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We wish all our LTI colleagues a happy and restful holiday!

In the New Year, we will contact you to ask:

• Have you received information about the New Comenius 1? Do you have schools that would be interested in setting up partnerships with other LTI schools? In Scotland, we are interested in setting up partnerships between schools working with pupils in the autistic spectrum. We are also keen to send teachers to countries where they can study vocational education – France? Germany? Eire? Can anyone help?

• Do you want to know more about our literacy conference? It will take place on 21 March here in Kilmarnock. We are just about to send invitations to Barry, Vincent and Joan and to Göran, Thomas and Anders. We are also arranging school visits for these colleagues. Does anyone else wish to be invited?

• Do we have a date for the next conference in Huelva? If the next conference is to be in May or June, I’m afraid Scotland will not be represented: our boss thinks we haven’t made enough progress to justify attending. What do other people think?

Meanwhile Muriel, Stuart, Geoff and Jean hope you are well and happy – and look forward to working with you in 2007!

New Comenius 1

The British Council came to see us in East Ayrshire today and brought news of the New Comenius 1.....

There have been big changes to Comenius School Partnerships: projects now last just 2 years; the projects can focus on pupil or teacher education; projects can involve 2 partners or 3-5 partners; there are also professional development opportunities and opportunities to set up exchanges of children and young people.

2007 is the transition year and there is time to set up projects before the 30 March 2007 deadline.

What is happening in your jurisdiction? We've already had a message from two schools in Maria Angeles's jurisdiction asking for home-to-home exchanges.

You can see the British Comenius 1 regulations in the attached file.

Download bcCOMENIUS.ppt

About home-to-home exchanges: we get a lot of requests in Scotland for home-to-home exchanges and we always have to say no. We know from experience that parents in Scotland don't like home stays: most parents here work - and work long hours - and they don't feel they can look after a visitor very well. We can help organise visits where groups stay in a Travelodge - like an Ibis - near Kilmarnock and we can arrange visits to school for maybe 2 days, so that young visitors can learn Scottish dancing, poetry and songs, can bake Scottish biscuits and visit our languages departments to talk to young Scottish people. This has to be in June or September - at other times our schools are very busy with exams. The rest of the visit to Scotland can involve a day in Glasgow, a day in Edinburgh, a day at Culzean castle near Kilmarnock - there's plenty to do!

If you are interested in setting up a visit, you know we will do our best to help you.