Welcome to Dawlish College.
It continues to be an absolute privilege to be the Headteacher at Dawlish College – the staff and students are second to none and take all of life’s challenges in their stride. Despite current uncertainties as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, we continue to hold onto our core purpose in all that we do. Behind all of the decisions taken and measures put in place sits the balance between keeping staff and students safe whilst also providing them with a varied and exciting school experience.
Dawlish College is a vibrant and exciting place to be, where we have the highest expectations of staff and students alike and seek to provide challenge at every available opportunity. As a small school, we have a very proud record of holistic support, care and individual attention: the happiness and well-being of our students is of paramount importance and is a vital foundation for their growth and development. Our college has an atmosphere of creativity and positivity that is generated by the provision of excellent opportunities for every individual thereby maximising the outcomes and improving the life chances of the young people in our care.
As a parent myself, I understand that you want your child to be inspired, supported and challenged to be the best version of themselves within an environment that knows them and values them as an individual. Thank you for entrusting me with the care and education of your child, present or future, and I look forward to unlocking their ambitions as I get to know them and work closely with you.
S Banks
Headteacher
Dawlish College has been awarded Intermediate level of the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.
The International School Award celebrates the achievements of schools that do exceptional work in international education. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need for life and work in today’s world.
Dawlish College’s international work included participation in the connecting classrooms teacher exchange funded by the British Arts Council. We were delighted to host three Malawian teachers who had the opportunity to view learning in our college whilst Mrs. Lithgow visited Malawi, taking a range of resources with her to support learning in their school. Students completed a Rivers of the World project based on the River Exe and exchanged knowledge about the river Shire in Malawi. Later in the year we held an artist workshop with Participate Arts for Year 9 and made ceremonial masks. We held an Africa week across the whole school curriculum, with students participating in a multicultural project to learn about the UN sustainable development goals. We were also very proud that students and staff raised over £700 for mattresses at our partner Balaka Secondary school.
On hearing the news that Dawlish College had achieved Intermediate level of the award, Rachel Wickham, Headteacher said: “I am always so proud of our community's ability to look beyond itself and embrace the wider world. This is another excellent example of this in action. My thanks go to all the staff and students who were involved in this exciting and rewarding project”
John Rolfe MBE, Schools Outreach Manager at the British Council, said: Dawlish College’s international work has earned the school well-deserved recognition with the British Council International School Award - Intermediate Certificate.
We are proud and delighted to work with this great school. Many thanks to everyone for all their commitment to developing international work and sharing excellent classroom practice and resources. This is enriching education for its students; and their excellent collaborative projects with partner schools overseas are bringing the world into their classrooms. International work is key support for the development of skills young people need to be the globally aware citizens of the future.
Embedding an international ethos across a school can lead to accreditation with our Full International School Award and schools looking to join this supporting and engaging global network should contact us at the British Council”.
The award is now available worldwide in countries such as India, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Around 6,000 International School Awards have been presented to successful schools in the UK since the scheme began in 1999.
The International School Award encourages and supports schools to develop:
An international ethos embedded throughout the school
A whole school approach to international work
Collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools
Year-round international activity
Involvement of the wider community
