Sharon Leftwich, Internationalism and Development Education Co-ordinator, shares her experience of school linking and the curriculum at  Polesworth International Language College in Warwickshire:  

Polesworth International Language College is a rural comprehensive secondary school with a sixth form. It has approximately 1,350 students. We have links with Pampawie Local Authority Junior Secondary School, Kadjebi, Ghana (established 1999); Vidyashram, Jaipur, India (established 2004) and Bibo Middle School, Shenzhen, China (established 2005) as well as European links with Poland, Germany, Belgium and Spain.

In our school the ‘global dimension’ has been about addressing the changing climate within the educational context, about working within restrictions whilst thinking far beyond the classroom walls, the school gates and the boundaries of our country, about inspiring staff and students alike.

"Study visits fill teachers with enthusiasm which they pass onto their students"

In order to impact classroom practices, schools must invest in staff. Staff need to be enthusiastic and forward thinking, open to change and excited by new initiatives. In 2002 we made a commitment to invest heavily in International CPD (Continuing Professional Development ) - joining the ‘Global Working Group’ and taking part in study visits to our partner schools.

Joining a working group is a long term commitment to meet half termly to plan, discuss and develop ideas with teachers across all subject specialisms.

It has been this group of staff who have planned projects and developed the curriculum as well as the overall international strategy in school, they have all had the opportunity to visit a link school and take part in incoming visits.

Study visits are normally of two weeks duration and involve learning directly through experience, carrying out research and learning from the practice of others. The aims of visits are agreed prior to travel by examining the schools’ development plans, the partnership agreement, priorities of the departments and the interests of the individuals.

Teachers are able to discuss curricular needs with their professional peers, plan projects, exchange work, observe and teach together. They have dramatic effects on teachers’ personal development, which in turn feed into departmental and then whole school ethos.

It is the common link between the learning of teachers and the learning of students that has resulted in our greatest success. Everyone learns best when they are motivated and interested in a subject. Study visits are designed to fill teachers with such enthusiasm which they will in turn pass onto their students.

"Students develop a coherent view of the countries they study"

The development of the curriculum has been crucial in bringing about the overall changes in school, staff have developed projects in their subject areas using our global links; therefore a cross-curricular forum has developed through which students can develop their knowledge of a different culture and through this have a better understanding of their more direct surroundings.

Polesworth has three approaches to global curriculum projects.  We have some joint curriculum projects for example sharing myths and fables with our partners in India, some projects exploring issues which are crucial to truly understanding our partners for example exploring the cocoa trade, and some where we use our partners as a resource for example learning about the education system in China.  Our partners have the same range of projects.

We have learnt to accept that due to our differing priorities it is not always possible for every project to be joint.  This approach has integrated global citizenship education across the curriculum, more than forty schemes of work are currently being taught.

Subjects draw from each other, each building greater knowledge for students allowing them to develop a coherent view of the countries that they study rather than a fragmented and isolated view of many.

For us, linking is also about long-term commitments and working together.  It is a unique opportunity to have input from our partners adds authenticity to resources, teaching and the body of knowledge.

How did they do that? 

For further information about international work at Polesworth see:  http://www.polesworth-ilc.com/TheGlobalLink/index.htm

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