School linking can be an exciting and valuable educational experience for pupils and teachers, and can add a lot to the development of a Global Citizenship approach in schools. But it’s also a demanding, complicated and time-consuming process which doesn’t automatically lead to good Global Citizenship education. A bad school link, undertaken without enough thought or preparation, can be a very negative experience for both link partners.

This is a short guide to the key questions you need to consider before embarking on a school link. They won’t give you all of the answers, but will help you to plan a good quality link which is sustainable over the long term.

Don’t forget – school linking is only one of a range of ways you can develop your pupils as Global Citizens. Find out more about Global Citizenship.

Why do we want a school link?

• School links shouldn’t be a quick fix or a replacement for an integrated Global Citizenship approach across the school.
• School links should enhance existing Global Citizenship work and develop the global dimension in the curriculum.
• Sustainable links are based on openness and honesty about both partners’ aims and motivations: make sure you’re both clear on what you aim to get out of this!

How can we develop a real partnership?

• Links based on charitable aims are unlikely to become real partnerships – and they can become a very negative experience for pupils and teachers.
• Fundraising can take place within a good school link, but there is an important difference between fundraising to facilitate linking activities and fundraising to ‘help’ the partner school.
• Successful linking is based on partnership: a working relationship based on respect and equal contributions from each partner. We have as much to learn from others, as we have to learn about others!

Do we have whole-school support for the link?

• A good school link needs to be embedded in the curriculum and needs the commitment of the whole school community.
• All teachers should undergo CPD training, including training to help teachers explore the values and skills of Education for Global Citizenship.

How will the link be embedded in the curriculum?

• Good school links add depth to studies across the timetable, and are embedded within the core curriculum rather than an add-on to existing studies.
• Partners can explore issues and themes that affect pupils in both countries, such as food, trade and globalisation or peace and conflict.

Do we have the resources and training we need?

• Quality Global Citizenship resources will make embedding a link in the curriculum much easier – check out Oxfam’s Catalogue for Schools for over 400 resources to support a global approach to teaching and learning.
• Training for teachers is just as important – after all, a good school link can be an incredible experience for you as well as your pupils!

For more information and to explore these questions further, we recommend UKOWLA’s Toolkit of Good Practice for school linking.

> DfID's Global School Partnerships initiative

> UK One World Linking Association

> Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council (CEYC)