Forrester High School, Edinburgh

www.forresterhighschool.org.uk/

The school is located in an area that is socioeconomically disadvantaged. We face significant challenges in engaging both students and parents – though we are successful in doing so.

We have a number of innovative projects in place to support youngsters from a Support Base that supports youngsters facing challenge in their learning to initiatives that help students through the transition from school to work or college. Significant numbers of students are at risk of exclusion though the strategies we put in place seek to keep such numbers as low as possible.

During the recent years the school has given a high profile to internationalism, which has become an important part of our improvement plan. Globalization and the extension of European Union have made it very important to acquire knowledge about other European countries, their traditions and customs. International cooperation through programmes like Comenius is an excellent way of getting to know each other.

Participating in these programmes helps to promote intercultural education and dialogue and strengthen a sense of European Citizenship Intentions and objectives for our European cooperation are:

• To develop knowledge and understanding among young people and educational staff of the diversity of European cultures and languages and its value.

• To help young people acquire the basic life skills and competence necessary for their personal development, for future employment and for active European citizenship.

• To improve the communication between young people and teaching staff in the various schools in this partnership.  

CEIP Ntra Sra del Rosario, Hellín

http://edu.jccm.es/cp.rosario/

The C.E.I.P. “Ntra Sra del Rosario " is located in the town of Hellín. It is placed at the southeast of the province of Albacete. The city has 31.054 inhabitants with an area of 778km2 and has 12 districts which are: Isso, Agramón, Cañada de Agra, Mingogil, Nava Campana, Cancarix, Minateda, La Horca, Torreuchea and Rincón del Moro. The town of Hellín is divided into two defined areas, they are old and modern part of town where the shopping area is concentrated. Although agriculture plays a major role in the region, its importance is lower in the town of Hellín as it has developed a remarkable secondary sector.

The sports facilities consist of two indoor sports halls, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, football fields with and without natural turf and a sports complex with football field, running tracks and tennis courts. All these services offer courses and sports activities to schools. Also the town has a cultural centre, two public libraries, popular university, young centre, music school and school of dance. They offer drama activities, storytelling and reading club in school day. Outside in the evenings, students visit the house of culture to participate in a variety of courses and activities.

C.E.I.P. “Ntra Sra del Rosario" is currently a public Infant and Primary school depending on the Ministry of Education of the “Junta de Comunidades de Castilla la Mancha”. The school started functioning with classrooms scattered throughout the eastern part of the town (1.950). The current building opened on March 28th, 1981.

Families whose children attend the centre are young, with few members and middle cultural level. Both parents and students are quite interested in education and the wide range of activities offered. The percentage of absenteeism is very low and the results are the average of schools in the area, as evidenced in several studies. Also, the levels of participation and communication between parents and teachers are acceptable.

We are interested in the academic formation of students and we plan to enhance and facilitate teaching. We also consider necessary to add other values that prepare students for a democratic society. These are: tolerance, solidarity, active cooperation, environmental conservation, responsibility, dialogue, peace education, intercultural habits, behavior and training on respect and protection of the environment.  

Szkola Podstawowa nr 3 im. Marii Sklodowskiej Curie, Leszno

http://sp3leszno.edupage.org

Leszno has the population of 64 thousand inhabitants and it is one of the most important towns in the Wielkopolska region. Leszno is open to new people, ideas and initiatives. The town has cultural and educational ambitions, it has rich history and interesting historical monuments. When Jan Amos Comenius lived in Leszno, he wrote his most important educational works and created theoretical basis of the educational system.

Primary School no. 3 is located in the historical part of Leszno. The building was built in 1887 but it not always served as school. During the Second World War it was transformed from a catholic school for girls into a German school. There were also workshops and a military warehouse inside the building. In 1945 the building was adapted back into a school.

Our school was named after Marie Skłodowska-Curie in 1967. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity and the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes in physics (1903) and chemistry (1911) – the discovery of the elements radium and polonium and the isolation of radium. In 1975 our school was conferred a Flag on which there are Marie Skłodowska-Curie’s words: "I'm among those who think that science has great beauty".

Our school is well equipped. Teachers try to keep up to date with developments in different subject areas, new resources and methods. Our students have their lessons in modern classrooms. Most students in the school are involved in extracurricular activities. They attend foreign language classes, music and dancing group, drama, IT and chess clubs, they also play sports activities. Our students take part in and gain prominent places in musical, dancing, art, science, spelling and sport contests.