19 October 2011 Last updated at 12:55

British Council guide to school twinning

Successful school partnerships

British Council tips to make your link work:

Start with the Basics

• Set clear aims and objectives.

• Adopt an equity-based approach.

• Base plans on the strengths and needs of each school.

• Embed the partnership in school life.

• Secure support of senior management.

• Plan including a communication plan.

• Designate roles and responsibilities.

• Make contingency plans.

• Monitor and evaluate.

Communication

Effective communication is the key to a successful partnership:

• Write a communications plan and stick to it.

• Email, Skype, phone calls, text, video conference are all possibilities, as well as traditional post - don't forget to exchange addresses. Decide what will work best for your partnership in the beginning and be prepared to adapt.

• Be clear about the details - Who? How often? What number? Which addresses?

• Consider shared websites perfect for project-based discussions, forums, displaying project work.

Project Planning

As well as the Olympic Dreams 2012 project, involve as many pupils as possible using the 'World', 'Olympic' and 'Dreams' themes.

• Within which subjects and year groups could you incorporate the themes?

• Aim to embed the project into the curriculum; this is the best way for it to be really successful. For example, geography projects on the rivers of China; comparative history projects on the UK and France or science projects comparing climate in the UK and Pakistan.

• Think about having achievable, bite-size projects that will give your partnership a sense of achievement when completed - these will lead on to larger scale projects over the course of your partnership.

• Remember that there could be a language barrier with your partners; consider this when planning together and be patient.

Project examples

• World: start-up projects - culture in a box / world outside my window

• Olympics: themes from the athlete's experiences eg competes against the odds - personal best - struggle against injury - or general sports exchange - competitions - cultural events

• Dreams: what are the dreams and aspirations of your pupils and those in your partner school? How can your schools' pupils achieve their dreams?

• Take a look at the Olympic Dreams plan and the template plan.

Making the project fun

• If the project isn't fun, then pupils are unlikely to want to do it and it won't be sustainable! Think about the following:

• International Days within schools; have themed lessons, language classes, art or music workshops to get the whole school involved.

• Sport, dance, art or music-based projects.

• Share simple language work so the pupils get used to being global citizens

• Display boards are a great way for pupils to show off photos and create a focus for the partnership. Run a photo competition for the pupils on a project theme and see what you get.

Involving the community

This is a really useful way of getting additional support for your partnership so why not think about the following:

• How can you involve your local community through your global link?

• Hold an international day; invite parents, local community representatives and local businesses.

• Utilise the community you live in; if there are speakers of your partner language ask them to teach a class for the project. If there are parents who can teach dance/art/craftwork or even just relay stories of their origin-countries, get them into school.

• Break down the inter-generational gap by asking elderly people in your local community to come into schools to share their experiences, life stories and skills.

Comparing Education Systems

Make time to discuss this as it will have a big influence on how the project will work:

• Who runs the school? What is the role of the headteacher/principal?

• What is the teaching style?

• Is the school facing changes or in a stable system?

• What type of school is it? State, private and faith schools?

• What age do pupils begin and end compulsory education?

• What subjects are compulsory and non-compulsory?

• How flexible is the curriculum - who decides how to teach the subject?

• How are pupils and teachers addressed?

• What are the ages of transition between schools?

• When are the school exams (national/local/school) and holiday times?

• What choices do students have following compulsory education?

• What are the employment issues for teachers; eg, permanent or temporary contracts/national?

School Partnership Project Idea

World project: Culture in a box

This template plan is from the British Council schools team.

Summary

Schools will exchange by parcel post the "culture boxes" containing 10 items. By choosing the items to put in, they will learn about "how others see us". By explaining their choices they will try to tell their partner school "how we see ourselves".

First activity

Choose team(s) in each school that will find 10 items that represent their country. They will collect these and send parcels to their partner schools (for expensive items, use cut-out pictures; or for large monuments use a photo or a model).

Exchange work

Students decide how to stir up interest and intrigue in their partner schools. They could create a quiz to see if the items can be guessed before they arrive. Or they could create PowerPoints about stereotypes. Or perhaps some helpful "Do's and Don'ts" - what to say and how to act when you see or use or eat the item! Useful references such as maps, websites. Agree dates.

Share responses

Photograph the box arriving and being opened. Were the guesses correct? Do the students know how to treat the objects? What did they expect and what was a surprise? (Use live discussion, an online forum, send postcards and cartoons). Feedback to your partner school.

Extension activities

• Writing an essay: the most surprising item

• Creating a presentation about the partner country(ies)

• Role play video clips set in the partner country

Useful resources

Ideas list: symbol, food item, famous building, coin or stamp, clothing, famous painting, piece of music, transport, anthem, saying, handcraft, figurine…

Video: Teachers TV