Schools Linking Project September 2017 - 2018

Schools Linking takes as its starting point the need for us all to develop the skills of dialogue to be able to communicate across real or perceived boundaries and to develop a vocabulary of shared humanity.

Schools Linking is nationally recognised as offering a positive, age-appropriate curriculum response to SMSC, British values and the Prevent Duty. It has received backing from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Department for Education (DfE), enabling ISSK to facilitate linking between schools, offering two days free training and ongoing advice.

The Schools Linking Project 2017-18 aims to:

Establish and sustain effective links between new and existing linking schools
Create social mixing opportunities with pupils and the wider community
Provide resources and training that supports schools to develop a positive cohesive ethos.

The Schools Linking Project 2017-18 will develop:

Children’s knowledge and understanding of identity, identities, diversity, equality and community
Pupils’ skills of enquiry, critical thinking, reflection and communication
Pupils’ empathy alongside trust, awareness and respect of self and others
Opportunities for children and young people to meet, build new relationships, work together and contribute to wider communities. Opportunities for teachers to share good practice, increase understanding of the issues of identity and community in their districts and broaden perspectives.

Closing date to express interest 31 March 2017

Limited to 20 schools

What does this involve?

Who?

SMT must be committed to the project and sign a Service level Agreement to maintain linking throughout the year
Teachers must be working with their own classes
Linking classes should be of the same age/year group, this works best with Years 4 or 5
ISSK Advisory Teachers will be available to advise, support and steer when needed.

How?

There will be two CPD training sessions, one in the autumn term another in the spring.
Linking teachers will swap classes one afternoon.
Linking classes will initially meet at a neutral venue and then visit each other's schools. Regular contact between linking teachers is vital.
There needs to be careful planning and purposeful reflections at each stage.
Linking must be equitable.

What?

Linking classes will explore four questions in regard to the individual, class, school, local, national and global communities over the year: