Pippa and I recently experienced a truly international occasion when we attended our son’s graduation ceremony at Warwick University. As a globally connected university, Warwick attracts staff and students from over 140 countries and boasts a truly cosmopolitan campus where every student is considered ‘international’; this means that through inter-cultural learning and experiences the University aims to equip every graduate to become a successful citizen on a global stage. This feels like a real step change in further education in the UK.

The University awarded an honorary doctorate to Sir Vernon Ellis, the chair of the British Council. In a very relevant speech Sir Vernon referred to the global make-up of students, there in the hall collecting their degrees. When it was founded the British Council’s remit was to spread British influence across the globe through the development of cultural relations. Now, he pointed out, the remit is the same and communication has never been easier, yet understanding between people and cultures is as fragile as ever. I was impressed with his promotion of the British Council’s International Schools Award through which a British School forms a partnership with a school overseas giving pupils at both schools a chance to learn about life in the other country, and so develop themselves as global citizens. In the world in which today’s children are growing up they encounter a greater variety of perspectives, cultures and communities than ever before and it should be the task of everyone working in education to encourage them more than ever to become international globally connected citizens. #