Regional Network for
International Learning
East Midlands Region
Regional
Newsletter
For Schools and
Colleges
www.britishcouncil.org/learning
Autumn 2009
Please circulate to all staff electronically and / or display on your staff notice board
Welcome back to the start of a new school year! If you have not come across this
newsletter before, or have not yet got involved in the Global Dimension and International
Links, this Autumn edition has lots of useful information to help you get started.
This newsletter is produced for schools and colleges by the Regional Network for
International Learning in the East Midlands.
On page 12 is a list of local LA contacts who can help you with your international work.
National News – Global Gateway Updates
Now is a great time to start a project link with
a school in Africa – as this goes to print,
England have safely qualified for the World
Cup 2010!
The Global Gateway has a lot of practical
advice on linking with a school in Africa.
Questions such as ‘how much will it cost and
what funding is available’ and ‘what
curricular activities can we do’ are all
covered in the FAQ section.
www.globalgateway.org
International Education Week takes place
16-20 November this year.
This is an excellent opportunity to show the
world how an international dimension has
benefited your school and local community.
The DCSF encourages everyone at all levels
of education across England to join in the
celebrations. It's a great way to involve
parents, nearby schools and local groups in
your school's activities.
Email iew.england@jiu.gsi.gov.uk to let
people know what you are doing for IEW.
Would you like to make some new SCHOOL LINKS?
The British Council can provide or help to arrange funding for working with these countries.
See their webpage:
www.britishcouncil.org/schoolpartnerships-countries-you-can-work-with.htm
African countries:
Through the Connecting Classrooms programme, which combines collaborative projects for
pupils with professional development for teachers.
Further details at www.britishcouncil.org/learning-connecting-classrooms.htm
(See also page 4, DfiD Global Schools Partnerships)
China:
 An opportunity to develop an area link as part of a cluster of schools;
 Support and funding for you to join with a Chinese partner school on a curriculum project,
with a grant for travel, accommodation and electronic links;
 An introduction to Chinese language, culture and history for students and teachers by
visiting China as part of the Learn Chinese in China courses;
 A Mandarin Speaking Competition;
 A China Competition for Primary Schools with prizes of £5,000 to support an existing
Chinese partnership.
France:
 Local Authority links with an area in France (see page 6 for details Nottinghamshire’s link
with Nancy);
 Joint curriculum projects;
 Joint vocational projects;
 Student fellowships;
 Funding through the Lefèvre Trust which funds visits for 11-19 year olds in both formal and
informal groups, e.g. sports teams and theatre troupes;
 Job shadowing a French colleague.
Ireland:
The East West programme offers £2,000 for joint curriculum projects, which include field trips
for pupils, job shadowing opportunities and grants for teacher visits. Visit the website at:
www.britishcouncil.org/schoolpartnerships-ireland.htm
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Germany:
 Funding and advice for students and teachers to work together on a curriculum project;
 10 day German Immersion Course for pupils;
 Anglo-German student fellowships;
 Hosting a native German speaker.
India:
The UKIERI Programme (UK-India Education and Research Initiative) facilitates partnerships
between school clusters in India and the UK, currently 380 schools. Joint curriculum projects
are supported for 3 years but the partnerships are expected to be long-lasting.
Further details at www.ukieri.org/uk-india-school-activities.htm
Japan:
 Funding to visit your partner school to discuss ways of developing a partnership and joint
curriculum activities;
 A two week Japanese Language and Culture Immersion Course for pupils and teachers;
 Area links and INSET days;
 Host a Japanese language assistant for a year;
 Free teaching resources from the Japan Foundation London Language Centre and the
Embassy of Japan.
Portugal:
 Job shadowing;
 Anglo-Portugese joint curriculum projects.
Russia (Moscow area):
 School linking visits;
 Joint curriculum projects, electronic linking or Special Interest Projects;
 Anglo-Russian Teacher Fellowships (1-2 weeks in a Russian school);
 Language Assistants.
Spain:
 Anglo-Spanish joint curriculum projects;
 Job shadowing;
 Anglo-Spanish student fellowships;
 Contact Seminars;
 Study Visits;
 Anglo-Spanish student language immersion courses.
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Department for International Development Global School Partnerships
The DFID Global School Partnerships programme provides grants to develop partnerships
between UK schools and schools in:
Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African
Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo DRC, Cote d’Ivorie, Djiboutie, Equatorial
Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ginea, Ginea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho,
Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda,
Sao Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, St Helena, Sudan, Swaziland,
Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Asia: Bhutan, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Korean Democratic Republic, Laos,
Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam.
Pacific: Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa,
Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
Latin America: Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname.
The Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines,
Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caico Islands.
For further details visit the British Council website:
www.britishcouncil.org/globalschools-grants-countries.htm
Comenius Language Assistants
Host a free Comenius Language Assistant
Comenius Assistants are trainee and intending teachers who will teach their native language for
a minimum of 2 hours a week as part of their 12-16 hours. The school benefits through
developing future school links, gaining insight into different teaching methods, retaining new
teaching resources and through the stimulus of contact with a new language and culture.
Schools can also “share” a Comenius assistant between two Primary schools, or a Secondary
and Primary for example – and remember, there is no cost to the school!
Participating countries are the 27 countries of the EU, the 3 of the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein
and Norway) and associated country (Turkey).
See the British Council website:
www.britishcouncil.org/comenius-hosting-an-assistant.htm
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Professional Development Opportunities
Job Shadowing: Comenius in-service grants are available to job shadow a colleague in any
of 30 participating countries for up to six weeks. Once you have identified your colleague and
agreed a date and a plan for the visit, complete the Comenius application form at:
www.britishcouncil.org/comenius-applications-forms-and guidance.htm
For ideas on finding a job shadow colleague, visit the Global Gateway website:
www.globalgateway.org.uk/
Courses in Europe with Comenius: To see all Comenius courses available throughout
Europe, visit the Comenius-Grundtvig Training Database:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/trainingdatabase/search.cfm
and choose the “Search” button at the end of the page to see all courses on the database.
2-week Primary Teachers’ Project: To develop your language teaching at KS2, take part in a
group visit around half term to job shadow in your chosen language, with one week of
language tuition. A Comenius in-service grant is provided with a possible contribution to supply
cover (see page 7 for further details of a visit to Spain taking place in May 2010).
School-Determined Teachers International Professional Development study visits: If your
school has a link with a school overseas, you can develop the partnership through a study
visit. You can apply independently of the LA although you are encouraged to share your
proposals with your LA international co-ordinator. A minimum of 2 and maximum of 4 teachers
can participate in visits, usually during half term. See the Specialist Schools and Academies
Trust website: www.tctrust.org.uk/tipd/sdp-index.html
Transversal European Study Visits: See www.transversal.org.uk for ECOTEC’s
programme of study visits designed to share best education practice throughout Europe.
Spring 2010 is the next deadline for visits in 2010-11 academic year and the catalogue of study
visits is available from late January 2010 at http://studyvisits.cedefop.europa.eu/index
Job shadowing opportunity for teachers of primary Spanish – May 2010
We are hoping to organise another Primary Teachers’ Project for May 2010 to enable teachers
of primary Spanish to spend two weeks in Avila, Spain attending a week-long course on
language up-skilling at the University of Salamanca, Avila followed by a week job shadowing in
a primary school in Avila itself. Teachers will travel to Avila on Saturday May 29th and will return
on Saturday June 12th 2010. All travel expenses, accommodation, subsistence and tuition costs
will be covered by a Comenius In-Service training grant and there will be a further contribution
of £525 towards supply costs for individual schools. Watch out for the flyers and details which
have been sent to head teachers of all primary schools delivering or hoping to deliver Spanish
teaching but if your school is interested and would like to know more please contact Alyson
Allan alyson.allan@nottscc.gov.uk
Links with China – update
Nottinghamshire LA is hoping to become involved in a new British Council project Connecting
Classrooms China. Unfortunately schools which hoped to make links with Inner Mongolia have not been
very successful as our main contact at Nottingham City Council has now left the authority but we have
expressed an interest in joining this new project, so schools which have already registered for links with
China will be kept informed. If any other schools wish to pursue a link with China please let Alyson Allan
know. It is likely that this new project will be in the form of cluster links which will enable schools in
Nottinghamshire to form clusters to work with counterparts in China. alyson.allan@nottscc.gov.uk.
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Nottinghamshire link with the Académie de Nancy-Metz, France
In November 2008, representatives from Nottinghamshire LA signed a formal agreement with
the Recteur de l’Académie de Nancy-Metz, France to enable reciprocal school-based
partnership work to take place. Since then, Nottinghamshire schools have been involved in:




Primary languages reciprocal job shadowing;
Secondary joint curriculum activities;
Offering opportunities to primary consultants from Nancy-Metz to observe lessons;
Offering opportunities to secondary teachers from Nancy-Metz to observe lessons in their
subject area;
 Hosting two teachers under the Jules Verne teacher exchange scheme;
 Establishing links with partner schools in Nancy-Metz to enable work to be exchanged and
student and teacher contacts made.
Much of the funding for these activities has come from the generous support of the British
Council, but other European Union funding has been accessed for joint curriculum activities,
especially job shadowing abroad. If your schools wishes to benefit from our successful links
with Nancy-Metz please contact Alyson Allan or Richard Browne
FREE CPD TWILIGHT SESSION – Sustainable Schools and the Global Dimension
 Would you like to learn more about resources for incorporating the Global Dimension
through the Sustainable Schools agenda?
 Would you like to get some professional advice for lesson planning around this theme?
If so, this is your opportunity to enhance your knowledge and skills through practical classroom
activities. This free session will take place at Edwinstowe House on Tuesday 13 October 2009
from 4.30 to 6.00pm.
The course will be run by colleagues from MUNDI as well as Alyson Allan and Hugh McCahon,
Schools Environmental Co-ordinator. To book a place or get further information, please contact
the MUNDI team on 0115 8456418 or email admin@mundi.org.uk
Change of address: MUNDI Global Education Centre
MUNDI Global Education Centre has moved to new premises. They are now situated on the
corner of Foxhall Road and Gregory Boulevard just opposite the Goose Fair site.
Their new address is: MUNDI Global Education Centre, Foxhall Lodge, Foxhall Road,
Nottingham, NG7 6LH. Tel: 0115 845 6418, Fax: 0115 845 6467
Email: admin@mundi.org.uk Website: www.mundi.org.uk
Registered charity 1120802
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Local News from Nottinghamshire Schools
International School Award successes in Nottinghamshire 2009
We are pleased to announce that the following schools have been awarded the
full International School Award which acknowledges the contribution each school
has made towards introducing internationalism into every area of the curriculum.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony in London and we congratulate each
school on its efforts to gain this prestigious award. In particular thanks are due to
each school’s International Co-ordinator who has collated the portfolio and done
much of the hard work. Well done to you all!
The 2009 award winners are
Ash Lea School
Coddington Primary
Crompton View
Eastlands Junior
Fairfield Primary
Foxwood School
Joseph Whitaker School
Redlands Primary
The Brunts School
The Dukeries Community College
Thrumpton Primary
To find out more about the International School Award, visit www.globalgateway.org/isa
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ISA/British Council Celebration Event for Primary Schools
Flyers have been sent to Primary schools for the FREE British Council 75th anniversary event/
DSCF ISA workshop event for Primary Head Teachers – Wednesday 11th November 2009 at
The Quad, Derby (starts at 9am). Email brian.cavanagh@derbyshire.gov.uk for further
details or contact Alyson Allan / Richard Browne.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Comenius Projects Approved In 2009
Congratulations to the following schools whose Comenius projects have been approved by the
Comenius adjudication panel and which will run for 2 years starting in September.
Ash Lea School (multilateral)
Carlton Digby School (multilateral)
Derrymount School (multilateral)
Yeoman Park School (bilateral)
Comenius projects are multilateral or bilateral joint curriculum projects funded by the European
Union and schools can work together with partner schools from all over Europe for a maximum
of two years. The funding supports teacher visits to partner schools for planning and evaluation
meetings as well as some supply cover costs and materials cost. For more information please
visit www.britishcouncil.org/comenius.htm and to find partner schools go to
www.globalgateway.org.uk
Help is available from Alyson Allan or Richard Browne. Please contact them if you need any
further information.
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Languages
CILT The National Centre for Languages
Resources for teaching 14-19 languages are available on the CILT website: www.cilt.org.uk
including news, case studies, and a media library. Choose from teaching GCSE, AS and A2
levels, the International Baccalaureate, Alternative Accreditation, Diplomas and Work-Related
Learning, ICT, Internationalism and Creativity.
See the primary languages page on: www.primarylanguages.org.uk/home.aspx
You can also order a free DVD online on the Certificate in Business Language Competence.
CILT is providing a series of free regional seminars for Heads of Languages and
Language teachers which will provide information on the latest developments in the new
Diploma in Languages and International Communication available from 2011:
Sheffield – 10am to 3pm on 21 October 2009
Huddersfield – 10am to 3pm on 10 November 2009
Bristol – 10am to 3pm on 18 November 2009
Norwich – 10am to 3pm on 8 February 2010
Durham – 10am to 3pm on 1 March 2010
Other CILT conferences and events
08/10/09
Beyond the cuddly toy
19/10/09
Reading and writing
05/1109
Taster day French
11/11/09
Beyond the cuddly toy
03/12/09
14-19 National Conference
20/01/10
Head start
26/01/10
Reading and writing
30/01/10
Taster day German
11/02/10
Taster day Spanish
12/03/10
CILT Primary Languages Show
23/03/10
Beyond the cuddly toy
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Manchester
Goethe Institute
London
CILT
London
CILT
London
CILT
Birmingham
Aston University
Primary
London
CILT
Manchester
Goethe Institute
London
CILT
London
CILT
Liverpool
ACC
Liverpool
ACC
Primary
Primary
Primary
Primary
Secondary
Primary
Primary
Primary
Primary
Primary
International Years, Decades and Days 2009-10
See the United Nations website:
www.unac.org/en/news_events/un_days/international_days.asp
2009 International Year of Reconciliation focuses on reconciliation processes in situations of
conflict, peacekeeping and peace-building. The year’s events also draw attention to
sustainable development, promotion of human rights and dialogue.
2009 International Year of Natural Fibre: to raise awareness of the impact of competition
from synthetics on the livelihoods of those who produce and process natural fibre, and highlight
the health benefits and high-tech uses of natural fibres.
2009 International Year of Astronomy celebrates 400 years since Galileo first used a
telescope to look at the moon, and 40 years since the first Moon landing. For news of national
and local events including free public lectures at the University of Nottingham, see:
www.astronomy2009.co.uk/index.php/home-mainmenu-1
2010 International Year of Biodiversity: to raise awareness of the global challenge of
slowing the rate of biodiversity loss and habitat loss.
2010 International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures:
to increase mutual understanding and promote a culture of peace. International and national
events will be organised throughout the year to encourage tolerance, understanding and cooperation between cultures through inter-religious and intercultural dialogue.
International Decades 2009
2001-2010 International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children
of the World
2003-2012 United Nations Literacy Decade: Education for All
2005-2014 United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
2005-2015 International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”
2008-2017 Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty
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International Days October 2009 to May 2010
From the Global Dimension website
4 October
5 October
16 October
17 October
18 October
24 October
World Animal Day
World Habitat Day
World Food Day
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
One World Week
United Nations Day
2 November
10 November
11 November
16 November
No More Landmines Week
World Science Day for Peace and Development
Armistice Day
International Education Week
Global Entrepreneurship Week
Universal Children’s Day
20 November
10 December
Human Rights Day
2010
18 January
27 January
Martin Luther King Jnr Day
Holocaust Memorial Day
5 February
21 February
22 February
UNICEF Day for Change
International Mother Language Day
Fairtrade Fortnight
4 March
8 March
12 March
21 March
22 March
World Book Day
International Women’s Day
National Science and Engineering Week
International Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination
World Water Day
7 April
26 April
World Health Day
Global Education Action Week
1 May
3 May
8 May
Museums and Galleries Month
World Press Freedom Day
World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
World Fair Trade Day
International Day of Families
International Conscientious Objector Day
World Day for Cultural Diversity
International Day for Biological Diversity
15 May
21 May
22 May
Order your free 2009-10 Global Wallplanners from:
www.globaldimension.org.uk/calendar
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Competitions
LANGUAGES COMPETITION
The Languages and Film Talent Awards (LAFTAs)
See www.languageswork.org.uk/laftas for details of how to enter this video competition.
Create a short video clip no longer than two minutes, demonstrating the importance of
languages and send it in before February 2010. Clips should be original, creative and aimed at
young people. It will be displayed on a YouTube page and passed to regional judges before
being seen by a celebrity judging panel.
Categories for entries are London 2012, A World of Languages, Spanish, German, Individual
16+, and Under 16.
Prizes include Eurostar tickets to Paris, a week of Spanish and surfing lessons, a visit to Spain
or Germany, iPod Touch, a visit to the London Olympic Village and a visit by a world-class
athlete to your school! If your students are successful and their video is short-listed they will be
invited to an award ceremony in summer 2010.
VIDEO-CONFERENCING COMPETITION:
Kids Creating Community International Contest
A team of students research a topic based on your local or national community/environment/
culture/treasures and produce a programme which they will present to another school through
live video-conferencing in January-February 2010. The winners will be announced on 17
March. See the Global Gateway website:
www.globalgateway.org.uk/
SCIENCE: NASA Space Competition 2010
Last year a UK school entered the International Annual Space Settlement Design Competition
for the first time, and won the second place!
Twelve students from Croydon have just returned from Houston, Texas after competing against
almost 200 others from schools as far away as Australia, Uruguay and Pakistan. See
http//yescience.org/ali/?p=163
The competition, co-sponsored by NASA Ames and the National Space Society, is to design a
city in space that will be home for over 10,000 people. The UK qualifying competition will be in
May 2010 followed by the successful teams competing in the international competition in
August 2010 at the Johnson Space Centre in Texas, USA.
For details of the competition and to see previous winning entries, images, books, websites and
design papers, see: http://yescience.org/?page_id=40
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The Prime Minister’s Global Fellowship
!!!ATTENTION HEAD OF 6th FORM!!!
The Prime Minister's Global Fellowship programme works with school and college leavers,
youth community representatives and apprentices to give them a strong foundation in
interacting with one of the major countries of the new global economy.
Every year in July and August the British Council provides the opportunity for 100 enterprising
young people to travel to Brazil, China or India to investigate issues of culture, language,
education and global enterprise. The fully-funded six week visit is an investigation into the
social, economic and environmental effects of globalisation and learning what a positive role we
can play in the process. The programme is split into three parts:
 Two weeks language and cultural immersion
 Two weeks in a local school and staying with a host family
 Two weeks as the guest of a global company (including HSBC, Cadbury, Tata).
On their return all Fellows automatically become part of a network of active globally-minded
young people in England with a role of sharing their experiences and learning on local and
national platforms.
Full details can be found on www.global-fellowship.org and the online application form is
open until 18 December 2009.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you would like some individual support with international links, Alyson Allan,
International School Links Co-ordinator for Nottinghamshire LA, is more than happy to
come to your school to speak to you and your staff about the Global Dimension and how
to start or develop your international links work.
Alyson Allan
alyson.allan@nottscc.gov.uk
Tel 01623 434130 (Lawn View House number) Mobile 07834 008272
Alyson works two days per week supporting schools with International Links and the Global
Dimension. If you need to contact Alyson urgently by phone, the mobile number is the best one
to use.
Barbara Neilson
01623 434148
barbara.nielsen@nottscc.gov.uk
Barbara is the Authority’s Primary Languages consultant.
Richard Browne
Tel 0115 9773561 (for general enquiries)
richard.browne@nottscc.gov.uk
If you would like to feature in our next newsletter, please contact Richard Browne. We are
looking for stories of school linking projects and any other Global related activity!
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