The British International School Awards aims to recognise excellence in British schools abroad and to single out individual schools for their outstanding endeavours in a variety of disciplines that convey effectiveness in school management.

These awards are presented at a gala event in London in January, and recognise the range of achievements and developments in British international schools around the world. The awards are in a number of categories, and POWIIS has been selected for the ‘Pastoral Initiative’ section, where the emphasis is on physical health and well-being.

POWIIS’s entry describes the reorganisation of the activity programme with the outcomes of providing additional practice time for selective sports, but equal importance is placed on a strengthened emphasis on physical health and well-being for those less inclined to physical activity. POWIIS seeks to emphasise health and fitness, through changes to the school’s catering including a reduction in the availability of ‘snack’ foods. POWIIS has also significantly increased tutor time which provides the opportunity for more in-depth mentoring of the students, with a heightened interest in their physicality and exercise habits.

The other schools in the ‘Pastoral Initiative’ section are Deira International School in Dubai, Dubai English Speaking School, and St Paul’s School, Sao Paulo. The outcome is one which is hotly anticipated but POWIIS maintains that to be shortlisted is indeed a satisfying reflection on their initiatives.

This article was originally published in The Expat magazine (January 2017) which is available online or in print via a free subscription.