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Working with a partner school can enrich the languages curriculum, as well as whole school learning. Making contact with a different language community either directly or through videoconferencing and the internet, children have perhaps the richest and deepest opportunities to develop a real sense of their own cultural identity and an appreciation and understanding of the cultures of others.
Here are some links to organisations and projects that can put you in touch with schools around the world. |
- Establishing school partnerships
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Establishing school partnerships
- UK support - UK services which help teachers to develop partnerships with schools in countries around the world
BBC World Class
Includes information for finding partner schools in Africa and Asia. The site also includes ideas for teaching and learning and a space for schools to showcase their work developing the international dimension in their classrooms.
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British Council School Partnerships
Support for finding a partner school in Europe and across the world. The school partnerships initiative includes opportunities for teachers and their pupils to collaborate on joint curriculum projects and to visit their partner schools abroad. These partner finding pages also provide comprehensive information on obtaining funding as well as suggestions for activities.
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DFID Global School Partnerships
DFID Global School Partnerships is a consortium initiative of the British Council, Cambridge Education Foundation, UK One World Linking Association and Voluntary Service Overseas, funded by the Department for International Development (DFID). It promotes partnerships between schools in the UK and those in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. |
Global Gateway
Funded by the DCSF, Global Gateway provides a one-stop shop service for developing school links. The Global Gateway team provides individual advice on where and how to link, finding a school, setting up communication and what to do, including initiating mini email exchanges, swapping letters and pictures, a blog or visits abroad. Based at the British Council, the team can also help get you started on British Council-managed programmes. Users should register for free with Global Gateway first before contacting their support team for specific details (Liz.Hitchcock@britishcouncil.org). Partner schools are offered in Europe, Francophone Africa and Caribbean, Canada, Latin America and Spanish speaking USA and Mexico. Links are also available for all community and international languages. |
The Japan Society (Japan 21)
The Japan Society is a UK charity which supports and encourages educational and grassroots activity relating to Japan. It works with schools in the UK and Japan, helping them to find and develop successful links to partner schools. The Japan Society also organises Japan in your classroom visits to schools from Japanese native speaker volunteers. |
UK-German Connection
UK-German Connection is dedicated to increasing contacts and understanding between young people in the UK and Germany by provided enhanced support for schools to make links with Germany. The Voyage Kids website is dedicated to primary schools and provides opportunities for showcasing links and completing joint projects. |
- European support - European services helping to forge links between teachers and schools across Europe
Europschool
The Europschool network is a European Commission funded Socrates and Action Comenius 3 project set up to promote exchanges between nursery and primary schools throughout Europe. This French language website provides resources and games, as well as a database of contact addresses for schools in Switzerland, Senegal, Romania, Morocco, France, Finland, Belgium and Germany. |
Schulen ans Net
German language website funded by the German Bundesminister für Bildung und Forschung (Ministry for Education and Research). Provides information about schools and educational events in Germany. |
Linking with schools online
Services specialising in school links maintained using the internet and videoconferencing.
eLanguages
eLanguages is a multilingual online collaborative programme for primary or secondary teachers. It provides a shared online space for teachers to share authentic resources internationally. The tool is available in 18 languages - English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Polish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Punjabi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati and Hindi. The initiative is funded by the DCSF and British Council and is part of Global Gateway. |
eTwinning
eTwinning is part of the European Commission's lifelong learning programme. The initiative enables schools in European countries to find partners and work together a range of exciting curriculum projects using ICT. |
European Schoolnet
European Schoolnet is a European Commission-supported web portal which brings together national school networks across Europe. The portal provides common access to a variety of projects which aim to increase collaboration between pupils, teachers and schools leaders in Europe through the use of ICT. |
Global Leap
Global Leap is a not for profit videoconferencing resource website for teachers around the world. It provides support for finding videoconferencing partners and advice on how to use videoconferencing in the curriculum. |
Montage World
Montage World is a British Council initiative which offers collaborative curriculum projects to primary and secondary schools across the world. |
Language experience centres in the UK
Language experience centres offer an authentic setting for visitors to spend a day interacting in the target language and engaging with language and culture. The following centres are open to bookings from classes of primary aged children, wishing to simulate a trip abroad
North West
Langtech at Standish Community High School, Wigan
South East
Europa Centre for Modern Languages in London Borough of Havering, London
Useful resources and CPD
The following free resources may be of use to teachers looking to enhance the international dimension in their classroom with school partnerships.
CILT's primary languages training zone, www.primarylanguages.org.uk, provides free CPD materials for teachers exploring the Intercultural Understanding strand of the Key Stage 2 Framework for languages. These include
All the materials are supported by free to download classroom observation videos, audio files and transcripts in six languages (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish). |
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CILT Cymru have produced this useful advice sheet for teachers - arranging a safe modern languages visit or exchange, CILT Cymru 2006.
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