Newcastle schools have made amazing progress over the last year in developing new international partnerships with the support of International Newcastle and the City Council, or through their own contacts, as well as schools enhancing existing international links.
These partnerships bring an international dimension to the school, enhance all areas of the curriculum and provide children and young people with life-changing experiences, whether they are building relationships and doing projects and collaborative activities online, or whether they enable children and young people to experience international visits to their partner school abroad. There are a whole host of benefits for the school, the pupils and their future lives and careers.
Newcastle schools connecting with the world
We have been involved with developing 20 new partnerships over the last year with schools in other countries, predominantly with our twin town of Nancy in France, but schools we are working with have also been linking with China, Holland, Spain and Italy. We work with colleagues in other countries and through their Embassies in the UK to establish these partnerships, which develop over time and bring real-world benefits to all involved.
Not all partnerships will lead to an international visit and many are conducted online through joint lessons, projects and activities, which can be across the curriculum, bringing added value for teaching and learning. It can also add value to links within local communities, with the increasingly international demographics within schools and around initiatives for pupils with English as Additional Language and Schools of Sanctuary, welcoming refugees and asylum seekers.
All of this can form part of an international strategy for schools, who can also get involved in British Council’s International Schools Award to recognise and help structure their activities, learn from others and access wider support.
International travel is a bonus and does add more benefits for children and young people. 10 Newcastle schools were successful in accessing £400,000 last year from the Government’s Turing Scheme for visits abroad and these are taking place mainly in May and June this year. Over the last few months, with the City Council’s School Effectiveness lead, Sarah Edgar, we have been supporting Newcastle primary, secondary schools, as well as a sixth form and a college to establish partnerships and apply for Turing funding for visits in 2023 (the deadline for applications is today).
The Turing Scheme provides additional funding to support pupils and schools in areas of higher levels of disadvantage, Special Educational Needs and other additional needs to overcome the financial and other barriers to be able to engage in the activity. Many of the schools and the pupils involved, will not have had an international connections before and these pupils may never have had the opportunity to engage with pupils from other schools internationally or to go on school visits abroad. The schools play a vital role in enabling these children to participate in a life-changing opportunity
We wish all those applying this year the very best of luck and also bon voyage to the schools and children going on visits in the next few months!
Why are international connections so important?
Schools can benefit enormously from developing international links and it can be life-changing for pupils:
- opening up new perspectives, projects and dialogues
- enhancing the curriculum across the board
- building invaluable international connections that develop into collaboration, joint projects and mutual benefit over time
- strengthening intercultural awareness for staff and pupils
- supporting language learning and teaching (where this is an element of the international partnership)
- raising aspirations and confidence of pupils
- helping pupils to make positive education and life choices and impacting on future career opportunities
Newcastle schools will be developing online activities with their partner schools, whether or not they are intending to visit in person. The international connections they make will enable learners who are knowledgeable, risk-takers, open-minded, principled, caring, communicators, balanced and reflective. The opportunity to develop world-wide links will support this, raising aspirations and confidence and improving interpersonal, communications skills and mobility opportunities, which will impact on positive education choices and future career opportunities. Longer term benefits include the potential for higher education attainment, all of which will bring benefits for their future education and career choices and opportunities.
Those who go on international visits will also benefit from the experience of international travel, immersion in a different culture and the resilience that comes from being away from home.
Further information and support available to schools
International Newcastle and the City Council also offer a range of support around language learning and teaching, as well as connections to international and intercultural experiences and opportunities.
Click here to view or download a presentation on the support available to schools in Newcastle.