What is the East West Schools Programme?
Following the Good Friday Agreement of May 1998, David Blunkett, MP, then Secretary of State for Education and Employment and Micheál Martin, TD, Irish Minister for Education and Science, announced a new initiative to strengthen school partnerships and to encourage friendship and understanding between young people in Ireland and Great Britain.

An East West Seminar was held in the Park Inn Hotel, Smithfield, Dublin from 8-10 February 2008. Three schools from Northern Ireland (St Mary’s Primary School, Mullaghbawn, St Mary’s Primary School, Saintfield and Bangor High School and 6th Form College) attended, along with 21 from Ireland, 15 from England, 4 from Wales and 4 from Scotland. Delegates heard about two schools working collaboratively on joint curricular projects 2007 08, taking pupils to visit each other – this included Glenveagh Special School in Belfast, linked with St Paul’s School in Dublin and Abbot’s Lea School in Liverpool. A teacher who participated in the Workshadow programme also attended.  

By the end of the contact seminar weekend, schools had found either bi-lateral or tri-lateral partners and were working together to plan joint activities for 2008/09.  Grants of £2,000 are available to each school to engage in joint curricular projects and the deadline for applications is 16 May 2008.  Small grants are also available for Preparatory visits and teacher Workshadow exchanges.

The next partner-finding seminar will be in the Spring term of 2009. We will update this page with more information as it comes; please continue to check this page regularly for updates.

What are the aims of the East West Schools Programme?

			to promote school partnerships and opportunities for transnational cooperation and mobility
			to focus on young people and their teachers
			to contribute to the professional development of teachers
			to bring added value to the learning experience
			to target the school in the widest sense

What activities are supported?

			seminars for partner finding
			grants for preparatory visits enabling teachers to meet to plan and develop projects within the partnership
			funding for joint curriculum projects to include project-related field trips for pupils
			Job shadowing opportunities for teachers from schools involved in a current East-West Joint Curriculum Project

What are the benefits?

			to enable teachers to share experience
			to offer insights into differing methodologies
			to bring a new dimension to the classroom
			to provide access to new resources

How do I apply?
You can download application forms and guidance here.

			Seminars for partner-finding The next partner-finding seminar will be in the Spring term of 2009.  We will update this page with more information as it comes; please continue to check this page regularly for updates.
			Preparatory Visits Grants for teachers to meet to plan and develop projects within an established partnership Application form and guidelines (MS Word document, 77 KB) Deadline - 6-8 weeks before the intended date of travel.
			Joint Curriculum Projects Funding for joint curriculum projects to include project-related field trips for pupils Application form and guidelines (MS Word document, 114 KB) Deadline - Deadlines for applications for the year 2008-2009 is 16 May 2008.
			Job Shadowing Job shadow a teacher at your partner school for up to 5 working days (Scotland and Northern Ireland only) Application form and guidelines (MS Word document, 493 KB) Deadline -please contact the British Council Belfast and Edinburgh Offices for more information

Who can I contact for more information?
Please contact the relevant British Council Contracts and Project delivery team on:

Telephone  +44 (0)20 7389 4936 (Schools in England and Wales)

Telephone  +44 (0)131 524 5736 (Schools in Scotland)

Telephone  +44 (0)2890 248220 (Schools in Northern Ireland)