Local 4 Global

 The Schools Linking Project enables schools that have contrasting demographics or locations, to link with one another to promote active citizenship and community cohesion. The Linking Project began in Bradford in 2001 and has been running there for the past seven years. The Linking Project has been running in ten primary schools in Tower Hamlets since 2006.

In Tower Hamlets classes from participating schools are paired with another class from the partner school (this is usually with Years 4/5). During the year the classes meet approximately six times. These meeting take place at neutral venues around London and school to school visits. In between the meetings classes exchange information via letters and emails sent via the London Grid for Learning (LGfL).

What are we trying to achieve?
We are using the framework of the Schools Linking Project, to embed learning and teaching around the global dimension in schools in Tower Hamlets, to enable the schools to begin to look at whole school change. What this means is that the work that teachers do with their classes as part of the link with their partner school is focused around the global dimension. This work is then shared with other classes and members of the school community.

We choose to focus on the global dimension as the central theme of the Schools Linking Project because it links well with the idea of active citizenship and encourages whole school change and community participation which are key elements that contribute towards community cohesion.

Background to the Schools Linking Project:
In 2006 the Schools Linking Project was piloted in Tower Hamlets by the Humanities Education Centre (HEC) in five pairs of primary schools. As part of a National expansion of the School Linking Project in 2008/9 the number of participating Tower Hamlets schools will be increased to (up to) 20.

The aims of the Tower Hamlets Schools Linking Project are:

• To provide opportunities for children, their families and carers, from different ethnic, cultural, social and religious backgrounds to work and play together.

• For adults who work with the children, to meet to share ideas and broaden perspectives.

• To develop the children's skills of enquiry, communication and participation.

• To increase the children's knowledge and understanding about the diverse nature of Tower Hamlets communities.

• For children to develop good relationships and respect the differences between people.

• To provide shared learning experiences which celebrate diversity, dispel stereotypes, remove barriers which cause racism, and which promote a cohesive community.

• For children and adults to work with relevant local experts on sustainability issues in collaboration with venues in Tower Hamlets and across London.

In the first year of the Schools Linking Project in Tower Hamlets 2006/2007 we focused on themes of identity and belonging. In the second year of the project 2007/8 the work with schools was focused on issues of sustainability at a local and a global level. In 2008/9 we will continue to focus on sustainability and the global dimension.

Our aims is that the work we have developed on the global dimension and the Schools Linking Project in Tower Hamlets will be a used as model with other Local Authorities in the South East who will be running the Linking Project from 2008/9.

How is learning organised?
Work on the global dimension is split in to different themes over the terms:
Autumn Term:
Who am I and who are we? (Personal - looking at issues of identity, community, diversity and human rights)
Spring Term:
Where do we live? (The global in the local - looking at the diversity local areas -this work covers questioning the values and perceptions we have about where we live and those we live with)
Summer Term:
Where do we live? (Looking at what it means to be a global citizen and what we can do to create a more just and sustainable world).

In 2007/8 schools participating in the Tower Hamlets Schools Linking Project have completed work on: growing plants, taking action to improve improving the environment in and around the school, making toys from re-used materials, debating and voting on local issues around sustainability at the Town Hall.

How will we check that we are achieving our aims?
- Evaluations with the teachers and the students about their experience of participation in the project - this will be through:
- Feedback from teachers on the success with integrating the global dimension into the curriculum as part of the project
- Questionnaires completed by teachers
- Focused discussions with children
- Teachers' evaluation of children's response
- Discussion with head teachers about impact on the whole school community
- Consultation with Tower Hamlets Primary Strategy team about the overall impact of the Schools Linking Project