PUPILS and teachers at Kirkbymoorside Primary School have been forging links with their European counterparts as part of a partnership project funded by the British Council.

Gill Hardacre, headteacher, said this was the second time they had taken part in the Comenius Project which is designed to bring schools and classrooms together.

“The aim is to widen the experience of different education systems and cultures both for the teachers and pupils,” she said.

“Children from throughout the school have been involved with the younger children drawing pictures, while the older children write letters and emails.”

Countries taking part in the project include Turkey, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy and Poland and a group of teachers from each country visited the school, spending time working with the pupils.

Mrs Hardacre said the work involved was based around the theme of colours which included many things from festivals to football teams.

“This helped to enrich the children’s knowledge of cultural diversity and enable them to form school-based friendships with many children throughout Europe and to understand how we are similar yet different,” she said.

Mrs Hardacre said the teachers had visited local towns and attractions during their stay, as well as visiting Ryedale School to see how the primary schools feed into the secondary schools.

She said: “It was a very busy but enjoyable visit and the teachers very impressed with the area and thought Kirkbymoorside Primary was amazing.”

The project is on-going and Mrs Hardacre added: “Over the next two years, teachers from Kirkbymoorside Primary School will visit partner schools and share children’s work as well as look at the teaching practices, where we will learn from each other.”

 

School delight at prestige award

KIRKBYMOORSIDE Primary School has been awarded its third British Council International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.

The award is a badge of honour for schools which do outstanding work in international education, such as through links with partner schools overseas.

Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need to live and work as global citizens.

Kirkbymoorside’s international work includes links with schools in Nepal, Qatar, Italy, Turkey, Hungary and Bulgaria.

John Rolfe, from the British Council, said: “Many congratulations on this well-deserved success.

“The school’s fantastic international work is not only giving the young people a better understanding of the world around them, but it’s really making a difference to their future prospects too.

“Employers are telling us that international skills are just as important as exam results – so everything the school is doing is vital preparation for life in a global society and work in a global economy. “2012 has been a big year for the UK on the world’s stage, and the school deserves a gold medal of its own for all its outstanding commitment to a range of fantastic international work.’’

Headteacher Gill Hardacre said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received this award for a third time. “The pupils and staff have all learnt so much from our links with other school across the world. We recognise that these links are key in ensuring that our children have a truly global outlook on life in the present day and hopefully in the future.”