Yorkshire and Humberside Global Schools Association

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North - South School Partnerships
support and advice for schools in the Yorkshire and Humber region

Funding your school partnership

The main sources of funding is DFID Global School Partnerships; the YHGSA also has small grants for schools who wish to develop the curriculum aspect of their link.

YHGSA

1. North South Partnerships Programme

2. The YHGSA Curriculum Development Grant

The YHGSA Global Steps Award is not a grant, but is a way of ensuring that your work gets recognised. There is now a package of support available to schools who wish to work towards the award at any of the three levels.

DFID Global School Partnerships (GSP)

Reciprocal visit grants
Curriculum development grants

See Funding section on GSP’s website: www.britishcouncil.org/globalschools-about.htm

British Council

1 World Links (England and Wales only)

Funding for short visits to a partner school in any country to set up a curriculum based partnership or develop an existing link is available for teachers and head teachers in England and Wales. Travel, board and lodging costs can be funded. Applications for funding must be submitted by 15 July, 15 December or 15 March for visits taking place in the following term. Please contact the World Links and Partnerships team for further information and application forms.

2 TIPD Study Visits Programme (England only)

The Teachers’ International Professional Development (TIPD) programme, funded by the Department for Education and Skills, provides an opportunity for teachers to act as reflective practitioners in partnership with colleagues abroad, and to discuss effective methods for enhancing classroom performance.
The TIPD school-determined visits programme is aimed at schools that already have an existing partnership with a school in another country and wish to develop the partnership further through a study visit. This part of the TIPD programme is administered exclusively by the Specialist Schools Trust (http://www.specialistschools.org.uk/LandingPage/s) . It is different to the Study Visits programme in that it is run independently of local education authorities.

3 League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teacher (UK)

Teachers and schools in the UK developing school partnerships within the Commonwealth may also be able to access grants from the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers (www.lect.org.uk/lect/ )

• Pre-arranged visits for UK teachers to study a particular theme in education through visiting schools, and meeting overseas teachers and educational officials during half-terms and holidays.

• Travel grants of up to £500 are available for teachers from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland wishing to travel overseas for the purpose of professional development. 4 International Placement for Head teachers (England only)

4 The British Council

This British Council programme has been in operation for two years; in the first year 150 head teachers from primary, secondary and special schools in England were places on international study visits. During 2003/04 over 350 head teachers from primary, secondary and special schools in England were placed. Although the main focus of all the visits is leadership, there are also parallel themes such as creative leadership, thinking skills, accelerated learning, headteacher mentoring and inclusion. Please contact the Leadership Team for further information on international placements for head teachers.

5 Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council (CYEC) (UK)

CYEC is involved in youth work and exchange partnerships between the UK and Commonwealth nations and provide reciprocal grants for group visits involving local groups of 16-25 year olds to share ideas and explore issues of mutual interest to them and their communities. For more information, visit the CYEC website: http://www.lect.org.uk/lect/

6 Regional Funding (UK)

Support can also be accessed through Local Authority International Officers. You could contact your local education authority for more information. Note: not all authorities have someone such a role.

Self Funding

Many schools have raised substantial funds to support their partner school or for a visit.
For example Upper Wharfedale School near Grassington held a cultural evening in their local village hall and raised a £1000. Other schools have managed to attract sponsorship from local businesses. City School in Sheffield has produced and sold a calender with photos of young people from Sheffield and the community in Malealea, Lesotho. Proceeds from this go to The Malealea Development Trust.

Aston School, Rotherham raises funds to support their ‘Fair Trade Link’ through the sale of products from the community in Makunduchi, Zanzibar. It has also produced a CDROM on the partnership. For more details contact: John Errington john@melroses.freeserve.co.uk

If you have examples of how you’ve raised funds to support a North South partnership, please send them to adam @leedsdec.org.uk

A note on charitable funding

The YHGSA does not encourage schools to form links solely based around charity. While the Association recognises that support for a partner in the South may be an element in the relationship, we feel that the best approach is to base a link around the educational benefits it will offer the young people involved.
Many schools point out the danger of reinforcing negative attitudes and prejudices in the North, particularly given the fairly recent colonial experience of many countries in the South.

This area can be contentious and the line between what is good practice and what may ultimately do more harm than good is not always clear. For more advice on this see the publications list, or contact your local DEC, UKNOWLA, or Global Schools Partnerships.