We are currently recruiting groups of UK schools and their local authorities/federations of schools to link with schools and districts in India and Sri Lanka.

Why link with India or Sri Lanka?

With a population of over a billion people and its emergence as a major economic and political force, India is already playing a pivotal role in the global society of the 21st century. This is an opportunity to engage in cultural links with an important country where demands for new learning options and education opportunities are huge. Sri Lanka not only boasts a modern industrial economy and one of the highest per capita incomes in South Asia but also a very diverse and multi-ethnic society which is truly fascinating and inspiring. Partnerships with these countries will enable you to explore areas of common interest and global importance, such as citizenship, the environment, and climate change.

What does Connecting Classrooms offer?

			The opportunity to work with partner schools on collaborative curriculum projects, which enable learners to interact across geographical boundaries and enhance their understanding of each other’s societies, languages and cultures.
			Professional development for teachers and school leaders, which builds capacity to support international partnerships and to work in an international environment.
			Eligibility for DCSF International School Award accreditation, which recognises schools’ commitment to forming international partnerships and developing global citizens.
			Advice and support in the use of ICT tools that develop and sustain partnerships, including a range of online teacher forums.

Read more about Connecting Classrooms.

How does Connecting Classrooms work for partnerships with India and Sri Lanka?

A mixed group of four UK primary, secondary and/or special schools, supported by their local authority, or federation of schools, will create a partnership with a district and group of eight schools in their partner country. Each cluster of UK schools will also be co-ordinated by either their local authority/federation of schools, or another body, such as the lead school in a family of schools, the Youth Sport Trust or Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. Read more about co-ordinating bodies, roles and responsibilities.

We are currently looking for 20 mixed clusters of UK schools, and their local authorities/federations of schools, to create partnerships with schools and districts in India and Sri Lanka. Each cluster must include at least one secondary school. You will be able to express your preferred partner country, and reasons for that preference, on the application form.

Please note that in both countries we are in the process of selecting the regions where we want to maximise our impact. This means that for now we will be working only in specific areas and not the whole country. For more information about the regions where Connecting Classroom will be operational next year please get in contact with us – details at the bottom of this page.

Funding

We will offer grants of £1,000 to each co-ordinating UK local authority/federation of schools and £1,000 to each district authority in India and Sri Lanka in 2010 and in 2011 to cover the costs of co-ordinating the project.

Additionally, a travel grant will be available in 2010 for each UK cluster, and in 2011 for each cluster in India and Sri Lanka, to enable face to face meetings between the partners.

Timeline and activities

			15 December: Application deadline
			Week of 25 January 2010 (date and location tbc): Briefing meetings (UK) - UK participants will be briefed on how the partnership will work, travel arrangements for the contact seminar and what to expect at the contact seminar. Participants will be invited to attend one meeting over roughly half a day.
			February 2010 (date tbc): Contact Seminar (UK) - Representatives from the schools and districts in the UK, India and Sri Lanka, will come together in the UK to meet and plan their partnership activity. Participants will include the partnership co-ordinator/representative from the local authority/federation of schools, and a representative from one school in each cluster. At the seminar, partners will decide the themes of the joint curriculum projects that the schools will work on and other areas on which the districts might collaborate, such as supporting schools in working towards the International School Award. We make all arrangements and cover travel, accommodation and subsistence costs for participants.
			March 2010: Partnerships will complete their grant application.

How do we get involved?

If you are in a local authority, federation of schools or other co-ordinating body that is interested in applying, please read the Guidelines for Application and complete the Application Form. You will need to give details of the four UK schools that will be involved in the partnership. A representative of one of these schools will be invited to attend the Contact Seminar with the partnership co-ordinator or representative of the local authority/federation of schools.

If you are a teacher or school leader and would like your school to get involved, contact the international co-ordinator in your local authority (or an appropriate contact in your federation of schools) to see whether they already have plans to apply. If you do not know who to contact, visit the DCSF Global Gateway for contact details, or get in touch with the Global Gateway team for more information.

If your local authority/federation of schools is unable to co-ordinate the application, your partnership co-ordinator can be a representative from the lead school in a family of schools, your local Youth Sport Trust, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, or another suitable organisation. The Global Gateway team can suggest alternative co-ordinators for you. However, your partnership co-ordinator will still need to get support and approval from your local authority/federation of schools in order to complete the application

Eligibility

Your UK cluster must meet these three requirements:

• Schools in the cluster should not already be receiving funding (nor have applications pending for funding) from another source for work with the chosen partner country.

• You must apply with the right number and combination of schools in your cluster, i.e. four schools, including at least one secondary school.

• All schools in your cluster must have at least Foundation Level of the DCSF International School Award. Registration for the Foundation ISA is simple – download the ISA Statement of Intent, then follow the instructions on the ISA website. All schools accepted onto Connecting Classrooms will be expected, and supported, to work towards the next levels of the ISA during the course of their involvement in the programme.

You should also ensure that your application has:

• Support from your local authority/federation of schools – to confirm this, the form must be signed by the Director of Children’s Services (or equivalent, or nominee) in your local authority, or the head of your federation of schools.

• A named partnership co-ordinator - to complete the application and co-ordinate all the UK schools in the partnership. This is usually an official in the supporting body, or a representative from the lead school in a family of schools, the local Youth Sport Trust or the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

• Connecting Classrooms co-ordinators – a named person from each school to manage the project in their school.

For more information, please email us at cc_isl@britishcouncil.org or call us on +44(0) 20 7389 4665.