Project Rationale and Objectives

The rationale for this project was initially established at a project meeting of our previous very successful Comenius Schools Partnership, Flying Through Europe’. Partners identified successes of a cross curricular project in improving the quality of teaching and raising pupils’ motivation, skill levels, achievement and success. For most of the partners teaching through a cross curricular project rather than purely subject teaching was a new experience.
Following this meeting partners carried out a ‘Needs Analysis’ in each of their schools. In different schools this involved senior management, teachers, pupils, governors and parents. A cross curricular project, based on practical activities with open ended questions and investigations, was identified as ‘high priority’ – participation and performance in formal and informal education. A further high priority was improving the competences and skills of teachers by working with, and learning from, partners in other European schools. Other priority areas identified include acquiring and improving the use of ICT for the teaching and learning of digital competences and increasing language competences amongst our learners, both of their own and other modern foreign languages.
Our practical cross curricular project is designed to develop pupils’ basic and transversal skills, such as the ability to think critically, take initiative, solve problems and work collaboratively. The project will support teachers and leaders to deliver high quality teaching, deal with complex classroom realities and adopt new methods and tools. It will use innovative and learner-centred approaches in a project based throughout the subjects of the curriculum examining how the history of each of the European partners unites us – making the curriculum grow out of what is around them both locally and further afield. Our joint priorities include providing high quality learning opportunities and increasing attainment levels, including reducing disparities affecting our disadvantaged learners. We believe this project will make teaching and learning more real, motivating and exciting thereby addressing any low achievement in basic skills through more effective teaching methods. 
Project Objectives
• To enrich the curriculum of our schools through a practical project based around a resource common to each of our schools - our local history
• To embed the project throughout our school curriculum in order to link subject areas and increase motivation. 
• To gain a greater understanding of our own and shared history
• To work in partnership to study how our History connects and unites us across our various European countries.
• To celebrate and share the culture, music and history of countries/areas of our various partner schools.
• To actively involve pupils in the project – the design of the project will allow our pupils to be involved in its organisation and direction. They will be able to observe record and raise questions to investigate. This will involve cooperation between the partner schools studying their local history
• To provide opportunities for children to collaborate 'virtually' and in a 'face to face' context.
• To provide the opportunity for meaningful pupil mobilities, sharing investigations and experiences.
• To create resources that can be used throughout the school and after the length of the project.
• To create a project that motivates and includes all pupils including those with special needs, language difficulties and from different cultures and backgrounds. The practical nature of the project is specifically designed to be accessible to all.
• To use the project to enhance the learning of Modern Foreign Languages in our schools. The main language of the project will be English however elements will be presented in our various languages.
• To develop innovative ideas and technologies for using ICT as a medium to communicate throughout the project, e.g. eTwinning, video conferencing, multi-media presentations
• To understand and use a greater range of ICT web tools, e.g. padlet, glogster, snapguide, answergarden
• To develop a sense of being a European citizen working with European partners
• To promote staff development through sharing experiences and best practice, including project meetings and teacher exchanges.
• For school leaders to share, and learn from, development and action planning within the leadership teams of partner schools
• To take our very successful partnership work, and develop this much further.   

A very important priority based on the successful previous experience of the partners is to further strengthen our knowledge, skills and competences through cross border cooperation with exchanges of practices, and mobilities of our staff and pupils. Working with and learning from our colleagues transnationally has been described as the most successful 'In-service Training' received!