We are celebrating with our link school, Bottesford Infant School near Scunthorpe, UK, which has achieved the intermediate level of the International School Award from the British Council. Bottesford has had a school link with Tokuma Elementary School in Bishoftu in the Oromia region of Ethiopia for the past three years. Miss Becki Watson is the school’s link coordinator.
Miss Watson was interviewed for our most recent School Links newsletter. Read on to see what she shared.
How did you first become involved in school linking and what got you interested in the programme?
I originally took over the role of International Schools lead at a point where we had had a gradual breakdown of a link between ourselves and a school in India. I knew I wanted to build a sustainable connection with a school overseas and was unsure where to begin in firstly finding a like-minded school and then how to create and develop a relationship from there. We found Together We Learn and looked into the service they provide between schools in the UK and Ethiopia. It was clear it was well organised and resourced, complete with a school links coordinator here in the UK to liaise with.
What is your favourite part of your role as link coordinator?
As a keen travel enthusiast with a love of visiting new countries, it is so enjoyable to be learning about Ethiopia alongside the children. We deliver the termly resource in class and in addition to that, I deliver a whole school Ethiopia assembly to the school. One of the things I love most about the role is how keen and enthusiastic they are for these assemblies; they are often coming up to me on the playground to ask when the next one is. It is so rewarding to see the children enthusiastic to learn about life on the other side of the world. Also, seeing the children’s faces when we receive work from our partner school is priceless!
Do you have any tips for making a link run smoothly?
I personally think simply being part of the Together We Learn programme is the key to successfully linking with your partner school overseas. The termly resources are useful and Hannah, our link coordinator, always sends these over. With regards to the Shared Learning Activity these are well organised and I ensure staff and children are given enough time to teach and produce the work to send over to our partner school. I dedicate time in a staff meeting to talk through the outcomes for this.
If you are interested in our school links programme, please contact our School Links Coordinator, Hannah Dillon – [email protected].