The British Council’s Schools Now! 2024 conference equips educators and decision-makers with the strategies necessary to enhance the educational experience for students worldwide

4 delegates from Sri Lanka attended the conference.

• Themed around ‘Enriching your curriculum’, the Schools Now! 2024 conference brought education experts from around the world to present 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

The British Council’s Schools Now! 2024 was held over three days in Cape Town, South Africa from 27-29 February 2024. 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. From Sri Lanka, 4 delegates attended the conference including representatives from the British Council and schools including Elizabeth Moir School, St. Thomas’ Catholic International College, and Ladies' College. 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 emergingthemes, we aim to empower educators to navigate the complexities of the shifting education landscape and drive positive outcomes for students.’ Dominic Hudson, Exams Director at the British Council in Sri Lanka said: ‘The British Council Partner Schools programme supports over 116 Partner Schools in Sri Lanka to deliver UK International School Qualifications on behalf of UK awarding bodies. Our educational support enables schools to enhance the learning experience for students, improving educational outcomes.' The opening keynote session by Victoria Pendry, CEO of the Curriculum Foundation, aimed at empowering schools to develop, monitor, and evaluate an enriched curriculum. Her presentation explored the interconnected nature of digital learning, leadership, well-being and safeguarding as a foundation for quality and equitable education.

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. 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 SchoolEducation, 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.Key takeaways from the event will be available on the Schools Now! website page: https://www.britishcouncil.org/exam/partner-schools/schools-now-conference Ends

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-

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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

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/.