This project has ended.
If you are interested in school linking, please take a look at our current offer for the Derby Schools Linking Programme.
If you are interested in school linking, please take a look at our current offer for the Derby Schools Linking Programme.
Derbyshire Community Cohesion Project
Funded by Derbyshire County Council, this oversubscribed project, linking schools within Derbyshire, proved highly motivating for both staff and students. Building on Global Education Derby’s previous experience of local linking project management, the project focused not only on Key Stage 2, but also Key stage 3 students, this time round.
Teachers from 15 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and 1 special school joined forces to explore issues of identity, diversity, equality and community at a range of scales from local to global. Participating teachers dipped into a wide range of resources to plan joint activities for students to share together over the course of the school year. As far as possible partner classes were matched in terms of age, with diversity being found in school size, locality and socio-economic background. This enabled students to embrace difference – but also the multitude of things they share in common.
After initial school-based work, excited, but apprehensive, students met for the first time at the Gateway Centre, Derby. Games and fun were paramount as Derby County in the Community and Derbyshire County Cricket Club coaches ran workshops to develop communication, dialogue and teamwork skills. The aim was to encourage students to step out of their comfort zone and to work cooperatively with peers from their partner school. Using the Playing for Success computers to produce comic strips about themselves and exploring social justice through the Trading Game was also a roaring success, with something for everyone to enjoy.
This first meeting was followed up with visits to each others’ schools, carefully planned and managed by the partner teachers. These visits further embedded social interaction between pupils and developed self-esteem and confidence along the way. A number of schools continued working collaboratively and found the programme both thought provoking and practical for all concerned.
Teachers from 15 primary schools, 4 secondary schools and 1 special school joined forces to explore issues of identity, diversity, equality and community at a range of scales from local to global. Participating teachers dipped into a wide range of resources to plan joint activities for students to share together over the course of the school year. As far as possible partner classes were matched in terms of age, with diversity being found in school size, locality and socio-economic background. This enabled students to embrace difference – but also the multitude of things they share in common.
After initial school-based work, excited, but apprehensive, students met for the first time at the Gateway Centre, Derby. Games and fun were paramount as Derby County in the Community and Derbyshire County Cricket Club coaches ran workshops to develop communication, dialogue and teamwork skills. The aim was to encourage students to step out of their comfort zone and to work cooperatively with peers from their partner school. Using the Playing for Success computers to produce comic strips about themselves and exploring social justice through the Trading Game was also a roaring success, with something for everyone to enjoy.
This first meeting was followed up with visits to each others’ schools, carefully planned and managed by the partner teachers. These visits further embedded social interaction between pupils and developed self-esteem and confidence along the way. A number of schools continued working collaboratively and found the programme both thought provoking and practical for all concerned.
