Opportunity & Success on a Global Stage
The King’s Group vision is to create a global community of pupils and staff; broadening horizons, fostering understanding and raising aspirations by connecting our academies with other schools across the world.
At King’s Academy Rowner, we believe that an internationally minded curriculum builds cultural understanding, improves communication skills, and promotes knowledge and awareness of the wider world. We use opportunities within our curriculum, such as our daily assemblies, MfL and cross-curricular teaching, in addition to enrichment activities such as International Day and overseas partnership projects to explore people and places beyond the limitations of their surroundings.
International School Award
We are proud that King’s Academy Rowner achieved the Foundation Level of the International School Award in May 2025. This recognises our strong commitment to developing global citizenship across our school. The award celebrates our wide-ranging international activities, including themed assemblies, a whole-school approach to global learning, and our exciting partnership with a school in Czechia.
The feedback highlighted how our pupils are actively engaged in learning about global issues and praised our efforts to broaden their understanding of the world. With a dedicated webpage showcasing our work and plans already underway for the next stage, we are delighted to be recognised for taking such meaningful steps on our international journey.
We look forward to building on this success as we work towards the next level of the award!
International Day: November 2025
On 14.11.25 we celebrated our second International Day, and the school was buzzing with excitement as each year group explored a different country from around the world. The day was designed to help us broaden our horizons and foster global understanding, reflecting our commitment to The King’s Group vision and our aim to develop an internationally-minded curriculum.
Across the school, pupils learned about people and places beyond where we live, helping them take important steps towards becoming global citizens.
Year 3 travelled (in spirit!) to New Zealand, discovering its unique wildlife, Māori culture, and stunning landscapes.
Year 4 explored the vibrant traditions, food, art, and history of Mexico.
Year 5 immersed themselves in South African music, culture, and geography.
Year 6 delved into Thailand, learning about its festivals, customs, and natural wonders.
Children took part in activities from across the curriculum: art, geography, dance, music, and more, bringing each country to life in creative and meaningful ways. The atmosphere around school was joyful and lively, with pupils eager to share what they had learned and experienced.
It was a wonderful day of learning, curiosity, and celebration, strengthening our understanding of the wider world and our place within it.
International Ambassadors: October 2025
We are delighted to announce the appointment of our new International Ambassadors. Each class has one pupil for this important role, following a written application process where children shared why they wanted to represent their class and how they could help strengthen our school’s international work.
The International Dimension was launched last year and has already been recognised with a British Council International School Award. This was a fantastic achievement that celebrates our commitment to global learning. A big thank you goes to Miss Daly for leading this inspiring part of our curriculum.
Our International Ambassadors will help to develop this area even further, supporting projects and events that celebrate our connections with both our local and global neighbours. Learning about different cultures, traditions, and ways of life helps our pupils to understand the world around them, appreciate diversity, and recognise their place as global citizens. We are excited to see how our new ambassadors will help our school community continue to learn, share and grow together.
Swiss Trainees: September 2025
We were delighted to welcome four Swiss trainee teachers to our school on 29.9.25. They have been completing a placement at KA Gomer, but spent the day with us to experience life at our school and they told us they thoroughly enjoyed it! It was wonderful for our children to meet teachers from another country and to share learning together. This visit is also part of our commitment to the International Dimension within our curriculum, helping our children to learn about global neighbours and the wider world.
Year 5 International Partnership with Czech School: June 2026
Since the launch of our International Dimension, Year 5 have embarked on an exciting new partnership with Základní škola Francova Lhota, a school in Czechia. To kick off the collaboration, pupils from both schools created presentations about their school and local area, complete with video tours. It was fascinating to explore the similarities and differences in our school environments and communities.
After sharing their presentations, the children exchanged thoughtful questions and responses, sparking lively discussions and curiosity about each other’s experiences and perspectives.
The next stage of the project saw Year 5 pupils working collaboratively in groups to create a Google Slides presentation on key moments in British history. In return, we received an insightful presentation from our Czech partners, showcasing significant events in Czechia’s history.
This international partnership has already inspired curiosity, creativity, and connection, and we can’t wait to see where this exciting journey takes us next.
Chinese New Year: 19.01.2025
Today, we embraced the Chinese Lunar New Year as part of our International Curriculum at King’s Academy Rowner. The celebrations began with an assembly led by Mrs Mulhall, where children learned more about this important festival and got excited for the afternoon’s themed activities. A highlight of the day was our special Chinese-themed menu, which proved to be a huge hit across the school! With such positive feedback, we may need to make it a regular feature on our menu. To mark the occasion, each class was gifted a lucky red envelope containing a specially made snake which was produced using our school’s 3D printer. As 2025 is the Year of the Snake, each class named their snake, and it will now remain in their classroom as a symbol of hope and positivity for the year ahead. This celebration has been a fantastic way to learn more about global traditions, and we look forward to continuing our international curriculum with more exciting cultural events throughout the year. 新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè) – Happy New Year!
International Day: 15.10.2024
At King’s Academy Rowner, we were excited to launch the International Dimension to our curriculum with our very first International Day. This event was an integral part of our commitment to fostering a global understanding within our curriculum, aligning with The King’s Group vision. It was an opportunity for our children to connect with different cultures, explore countries beyond their immediate surroundings, and learn about the people and places that make up our diverse world. By introducing an internationally-minded curriculum, we aim to build cultural awareness, improve communication skills, and raise aspirations, preparing our pupils to become well-rounded global citizens. We were also delighted to welcome Sir Roger Fry, a founding member of King’s Group Academies, who joined us to see first-hand the fantastic learning taking place. His presence made the day even more special, and the children were proud to share their knowledge and activities with him. One key aspect of our International Day is linking the global with the local. We want our children to explore the geography of the world while reinforcing their understanding of our own unique location. Through our International Day, we are also taking another step towards our goal of achieving British Council accreditation. This event, alongside our assemblies, Modern Foreign Languages lessons, and cross-curricular projects, is part of our ongoing effort to promote the international dimension of our curriculum. Each year group focused on a different country that is not currently featured in our existing curriculum:
- Year 3 – Japan
- Year 4 – Fiji
- Year 5 – Poland
- Year 6 – Romania
The children thoroughly enjoyed the day, which provided a fantastic platform for further learning. We are confident that their experiences on International Day will spark curiosity and a greater appreciation for the world around them. And, we are keen to work with our parents to help share expert knowledge and experiences. Together, we are building bridges across continents and creating a truly international school community.