Local4Global

RISC's partnership with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM)

With Local4Global funding RISC has become an established member of the RBWM Learning for
Sustainability (LfS) Action Group, which brings together organisations and services that support schools in their drive to become more sustainable. Through membership of this group, RISC's Education Team has extended its contacts within the authority and regularly works with RBWM teachers to provide information, resources and Global Citizenship training. E.g. withTricia Opalko (Head of St Edmund Campion RC Primary School), Jane Waring () and Carol Pearce () who are key contacts.
Regular contact with Tim Morton, RBWM LfS Coordinator, ensures RISC's services are promoted and schools are encouraged to use RISC's expertise.

Funding has enabled the following key training events to be delivered:

01 June 2009 Global Citizenship training day for a cluster of 8 RBWM primary schools,
involving over 80 teachers

26 June 2009 Global Citizenship training sessions (2 x half days) for EYFS students at East Berkshire College in Windsor

19 December 2009 Berkshire Community Cohesion Conference in Maidenhead, attended by 120 head and deputy head teachers. RISC delivered a presentation to all participants, followed by workshops

Comments from participants included:

‘Some very interesting ideas from RISC speakers'

‘RISC speaker was enlightening'

‘RISC stuff was outstanding. Very impressed

‘RISC presentation very thought provoking'

‘Will take back ideas from RISC workshop'

‘The only thing that worked well was the RISC presentation and RISC workshop'

‘Having acknowledged the difficulties faced by mainly white schools, only RISC presentation tackled this'

‘The RISC presentation was excellent. Very professional and challenging'

21 January 2010 Training for RBWM teachers on PSHE/Citizenship through Cyndy Gray (Advisor for Healthy Schools and Curriculum Consultant for PSHE and Citizenship)

11 February 2010 Diocese of Portsmouth Head Teachers' Conference in Windsor, planned with RBWM head Tricia Opalko. RISC ran the second day of the conference, delivering a range of GC workshops to teachers from across the diocese, including a number from RBWM

Key Outcomes

Updated June 2010

A member of RISC’s Education Team is now on the RBWM LfS Education Sector Steering Group and attends its quarterly meetings. Discussion at these has focused on agreeing the terms of reference of the steering group, improving communications between supporting services, the structures of support, the LfS Standard for Schools, and planning a twilight event for participating schools.

On 26 March 2009 RISC ran a workshop at the GOSE Sustainable Schools conference.

Following meeting with one RBWM Headteacher (Patricia Opalko) on 25 March 2009, planning began for a Global Citizenship training day on 1 June 2009.
The day was attended by over 70 staff from eight RBWM schools. After an introduction to Global Citizenship, participants experienced activities from RISC’s toolkit for measuring attitudinal change and were then presented with results from pupils in local schools. A choice of workshops was offered, to enable participants to explore ways in which they could develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding, bringing about attitudinal change.

Participant enjoyed:
Everything! It was very thought provoking especially about making assumptions.
Learning personally and in terms of teaching
The workshops – in particular assessment type activities. The activities were great fun to do and really made you think about challenging your own stereotypes.
I enjoyed the level of involvement and discussion. The resources were very interesting and inspirational. Very informative speakers.

Participants felt they had learned:
Positive info about majority world.
Particularly about making assumptions – we all do it!  So we need to re-think how we approach thinking about locality studies.
I need to challenge my pre-conceptions and challenge the children’s.
Scope of resources available.  Opened up my mind to how we think about global citizenship – particularly challenging perceptions.
That we must ensure that we do not give our children wrong impressions.  To teach openness /discernment.  To understand the whole picture.
Children’s perceptions of the world, how they see the world from their small world and struggle to see similarities between their lives and those of others around the world and how we can help them move on from these perceptions.
How many misconceptions there are.
To be globally aware while teaching.
Encourage my class to be aware of their political voice and how to use it.
We are already an eco friendly nursery/school but I feel we could put global awareness into the activities we plan for the day to day activities.
Need to challenge stereotypes in books/resources.

Taking the work forward
As a result of the Global Citizenship training day, RISC has been asked by Patricia Opalko to take part in the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth Headteachers’ Conference in February 2010. Planning is now underway for this – likely to include Heads and their Deputies from over 60 schools.
RISC has offered to run a Global Citizenship Advocates Course for RBWM in spring or summer 2010.
Work with the LfS Steering Group is ongoing.