Supported by education departments and devolved administrations across the UK.

It is an accreditation scheme for curriculum-based international work in schools. It is open to all UK schools and is free of charge.

The international dimension in education is an increasingly important part of agendas such as Every Child Matters and Community Cohesion in how it supports the cultural heritage of teachers and learners and positive learning across schools.

The ISA is also featured in the new curriculum guidance from QCA, particularly with regard to the Global Dimension.

The ISA supports schools to develop:

• An international ethos embedded throughout the school
• A majority of pupils within the school impacted by and involved in international work
• Collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools
• Curriculum-based work across a range of subjects
• Year round international activity
• Involvement of the wider community
• Evaluation from a variety of sources allowing you to improve your activities and your international programme.

The ISA offers:
• a framework within which to form and develop international partnerships and achieve curriculum goals.
• ideas for developing collaborative curriculum-based international work with partner schools.
• recognition for teachers and their schools that instill a global dimension into the learning experience of all children and young people.
• opportunities to raise the school's profile through local and national media coverage.
• support for delivering on the Sustainable School agenda. The Sustainable Schools National Framework states that
  ‘By 2020 the Government would like all schools to be models of good global citizenship, enriching their educational mission with activities that improve the lives of people living in other parts of the world.’

Comenius is part of the Lifelong Learning Program (LLP). It provides opportunities for schools and colleges to introduce or strengthen the European dimension in their curriculum.