Expanding the use of the ‘Gender Equality Charter Mark for Schools’ across Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Expanding the use of the ‘Gender Equality Charter Mark for Schools’ across Europe

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Inclusion – equity; Gender equality / equal opportunities

Project Summary

Gender inequality is a major concern for early 21st century society. Socially and culturally, we are at a point where gender issues are becoming ever more prominent in social life, both in their potential harm to individuals and society, but also in the need for innovative approaches and solutions. This strategic partnership sees the education sector as a key area regarding gender equality. There is a ‘hidden curriculum’ that is restricting life choices and fuelling sexual harassment. Working to change the school environment will respond to the current need.
Research shows that Charter Marks used to develop whole-school approaches help to ensure momentum and sustain change, and schools find this approach useful where issues are complex and need support from the whole school community. Members of our strategic partnership have previously created, tried and tested Gender Equality Charter Mark (GECM) tools for secondary schools for three EU countries as part of a previous EU funded project. This GECM is a ‘whole-school approach’ to equip schools to build environments that enable children to critically engage with and make sense of a range of complex issues associated with gender equality. The GECM enables a school to show measurable change and progress in five key areas of school life: leadership, curriculum, physical environment, attitudes and relationships, and the wider community.
The project’s main objective was to expand the use of the GECM tool across Europe. Three ‘expert’ partner organisations within the strategic partnership with expertise in creating the original GECMs supported six ‘new’ partner organisations to adapt the Europe-wide GECM template to create country-specific GECMs and accreditation procedures. Once produced, the GECM tool was introduced to teachers, school leaders and educators in each project country, through training sessions and workshops, building momentum for schools to begin the longer term process of whole-school change regarding gender inequality.
At the conclusion of this project there are country specific Gender Equality Charter Mark tools and accreditation processes fit for purpose, for schools of all ages from 3 – 18 year olds, for Austria, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, UK, and a Europe-wide GECM template for other countries to work with. The tools are located here: https://genderequalityinschools.org. There is a country-specific handbook for how to implement the GECM and a handbook of gender equality support materials.
The project has also produced:
Country specific Teacher Professional Development modules (IO5), in total delivered to 438 teachers.
Country specific Initial Teacher Education modules (IO6), in total delivered to 763 trainee students.
Country specific Train the Trainer modules to be used to ensure individual representatives (Trainers) have the knowledge and skills to be able to introduce the GECMs to schools and support a school individually in their journey to achieving the Gender Equality Charter Mark.
Over 1500 schools have been made aware of and interacted with the GECM tools. This will have had some short term and perceived longer term benefits to school pupils in anywhere between one class per school (e.g. 45,000) and whole schools (over 800,000) through changing approaches to school leadership, the curriculum, physical environment, and the attitudes and relationships of both the students, staff and wider community in relation to gender equality issues.

The Gender Equality in Schools website encourages schools and teachers across Europe to share good practice of how the GECM can be instilled effectively. We are encouraging the formation of a network of GECM schools across international borders that can provide substantial and lasting change due to the way that the GECM is integrated into school policy and ethos. As a result of this we hope to foster and encourage positive change in the approach to gender equality, and develop a culture where children engage their critical thinking skills to understand, question and challenge gender inequality and violence.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 319758,87 Eur

Project Coordinator

Development Education Centre (South Yorkshire) & Country: UK

Project Partners

• OXFAM ITALIA ONLUS
• ANTHROPOLIS ANTROPOLOGIAI KOZHASZNU EGYESULET
• FUNDACJA CENTRUM EDUKACJI OBYWATELSKIEJ
• FORUM ZA SLOBODU ODGOJA
• RAUHANKASVATUSINSTITUUTTI RY INSTITUTET FOR FREDSFOSTRAN RF
• Slovenské centrum pre komunikáciu a rozvoj, n.o.
• SUDWIND VEREIN FUR ENTWICKLUNGSPOLITIK UND GLOBALE GERECHTIGKEIT