Digital Skills for All! Pamplona – Merseyside. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Digital Skills for All! Pamplona – Merseyside.

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Inclusion – equity; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

Digital Skills for All! Pamplona-Merseyside.

In 2011, tentative links were made between our two schools; St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School, Ellesmere Port, England and Santa Maria La Real Maristas School, Pamplona, Spain. A member of staff in each country met by chance; and on this, a partnership was built; growing into this exciting, transnational project!

Initially a ‘pen pal’ type scheme, a Comenius grant was sought, to extend it; and led to a formal partnership. On this basis, an application was made to Erasmus+ in 2014 for a three year pupil exchange and teacher learning project, based on language learning, literacy & assessment for learning. At a pupil level, there was a sharing of sports and arts projects, in our Year 6 classes. The primary pupil exchange element of this scheme was highly unusual & incredibly successful. The three years flew by, with strong links developing at many levels. Pupils visited each other; learnt together, in both languages; and many are still in touch, whether on Skype, email or even via return visits with their families! Similar professional links have developed between staff.

This latest bid builds firmly on the outpouring of innovative ideas from pupils, teachers and senior leaders in each school. This time, we have a solid, joint project on digital literacy ; an exciting shared teaching and learning project, upskilling teachers and pupils together in digital skills such as e-safety, cloud based use of data, entrepreneurship and web site building.

Our objectives?
*Staff in each school will work together, to develop exciting curriculum materials, which will be placed in shared cyber space, for each school to introduce into their curricula, via a Shared Development Plan, overseen by our senior staff, governors and socios.
*Pupils will learn about safe use of the digital world, alongside inspirational ICT and e-safety expert teachers.
*Young learners will take ownership of the project, becoming e-safety champions in their own schools; feeding back digital presentations to peers and parents. But of course, throughout the project, they will be using both Spanish AND English!
*They will spread the word on e-safety, in multimedia formats, and all learning materials will be placed onto a ‘Digital Skills for All’ website, to share our good practice, at the end of the project. Business skills will integral too.
*Against European criteria, staff and young people will all improve their language learning. Immersion visits (staff visits to each others school, at levels appropriate to their language development) will be key to improving linguistic skills for all.
*Local language courses for parents will be offered. Post-project language testing against Europass and Common European Framework criteria will measure progress for everyone involved.
*We will ensure that mobility places are prioritised for students with special needs, and also those living in areas of disadvantage in each country – as this is a an issue for both schools, and is also firmly in line with European ET 2020 objectives.

Our desired outcomes and impacts?
*Improvements in language learning, at all levels, for all stakeholders, measured against EU criteria, before and after the project.
*A sharing of development planning, including quality curriculum materials, resulting in improved digital knowledge, skills and also literacy levels for every student on the course – tested in post-unit teacher assessments.
*Greatly improved self esteem for pupils taking part, via the high quality learning and exchange experiences, across the nations – resulting in high level ICT learning and increased self worth, particularly for our special needs and disadvantaged pupils.
*More effecting teaching in both schools, and a raising of aspirations in our teaching & senior staff, by working with supportive colleagues abroad, enabling innovation, deep learning and self-reflection, enhancing the profession overall.
*Increased liaison between other school stakeholders – governors and socios; parent associations in each school – so that a holistic view of how each organisation runs will enable best practice sharing at every level, increasing aspiration across the board.

Eighty four children and sixty three staff will be directly involved in mobilities; but as the children & staff visit each other’s schools, many more teachers and learners will be impacted positively, during the teaching and learning activities. Our past experience tells us this. Parents’ funds raised over the next 3 years will ensure the partnership continues deep into the future. We have a joint, immovable determination to ensure this, for future generations of our primary students, in each country.

Outcomes and our new resources will be published in full, on school websites, at regional and local conferences in each country; in the press; and on our fantastic ‘Digital Skills for All’ website – created by the children themselves! Watch out for us!

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 80260 Eur

Project Coordinator

Saint Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Colegio Santa María la Real