FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Introduction KS2 Activities Case Studies Useful Web Sites

 

How do I start?

Start off thinking about why you want to do an International project. What would be the benefits for the pupils and staff? Talk to your Principal and SMT to get their support from the very beginning. Talk to teachers in other schools already involved in International projects. Think about which countries you would like to link with and speak to other members of staff for their opinion.

Start by looking at your existing curriculum, there are many topics being done in the classroomsÊ which will lend themselves naturally to an International Project. See KS2 activities for some ideas. Do not add anything new to your programme, there is enough to do already. Look at the School Development Plan, could the International project help deliver one of the identified priorities in that? Start small and think big.

Many schools start with one or two classes in KS2 and spread it out from there.Ê Remember that it should be a whole school initiative but you will probably have a core team of teachers involved with a core of pupils working actively. Other classes can become involved at various stages of the school year, think of P6 and P7 and the demands on their time for the Transfer Tests.

How can I get support from other teachers in my school?

Include them from the start. Try to establish a small working team of two or three for the project as if it is left to one member of staff and they leave, the project is in danger of falling. When your partners visit, include as many of your colleagues as you can in the arrangements and activities. You may want to download the European PowerPoint Presentation and show it at a staff meeting.

As the project proceeds, the classes can move up and continue working in the project under a new teacher.Ê Dedicate a corridor notice board to the project and display new material when it is appropriate, so that the whole school sees it.Ê Include every member of the school community from the caretaker to the dinner ladies.

Teachers everywhere know other teachers in other schools and many successful projects have started because someone somewhere knows someone else in another school. Word of mouth works well. In addition to that, there are good web sites with databases of schools looking for partners. You can search for projects, schools or register your own school and wait for replies. Have all the details of your school and any ideas for projects beside you when you register. The SEELB has now signed agreements with areas in Scotland, France, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Czech Republic and the Republic of Ireland for European projects. For linking further afield, the SEELB has partners in the USA and the Peoples Republic of China. Contact a member of the Languages and International Unit at 028 9056 6248 for further details.

Most of our projects are conducted in English as native English speakers are much sought after as partners. Schools here however have encouraged their staff and pupils to acquire some of their partners' languages by designing worksheets which all the pupils use so it is easy to recognise what words and phrases refer to. Schools have also labelled their rooms in the languages of their partners. Several schools have applied successfully for Comenius Language Assistants. These teachers provide a very valuable resource for culture as well as language.

You may start off working with one school if you have no experience of collaborative work but funding for European projects is only available for schools working in partnerships of at least three, from different Member States. If you decide to do this, think about contacting a third school to expand into a funded project the following year.

Once you have found your partner schools in Europe (you need at least two but it is better if you have three) then all of you can apply for funding under the Socrates programme, the Comenius chapter of which provides funding for preparatory visits to your partners, for the costs of the curriculum projects and planning and evaluation meetings. You decide who will co-ordinate the project and onlythe co-ordinating school must submit an application to their National Agency, listed on the web site. In the UK, it is the British Council. Each partner school no longer needs to apply to their own National Agency. The deadline for applications is February 1 in the UK, for projects starting in the following academic year. The co-ordinator must submit copies of all forms to their Agency and each school submit a copy of only their own form.

You get all the application forms and the guidance information from the Socrates website, www.socrates-uk.net

The grant covers teacher mobility and costs directly attached to the running of the project. It does not cover capital equipment or substitute cover. See Socrates for precise details of the level of funding available.

The partnership must have three schools from different Member States so if you only have three to start with and one is unsuccessful, the project will fall.Ê It is better therefore to try to get four partners if possible. That way, if one fails, the project can still proceed minus the unsuccessful partner who could still participate as a sleeping partner but would not be able to host meetings nor get money to travel. This only becomes a problem if the unsuccessful school is the co-ordinator, in which case you should immediately contact the National Agencies.

At the start of a project it is advisable that you meet your partners face to face to establish relationships and agree that you are talking about the same thing when Planning the project. It offers the opportunity to complete the necessary application forms together. Preparatory Visit grants are available to meet the travel and part of the subsistence costs incurred but there is no substitute cover. Application forms should be submitted at least six weeks prior to travelling and grants will only be awarded when more than two partners are meeting. Try to ensure therefore that all partners attend this initial meeting. During the project, meetings should be built into the programme to allow planning and evaluation. Costs should be budgeted for on the application form.

No, the funding does not allow for any substitute cover. It is seen as part of the school's commitment to the project.

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