsby received a warm welcome when they visited our twin school in Sri Lanka. Please have a look at some of the wonderful photos taken during their exciting visit.

Welcome to our two special guests

We are very pleased, once again, to welcome two very special visitors to our school this week. Mr Patenbendige and Mrs Liyanage arrived all the way from our twin school in Sri Lanka to spend the whole week experiencing our school way of life. They will be working with all the classes, swapping knowledge and ideas.  Please keep a look out for photographs and displays that will appear around the school over the coming week.

VIP Visit

Boris Johnson visited Cleves Cross for a live classroom link-up with school children in Kenya to urge world leaders to invest in education.

The Prime Minister visited the school with Julia Gillard, former Australian PM and chairwoman of the Global Partnership for Education, and spoke to President Uhuru Kenyatta at a school in Nairobi as part of the Connecting Classrooms programme.

International Activities 2024-25

Global Net-Zero and Renewable Energy Interactive Activity 

“Mission Net-Zero: Escape the Carbon Crisis” 

The activity introduced pupils to the concept of net-zero, renewable energy, and global sustainability challenges through an immersive, interactive “Escape the Room” activity. The activity incorporated problem-solving, teamwork, and critical thinking, aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of potential solutions to achieve net-zero emissions globally. 

In this Escape the Room activity, children were transported to a world facing an escalating carbon crisis. Their mission was to unlock the steps towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by solving puzzles, completing tasks, and engaging with renewable energy concepts. The game integrated hands-on challenges, card-based problem-solving, and critical reflection to introduce the importance of renewable energy sources and the global effort to reach net-zero by 2050. 

Christmas around the World

Over recent years, we have used the time leading up to Christmas to educate our pupils about this celebration around the world.  This activity introduces pupils to the diverse ways Christmas is celebrated across the world, encouraging global awareness, cultural appreciation, and environmental consciousness. Through research, discussions, creative projects, and a cross-school collaboration, children learned about international Christmas traditions while reflecting on their own celebrations at home. Each year group selected a country to research and find out about their Christmas celebrations – when it was first celebrated in Europe and how. Children explored how different countries celebrate this festival, their traditions and why it is special to them. We looked at special days and which are important in different countries. The children shared their work across school. The activity culminated with children creating eco-friendly Christmas cards and decorations which were shared with our international partners in Weligama (Sri Lanka), fostering global citizenship and sustainability.  

Reception Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is part of our Reception curriculum and taught to children each year. The Chinese New Year activities are planned through “the understanding the world area of learning”. During curriculum work children had the opportunity to try different foods from China to expand their taste palate. The children tried lots of pick ‘n’ mix bowls with common Chinese food. The children also contributed by creating their own Chinese foods. Learning was supported with other planned activities and continuous provision such as listening to the Chinese New Year story and learning about the Chinese zodiac, making Chinese dragons and decorations. The celebration ended with a traditional dragon dance in the hall.

Zero Hunger

Pupils explored hunger as a global issue, understanding its root causes and impact on societies worldwide. Children reflected on their role in promoting sustainability and combating malnutrition. By examining how hunger affects different countries and communities, pupils developed empathy and a broader understanding of global inequalities. The activity encouraged pupils to identify solutions and take action by raising awareness about hunger and food security, both in their own communities and globally. Pupils worked together to research, design, and present potential solutions to the issue of hunger, fostering teamwork and critical thinking.

The View from Our Window

The activity promoted global learning by engaging pupils in research about view from classroom window in various countries using Padlet, fostering respect and understanding of cultural differences. The activity supported pupils to recognise features of their own identity. Pupils also collaborated internationally, exchanging pictures, photos and description our school grounds with our partner school in Sri Lanka, enhancing their sense of global community and responsibility. The activity encouraged an appreciation of diversity within their own community and globally. The activity integrated geography (country research), art (drawing views from the classroom), English (writing a description), and geography (identifying environmental features including physical and human). This interdisciplinary approach broadened pupils’ understanding of the world by identifying similarities and differences.

The view from our window

International Day of Equality: Promoting Gender Equality and Empowerment (International Women’s Day – 8^th March 2025)

The activities encouraged pupils to reflect on how gender roles and expectations shape identity, rights, and opportunities. This event also inspired pupils to take action toward achieving gender equality, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), and promote the British Council’s international global learning of diversity, and inclusion.

Zoom Spanish Lessons

As a school we have recently changed our Modern Foreign Language to Spanish for our Key Stage 2 pupils, as the majority of pupils at Cleves Cross travel to Spanish speaking countries for their holidays. The language skills of our pupils is currently very basic so to develop the teaching and learning of Spanish we worked with our partners in Gran Canaria. The staff from both schools worked together to plan Zoom activities to improve both Spanish and English in our corresponding schools. The children completed a variety of activities with each other to develop their language skills through real-life meaningful experiences. These opportunities were planned throughout Key Stage 2 so both pupils and teachers developed their language skills.

Gran Canaria Project –Year 4 and 5 Our Locality and Everyday Life: A Cultural Exchange with CEIP Hoya Andrea”

Key Stage 2 (KS2) pupils’ developed their understanding of Spanish culture and language through collaboration with pupils from CEIP Hoya Andrea in Gran Canaria. Pupils explored similarities and differences between their local environments, aspects of everyday life, and culture, fostering global citizenship and intercultural communication. The live exchange included both schools presenting their presentations and engaging in a question and-answer session. The children involved in the activity will then visit the school in Gran Canaria (in 2025/26) if we are successful with our Turing application.

 

Exploring Sri Lanka and Our Connection with Weligama – Year 2

This geography activity introduced Year 2 pupils to Sri Lanka, specifically focusing on Weligama, the location of our partner school. Through map work, comparisons, and collaborative activities, pupils explored the physical and human geographical features of Sri Lanka, its climate, and culture, while developing an understanding of global citizenship. Pupils also worked with their Sri Lankan counterparts, sharing and reflecting on their learning to build cross cultural awareness.

London Cultural Visit for Year 5 & 6: A Journey into Diversity and Contrasting location

The London cultural visit for Year 5 and 6 immersed pupils in a contrasting urban environment, compared to their home in Ferryhill, County Durham. This visit provided first-hand experiences for our pupils. It promoted global citizenship by immersing children in a diverse cultural environment, exposing them to different ways of life, traditions, and values. Pupils reflected on their own community and understand how London, as a global city, functions in contrast to their locality. of the rich cultural, historical, and geographical diversity that London offers, while helping students develop their social and cultural awareness.

Previous International Work

Thailand Cultural Partnership – Our School

Through this project, the students from both countries benefitted by learning about each other’s culture. They were exposed to people who were native of that country and experienced first-hand communication without leaving the country. The students gained new friends and were eager to learn about other people’s culture. The students prepared artwork on the key aspects of themselves, their local area and their school. This was a mix of photographs, drawings and written pieces of text alongside spoken English.

Gran Canaria visit

We used funding from the Turing Scheme to take 29 Year 6 pupils to our link school in Gran Canaria. The children had the opportunity to meet the children they had worked with during Zoom lessons with our partners. While in Gran Canaria, our children attended CEIP Chano Sánchez (for 4 days) to work alongside their peers in lessons. It gave our pupils the opportunity to immerse themselves in the local culture and learn directly from first-hand experience. The children were presented with countless opportunities to develop language skills throughout the trip.

Sri Lanka

As part our Geography curriculum the pupils in Year 2 had the opportunity to study Sri Lanka and focus on Welligama – the location of our Sri Lankan partners. The pupils located Sri Lanka on a map then looked at climate and habitats as well as understanding the physical and human geographical features of the area. The children thought about why people travel to Sri Lanka and understand people travelled to countries for different reasons. They explored a city in Sri Lanka (Colombo) and compared this city with a local city (Newcastle). They considered the difference in weather and the different seasonal weather patterns in Sri Lanka – making comparisons to the climate in the UK. The children completed their learning by considering other elements of Sri Lanka for example – Transport/Food/Growing