19/06/2003

Clarke announces closer UK/US school partnerships

An education partnership has been forged between England and the US following a meeting between Education and Skills Secretary Charles Clarke and US Secretary of Education Rod Paige.

The two countries announced an expansion to the existing school partnerships that already exist between England and the US. The new scheme will allow schools wanting to establish a permanent partnership with a school in the US or the UK, to be able to do so.

Partnerships allow pupils to look beyond their own communities and countries to find out more about the wider world. The links that are developed between children can create lifelong friendships and interest in each others' countries.

The expanded partnership aim to: link more schools through modern technology, using internet links; establish more teacher and student exchanges (nearly 700 UK teachers have already completed short-term study visits to the US); and establish more joint curriculum projects.

Announcing the initiative, Education and Skills Secretary Charles Clarke said: "We believe that it is vitally important that young people are able to meet and talk to young people from other countries as an integral part of their education. International schools partnerships are one of the most effective ways of achieving this.

"There are already some existing school partnerships between our two countries. We want to build on them, using the well-established framework of British-American civic links. Our aim is to ensure that any school in the UK or the US which wants to establish a permanent partnership with a school in the US or the UK can do so. We will review progress in 12 months time."

Secretary Paige also visited Argyle Primary School in Camden, where he discussed the teaching of pupils who have English as an additional language, diversity, and literacy and numeracy strategies.

(GMcG)

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