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School Partnerships
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Clarifying the purposes of the partnership
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Spend some time identifying the precise purposes of the link and establishing the
essential criteria for choosing a partner school before you make any direct contacts.
- the sort of partnership you want to set up
- the activities you want to undertake
- the objectives you wish to achieve the areas of the curriculum you want to involve, both in terms of subject content and wider aims and themes - the curriculum audit process built into the International School Award ( www.globalgateway.org ) is particularly helpful here
- the languages you hope to use for communication
- what you have to offer in terms of experience, skills, enthusiasms, materials and resources
- what you are lacking in any of these areas particular features of your school, its location, its local community and its ethos - if yours is a church school, its denominational nature may have a significant bearing in choosing - and being accepted as - a partner
- the parts of the globe in which you will look for a partner.
All of this implies a process of discussion and consultation with staff and possibly parents and the wider community.
You may decide to appoint a co-ordinator or a small working group to manage this process.
The outcomes of this consultation can usefully be written up as a short paper which can then be presented to staff,
the governors, school boards, the PTA and community groups and also to potential partners in order to involve them
in the process, obtain further feedback and secure their support. It will also be useful as a basis for promoting
the partnership by, for example, preparing press releases and making presentations to interested groups.
The Global Gateway ( www.globalgateway.org ) has a
variety of accredited materials in its reference library which can support you in developing and delivering a
successful international dimension across the curriculum.
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Points to consider
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School links often begin very informally - prompted by personal contacts, fundraising
events or community links - and initially carried by the enthusiasm of individual teachers. There are support
mechanisms available to find a partner, develop your aims and broaden the incorporation of the partnership
within the school and the curriculum. There is no strict sequence or timetable for partnerships; whatever
your starting point or whatever stage of development you have reached, it is important to:
- think about the partnership within the context of the whole school plan or policies on global citizenship, the international dimension and school improvement
- provide the widest possible range of opportunities for involvement by staff, students and parents
- define clearly, plan for and assess the educational benefits of the partnership.
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