SISD wins Global Environmental Achievement Award from Talk Education Global
Swiss International School Dubai celebrates recognition of its passion for sustainability
[Dubai, September 14, 2022] Swiss International School Dubai, the emirate’s first bilingual International Baccalaureate School – and one of only two boarding schools in the UAE – holds sustainability as one of its core values – a value that has now been lauded by the international teaching community with a Talk Education Innovation in Education award for Environmental Achievement.
The online good school guide recognises innovation in education in its inaugural annual awards, and SISD beat off a number of top international school to receive the award.
Delighted School Principal, Ruth Burke, says: “At Swiss International School its our mission to prepare our pupils to be fully-rounded 21st century citizens – and key to that is ensuring we instil the necessity for good planetary stewardship and sustainability. Our team and pupils have fully embraced some wonderful initiatives, from saving water to our eco-friendly mud garden, and it’s fantastic news that we have achieved such an award – especially against stiff international competition, and in the very first edition of these annual awards.”
The school is one of the only educational establishments globally to include recycled vegan shoes from a sustainable local producer in its uniform. It also introduced water dispensers, saving more than 30,000 plastic water bottles a month.
The pupils enjoy bee and bug houses, a mud garden and there is weekly composting at the busy Al Jadaf school.
A Talk Education spokesperson says: “Our awards are different. They are designed to celebrate the schools who are changing the face of independent education by forging ahead with really new, revolutionary ideas. We’ve heard from schools adapting their menus to boost brainpower, rewilding farmland to offset their carbon footprint, and offering holiday courses and transformative bursaries to refugee children.”
SISD now stands among some of the UK’s top boarding schools in the award recipient list, which includes the likes of Gordonstoun, Tonbridge School and Godoplhin & Latymer School.
“Environmental initiatives are embedded across the school for all our students, from the tender age of three right up to our 18-year-olds. WE will continue working together with our pupils and stakeholders to ensure we are vigilant and mindful of maintaining awareness of sustainability in every aspect of school life,” adds the Principal, Ms Burke.
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About Swiss International School in Dubai
Global in outlook, bilingual in approach, Swiss in culture, and yet firmly rooted in the local community of Dubai – that’s Swiss International School in Dubai, or SISD.
The Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai (SISD), Dubai’s first bilingual International Baccalaureate School, opened in 2015, and is the largest Swiss school outside Switzerland.
The school is a leading international day and boarding school where future generations are inspired to become confident and enthusiastic lifelong learners, properly prepared to embrace all the opportunities and challenges life presents.
With a diverse student body of 1800 pupils comprising more than 100 different nationalities, the school believes the next generation of international citizens will need to be dynamic, flexible and linguistically ambitious. With this in mind, SISD offers immersive bilingual programmes in either of the Swiss languages of French and German, but also a strong English programme with foreign languages. For students who don’t wish to pursue a fully bilingual programme, there is a unique STEAM programme for all children from age 4-11 years. SISD stands out as one of only a handful of educational establishments globally classified as an IB Continuum school, which means it offers International Baccalaureate education to pupils from age 3 to 18.
Offering day school, weekly or full-term boarding options, this leading educational institution offers state-of-the-art STEAM education, and has world-class sporting facilities, too.
The school has laid out its B.E.S.T. Values, as follows:
Bilingual
A unique international and multilingual environment provides students with authentic exposure to English, French, German and Arabic. Students in the immersive bilingual programmes learn to communicate, think and reflect in two different languages. As global citizens, SISD celebrates diversity, promoting all languages and cultures with equal respect.
Excellence
SISD staff believes in maintaining high standards and aspire to be the best they can be. A spirit of enquiry, encouraging both creative and critical thinking is fostered.
Sustainability
Students and staff believe that social, cultural, economic and environmental awareness prepare us to play our part in shaping a better future, both for ourselves and for those around us. The school campus is eco-friendly, winning international acclaim and awards for using less energy to create a comfortable and healthy environment.
Together
In the school’s international community, we know that we are at our best when we all work together. We view active participation in the community, from the most local to the most global, as the foundation of a valuable life.
