International School Award

LSU has achieved reaccreditation for the British Council’s International School Award

Our assessor Gavin Mather congratulated the school on its outstanding International work “in what has been a difficult few years!”

The international and global dimension is firmly rooted in your school's curriculum and whole-school ethos.

Your active links with schools in other countries and continents are providing rich learning experiences for students via dynamic communication and collaboration on joint curriculum-based projects. Despite some necessary and expected curtailment and adjustment due to Covid restrictions, your international activities have been carried out largely as planned during the two academic years 2019-2021. Indeed, the pandemic has provided an opportunity for your students to share lockdown experiences with their peers in France and Spain, promoting friendship, empathy and intercultural understanding. This is commendable and reflects your school's commitment to international and global learning.

Your Impact Evaluation is detailed and insightful, highlighting benefits for students, staff and local community groups in increased knowledge of other countries, cultures and languages, awareness of key global issues, global citizenship skills and attributes, and appreciation for cultural diversity.

A typical International Evening at La Sainte Union School

Sir Ciaran Devane, Chief Executive of the British Council, John Rolfe from the British Council and Sir Keir Starmer, Leader of the opposition, came for a tour of the school and to present the prestigious award. Pupils from Year 8, 10 and 11 read, performed and danced for the invited audience of Governors, trustees, parents and Year 7 pupils.

In her welcoming speech Lucy Broker, Achievement Leader for Year 8 said:

LSU reflects the diversity of an inner city London comprehensive and the staff and governors are committed to recognising and celebrating the many nationalities and cultural identities of our community. Since achieving the prestigious International School Award in 2014, LSU has continued to promote internationality and the values of inter-connectedness which have always been its core mission.

We aim to foster curiosity in our young people and the belief that they can make a difference; in this centenary year of Women’s suffrage we want to send out confident ambitious young women into the wider community, empowered with the knowledge and resourcefulness to make positive changes to their world now and in the future; challenging injustice where they find it and building a fairer, better and kinder society for all.

Following the visit, John Rolfe MBE Schools Outreach Manager for the British Council commented:

We are proud and delighted to work with you and your fantastic young learners and a special thanks to Mrs Fegan for her key support and commitment.

Here's what our Headteacher had to say about the award:

It is wonderful to be recognised again by the British Council with this prestigious award. It is testament to the dedication of our staff to build enduring links with schools across the world and give our pupils enriching experiences. We have always considered LSU to be a global school, and we want our pupils to be globally aware. We have developed our curriculum to be culturally responsive and to reflect the richness of diversity: our pupils have benefitted greatly from this understanding. We continue this important work this year. Highlights include exciting Science excursions to Florida and Switzerland, and our longstanding Palestine project which has LSU linked to a school in Abu Dis: students have prepared a presentation which will be shown to the United Nations on Human Rights.