Schools Now! 2024: Enriching school curricula with multi-cultural narratives inspire curiosity to help learners acquire transferable skills

• Themed around 'Enriching your curriculum', the Schools Now! 2024 conference equipped educators and decision-makers with the tools, insights and actionable strategies necessary to enhance the educational experience for students worldwide.
• Education experts from around the world presented innovations and case studies in leadership, well-being and safeguarding approaches and the integration of technology in digital learning.
• The conference focused on empowering subject experts within the school community to drive curriculum development and delivery.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- British Council's Schools Now! 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa, has just concluded. The conference was attended by over 1000 school leaders both onsite and virtually, and served as a platform for fostering collaboration, sharing best practices and insights in international education.  

The themes included digital learning, leadership, well-being, and safeguarding, adding to a rich internationalised and contextualised curriculum. Through a series of engaging keynote sessions, immersive workshops, and panel discussions, delegates explored innovative teaching approaches, curriculum enrichment strategies, and the integration of technology in education. 

Martin Lowder, Head of Global Exams Services, The British Council, shared, 'The spirit of Schools Now! is to establish global connections within the educational community, exploring insights and innovations in international education. By addressing emerging themes, we aim to empower educators to navigate the complexities of the shifting education landscape and drive positive outcomes for students.'

The opening keynote session by Victoria Pendry, CEO of the Curriculum Foundation, aimed at empowering schools to develop, monitor and evaluate an enriched curriculum. She highlighted that, 'In a rapidly changing world, if learners are to develop resilience, creativity and the essential skills of collaboration, the curriculum must be ambitious and enriched with local and global narratives that excite imaginations and inspire curiosity.'

Her presentation explored the interconnected nature of digital learning, leadership, well-being and safeguarding as a foundation for quality and equitable education. She summarised how 'a curriculum that is rich in respect for the past, eager to consider preferred futures and committed to exploring different perspectives, will drive positive outcomes beyond the classroom'. 

Other distinguished speakers included, Dr Funke Baffour-Awuah, Head of Well-being Division and Child Protection Lead, Al Rayan International School, Ghana, Kathleen O'Hare, British Council Education Consultant, Pamela O`Brien, Deputy Head and Jo Parkes, Deputy Head Academic from British Council School in Madrid, and adding to a rich and diverse perspective.

Tatiana Popa, Deputy Academic Director, Heritage International School, Moldova, an ISC International Education Influencer of 2023, delivered a session for virtual delegates, on 'Digital learning', focussing on the use of AI in schools and how this will impact all areas of work, educational tools, teaching practice and much more. 

An expert panel on 'AI in Education' comprising of Kudzayi Tarisayi, Senior Lecturer, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, Reham Ali, Director of Middle and High School Education, Nermine Ismail International Schools, Egypt and Jo Parkes discussed valuable tips into how schools can ensure students are prepared for future needs dictated through the use of AI. It was eye-opening to see nearly 90% of conference delegates voice AI as a friend, not foe, signalling widespread optimism towards AI's potential benefits.

Dr Funke's keynote addressed how to 'Develop a Well-being Framework for a Thriving School Community through the lens of 'A Curriculum-Centred Approach.' She stressed on how 'Integrating wellbeing into the curriculum promotes a thriving school community: By intentionally incorporating wellbeing into the curriculum, schools can create a holistic learning environment that supports the mental, emotional, and physical health of students.'

A series of workshops discussed practical aspects of implementing key learnings through a range of key thematic areas such as, 'Leadership Synergy: Peer Coaching & Empowering Your Success' and 'What is an innovative curriculum in an exam focussed school context' to name a few. These workshops provided school leaders with engagement tools in support of enriching the curriculum so that communities are inspired and committed to helping learners to acquire transferable skills such as problem solving and critical thinking, teamwork and communication, particularly in multi-cultural realities.

Jo Parkes' led a workshop on curriculum, reinforcing 'the importance of reading as a fundamental aspect to an enriched curriculum. Establishing reading as the backbone of the curriculum is enormously effective but sadly often overlooked.'

Another key focus of the conference was safeguarding, recognising the importance of school community wellbeing and safety within the learning environment. Pamela O`Brien, in her workshop on 'Developing school practices to ensure safeguarding and wellbeing of students' shared, 'Safeguarding and wellbeing are intertwined. Creating a safe environment is key and includes not only complying with relevant laws and standards but also identifying school practices which promote the wellbeing of children and act as protective factors.' 

She shared case studies from the British Council School, Madrid where 'Policies, systems and procedures have led to consistency and best practice. We can only say a policy, or a system is working if we see it in practice and the entire school community plays their part.'

The conference also provided our Action Research Grants recipients from Partner Schools the opportunity to share valuable findings from their respective research areas. A thought-provoking session by Amira Soliman Awaad, Director of Curriculum and Instruction from Dr. Nermien Ismail International Schools in Egypt showcased how 'Digitized Blended Learning Methods' such as the 'Flipped Classroom' and 'Exit Tickets' save class time and yield real-time intervention data, translating them into needed interventions for struggling students or requirements for increased rigour in the curricula.'

Schools are managing a variety of changes and development and the British Council supports our Partner Schools to approach new challenges through training, guidance and encouraging collaborative practice. As education continues to evolve in response to the changing needs of learners, the Schools Now! conference plays a crucial role in driving progress and innovation within the sector. By harnessing the collective expertise and passion of school leaders and decision makers, the conference serves as a catalyst for transformative change, ultimately enriching the educational experiences of students worldwide. 

By championing safety and wellbeing, embracing technological advancements, and leadership in schools, and thereby promoting an enriched curriculum, the outcomes of Schools Now! Conference focused on empowering educators to create engaging, student-centred learning environments that prepare learners for success in the 21st century and beyond.

Key takeaways from the event will be available on the Schools Now! website page:

https://www.britishcouncil.org/exam/partner-schools/schools-now-conference

About Schools Now! 2024

British Council's Schools Now! is a global conference that fosters educational innovation across our global community of over 2,500 British Council Partner Schools spread across over 40 countries. The conference is aimed at educational professionals who wish to learn more about key areas of international education, share their ideas and experiences, and network with like-minded peers. The conference connects over 300 delegates face to face with a further 2,000 virtual attendees from around the world. The Schools Now! 2024 conference was held at The Westin, Cape Town, on 27-29 February 2024.

For more information visit https://www.britishcouncil.org/exam/partner-schools/schools-now-conference

About British Council Partner Schools

A trusted education partner, we help improve the quality of education, supporting learners worldwide to achieve their potential through access to life changing UK education and qualifications.

The British Council supports a global community of over 2500 Partner Schools, to enhance the learning experience, improving educational outcomes. We create global connections within the educational community to support professional pathways for educators, enable enriched learning journeys and prepare students for the future. We support our Partner Schools to deliver globally trusted UK International School Qualifications, in over 40 countries transforming the lives of over 250,000 students every year.

For more information, please visit https://www.britishcouncil.org/exam/partnerschools

Keep updated by following British Council Partner Schools LinkedIn

About the British Council School in Madrid

The British Council School was founded in 1940 and has been the pioneer British school in Spain ever since, offering a bilingual and bicultural education to mostly Spanish pupils aged 3 to 18. Our goal goes beyond simply providing a world-class education – we train our pupils to be future citizens by promoting the values of freedom, honesty, integrity, commitment, creativity and professionalism, essential in the development of every human being.

For more information visit https://www.britishcouncilschool.es/en

About the British Council

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

We uniquely combine the UK's deep expertise in arts and culture, education and the English language, our global presence and relationships in over 100 countries, our unparalleled access to young people and influencers and our creative sparkle.

We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.

We work with governments and our partners in the education, English language and cultural sectors, in the UK and globally. Working together we make a bigger difference, creating benefit for millions of people all over the world.

We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2022–23 we reached 600 million people.

For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org . You can also keep in touch with the British Council through http://twitter.com/britishcouncil and http://blog.britishcouncil.org/.

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