At St Paul’s, we have all enjoyed being involved in the Project “Building Europe, Linking Lives”. Now that our project is almost complete, we have been thinking about what we have done, what we have learnt and what we have enjoyed about working with our partners in Denmark, Spain and Italy. Year 2 children: “We enjoyed meeting people from other countries because we could tell them what it was like to go to school where we live. We were very surprised to learn that children go to school earlier and that at playtime they are allowed to play outside on lots of equipment.”
Year 3 children: “We have learnt about famous and important buildings in our partner schools countries. We have also found out about other languages, food, lives and cultures. We found out about the lessons that children have when they go to school.”
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Year 3 children: “I really enjoyed hearing about what life is like in other countries.” “I liked it when visitors came to our school and told us lots of interesting facts.” “I liked it when they showed us photos of what it is like in their countries, especially the schools.” “It was interesting to read about their buildings and important places. Some were really different to ours and unusual.” Year 3 children’s thoughts about why International projects are so important: “Because otherwise you wouldn’t know about how other people live.” “It is important because we need to think about other people, not just ourselves.” “So we can meet new people and find out about them.”
Year 6 children: “It is important to take part in projects like this so that we learn how people live in different countries. We learn to see the similarities and differences between Britain and other countries. The project has meant that we have made links with other countries to build better relationships”.
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St Paul’s Staff: “I feel that I gained a greater insight into other European cultures. It was fascinating to meet individuals from the different countries and learn about their way of life and customs.” “As a result of the Project, the school ethos has become much more internationally orientated. We now have a dedicated bank of resources related to various aspects of the project for the whole school to use in the future. In addition, we now have a whole corridor, which is dedicated to the theme and showcases the activities of the various classes/year groups within the school. The school is now developing its links with other schools around the world and everyone is much more aware of the importance of helping raise our children’s awareness of other cultures and societies around the world in order for them to become well-rounded and accepting individuals, and better citizens overall.”
Year 1 children: “We enjoyed listening to the children talking about their visit to Denmark.” “We enjoyed making our model of the Angel of the North.”
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Year 5 children: “This project is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s good for people from different countries to get on with each other.” “We can make friends from different countries and show other people what our country is like.” “We can learn how other people live.”
St Paul’s staff: “I feel the children in the school have a wider understanding of the diversity of our world, and how important it is to establish relationships and communications with people around the world.” “I felt lucky to be involved in the project and to have a chance I never would have had; to visit schools in other countries, and learn about their education system and the similarities and differences between the educational practices.”
“Having European visitors in our school gave it a real buzz. It was great to give children the opportunity to interact with adults and children from other countries. The children have become more aware of different countries and cultures. It has also been good to involve everyone in whole-school activities.”
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