A Comenius partnership can help to promote equality of opportunity and to tackle social disadvantage. It can be used to challenge stereotypes and to promote good race relations.

Overcoming the obstacles to participation: practical tips is a report that identifies some of the ways schools are overcoming difficulties of involving students and staff in their Comenius projects. The report is based on an initial survey of 336 schools involved in the Comenius programme in 2007, and incorporates the findings of both a questionnaire and telephone interviews. It also explores ways in which a Comenius partnership might contribute to your school’s wider aims, such as promoting community cohesion.
Download Overcoming the obstacles to participation: practical tips

Widening participation through Comenius is the title of our case study booklet. This resource showcases schools and colleges in challenging circumstances from across the UK which have used Comenius to raise standards and widen participation from under-represented groups. View the booklet online

The Get-in! network has produceded a Manual for International School Projects. It is aimed at the following groups of teachers in particular:

• Teachers who wish to start an international project and encourage the participation of ethnic minority pupils, especially girls;
• Teachers who want to include a wider range of young people in their international activities (for example those with lower achievement levels, or those in pre-vocational education).

This resource is free to download and hard copies are also available. Find out more at www.get-in.info

The Lifelong Learning Programme Inclusion initiative
The European Commission makes a commitment to supporting the participation of under-represented groups in the Lifelong Learning Programme. It recognises that there is a “need to widen access for those from disadvantaged groups” and “to contribute to increased participation in lifelong learning for people of all ages, regardless of their socio-economic background.”

The Inclusion initiative aims to find out which under-represented groups currently access the funding, those who don't and why, and what can be done to make the Lifelong Learning Programme, including Comenius, more accessible.

Find out more about Inclusion