Healthy Body Healthy Mind – promoting health, fitness and well-being Erasmus Project

Project Title

Healthy Body Healthy Mind – promoting health, fitness and well-being

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Health and wellbeing; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

Our project was linked to the prudent European objectives developed in the strategic framework of European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020). Based on the items of this framework, the project included actions on:- enhancing creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, which are crucial aspects integrated into our project. Thus our planned short-term exchange of groups of students were designed to link this broad objective to the specific aims of our project (awareness of a balanced diet, inactivity, obesity, junk food etc.) – promoting justice, equality, social cohesion and active citizenship. With this project we would broaden the work our schools have been developing in their areas: for example, the percentage of students with additional educational or emotional needs in Queenswood School (28% in 2015/16), the unemployment rate in the area of OSCUS Badajoz (around 30%), the percentage of students who have health problems in Leo Karsavino school (86%) or the increasing flux of immigration on the coast of Salento- Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality; Hence tools like Portfolio of European Languages and e-Twinning permeated our proposal both as a methodology and as an assessment for our learning outcomes. Our Polish partner, who has experience of e-Twinning projects awarded with the European Quality label, guided the rest of the team who needed to implement this useful tool in their school. In turn, our Spanish partner was in charge of disseminating experiences with the European Portfolio of Languages to promote language learning in the scope of school activities.- Improving the quality of education. All our activities, including those in the short-term exchange of students, were designed to be based on the acquisition of key competences for all age ranges (4 to 14 years) and abilities. In this sense, it is important to mention the commitment to improve the quality of education and the European dimension which our schools have demonstrated over previous years: OSCUS Badajoz was awarded a Quality Assurance system, ISO, where ‘Europe’ and ‘Lifelong-learning’ is fundamental, Levo Karsavino is in the group of schools Lithuanian Ministry of Education selected to have units adopting a healthy lifestyle, Queenswood school was awarded the full status of the ISA (2013-16), Comprensivo 1 Polo Leverano is recognized by Trinity College for its language teaching system; Polish partner is an e-Twinning ambassador. The key issue for the schools in this partnership was understanding how to harness what a healthy, active lifestyle can do for individuals while turning activities into a successful learning strategy that worked for young people. All schools still believe that teaching topics in real-life contexts can improve pupil engagement and learning. Methodologies include:- Identifying specific, measurable goals- Establishing a realistic time frame- Preparing for potential obstacles- Compiling a support group list- Clear planning- Regular evaluation- Formal/informal assessments-Teaching, modelling, and reinforcing desired pro-social skills. Our project provided participating institutions with a means of overcoming the barriers associated with preventing a child from succeeding such as low attendance, poor behaviour and low self-esteem. Children in our partnership ranged from 4 to14 years of age and have come from varied social and economic backgrounds. Results of this project addressed the concerns of all partner schools over diet, obesity and the physical and emotional health of our students in addition to continuing to develop educational standards of our schools incorporating pro-active teaching methods. Results also included the opportunity to create a European area of learning and encouraged- the idea of cross-cultural mobility. In the long-term, activities are intended to be integrated into the school curriculum to ensure all students/learners benefit. Developing language skills in English as well as in digital competence will allow students and staff to explore things from a range of different viewpoints. Sport and PE can build personal attributes that are important for the holistic development of students. These include confidence, ambition, self-esteem, aspiration, having respect for rules, being able to cope with winning and losing, forming positive relationships, determination, courage etc. If these qualities are present, young people are more likely to feel secure in taking risks in their learning, attempting more challenging work and therefore improving their ability. Our partnership incorporated many innovative ways to ensure that these personal values were developed, recognised, nurtured, and celebrated throughout the life of the school. Adopting a healthier lifestyle through physical activity also helps develop relevant skills in other areas of the curriculum; these include observational skills, analytical skills, leadership, teamwork communication, and motor skills.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 142700 Eur

Project Coordinator

Queenswood School & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Szkola Podstawowa nr 11 im. Stefana Batorego
• Vilniaus Levo Karsavino mokykla
• FUNDACIÓN OBRA SOCIAL Y CULTURAL SOPEÑA OSCUS BADAJOZ
• Prva osnovna sola Slovenj Gradec
• Comprensivo 1 Polo Leverano