There was good reason to celebrate in October when the school successfully achieved the International Schools Award. The award was presented at a prestigious ceremony, which was held at the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle. Miss Robson had submitted the application before she went on maternity and gave evidence of the superb international dimension that is offered at Ox Close.
Mr Harrison received news of the success early in the term and attended the ceremony along with Miss Smith, who leads Modern Foreign Languages, and two pupils- Talia Cowan of 5/6S and Jessica Chan of 3/4S.
There were keynote speakers present, including international explorers and representatives from the British Council, and the event proved to be very enjoyable. Councillor Pat Lawton, Deputy Mayor of Spennymoor, went on the stage with the Ox Close delegation and agreed to support the school during International Week following the event.
Mr Harrison said, “We are very proud of the fact that we offer such a broad experience to our pupils rather than a narrow exam based curriculum. This award follows other prestigious awards such as Artsmark Gold, which acknowledges the commitment to Music and Art. In itself, the International Schools Award is a great achievement and it is especially important to present a balanced global perspective in the current political climate. Over the last 3 years we have offered Mandarin and now other schools are beginning to follow this trend. Visits to France are also a long standing tradition. I would like to thank Miss Robson and Miss Smith and to congratulate Talia and Jessica, who were model pupils on the day.”
