In partnership with Lifeworlds Learning we developed a training course, Linking to learn, Learning to link, for all schools involved in the Link Schools Programme.

All Link Schools in England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales were invited along to a session where we covered:

• The learning environment for effective school linking for learning
• An introduction to development, and our approach to development
• More about Link’s work
• The support available to link schools
• Resources needed for effective linking
• What makes a good link
• Planning your link

Please download the presentations from England & Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Training sessions were carried out in Preston, Bristol, London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dublin.

Other smaller sessions took place on an ad hoc basis to meet demand. In England, one of the most popular sessions was the ‘hot air balloon’ where you were asked to think about your ambitions and hopes for your partnership, and the enabling and limiting factors. 

Some of the ambitions and hopes you told us about

friendship; visits between schools; to link with a community project; to develop the global across the curriculum; to share learning and develop skills; to break down stereotypes; to learn from each other; and to share good practice, ideas and teaching methods; to develop a greater awareness of similarities; to build a good relationship and to communicate regularly with your partners; to install a solar powered internet connection in your partner school; and to see a positive impact on education in your partner school.

The enabling factors you highlighted were

an open-minded attitude from staff, children and parents; room within the curriculum for linking work; solar power in your partner school; involvement of both partner school communities; video link ups; funds; equal participation; enthusiasm; time to plan; school council and student groups; clear objectives; exchange of partnership projects; and support from the Senior Management Team.

The limitations you discussed included

government policies; funds and time; staff resistance; school changes; an overloaded curriculum; a loss of interest at school when no response is received from your partners; and no Senior Management Team or Board commitment. We enjoyed the sessions and enjoyed bringing our link schools together to meet each other in clusters [link to cluster page], to learn more about linking and about Link Community Development, and to plan for linking to learn.

What did you say you would do differently as a result of the training?

In England, you are going to engage better with other staff, plan your link better and refine your partnership objectives, integrate your link into the curriculum, and use the DHL service more often. In Scotland, you are going to reassure staff that global citizenship can be embedded across daily activities in school. You are also going to agree a long-term plan with your partner school; and you are now much more aware of the link with the Curriculum for Excellence.

Over the summer we are going to produce a final Link Schools Programme training module that can be used by all current and new schools to bring success to your school partnership. Watch this space.