Working with International Non-Governmental Organisations:A GLP Guide
There are a number of organisations that carry out international development work,focusing on work in less economically developed countries and/or campaigning for change related to international development. These development organisations are sometimes referred to as International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) or International Development Organisations (IDOs). As well as havingthe knowledge and experience of working on a wide range of global issues, many of these development organisations have a history of working with schools. This work has helped schools to engage young people with global issues, and to develop the skills and values neededto consider their responses as global citizens.
The Global Learning Programme (GLP) for Englandaims to engage young people with global issues through promoting Global Learning at Key Stages 2 and 3. Schools can benefit from the expertise and support offered by development organisations as part of their GLP work.
This guide has been written by Oxfam GB specifically for the GLP and has been designed to help teachers work effectively with development organisationsas they progress with the GLP. There is a wide range of support offered:not just extensive school resources, but also teacher training, workshops and projects for pupils, volunteer speakers and newslettersto keep teachers up-to-date. This guide will help teachers understand how to use these different forms of support to progress against the GLP Whole School Framework and successfully achieve the GLP Global Learning pupil outcomes.
Contents
Top tips for working with an INGOHow to get the most from a school-INGO partnership. / Page 3
GLP Tools: Whole School Framework and Global Learning pupil outcomes
The guiding principles for your whole school journey. / Page 5
What types of support do INGOs offer to schools? / Page 7
Case studies: schools who are successfully working with organisations
All of these schools aim to interweave Global Learning through everything
they do, but each case study focuses on how a particular organisation
helped them on one part of their Global Learning journey. There are links
to the GLP whole school criteria and Global Learning pupil outcomes. / Page 9
How to use this guide
Top tips for working with an INGO
How to get the most out of a partnership between your school and a development organisation
- Decide what you want to achieve and why
The first thing to do when planning a partnership with an organisation is to think about your school aims or ethos. What is it that you want your pupils to achieve? How might working with an organisation help you to do this? Use the GLP Whole School Audit and action plan to help you work through these questions.
Teachers at Weydon School in Farnham, Surreywanted to broaden the horizons of pupils and increase their experience of global issues. Both these aims led Weydon School to work with Partner Ghana, a development organisation that will help support their vision.
- Consider the type of support your school is looking for
As there are a wide range of projects available from different organisations, deciding what kind of support your school is after will help you decide which organisation to approach. Do you want to work with a small group of enthusiastic pupils on a campaign? Or do you want help to incorporate Global Learning across your curriculum?
Sir John Lawes School in Harpenden approached Oxfam to help them start a Youth Action Group because they were aiming to extend the school’s enrichment and extra-curricular provision relating to Global Learning, and thought Oxfam’s offer provided the right support for them to do this.
The Ursuline Academy in Ilford chose to work with Practical Action because they wanted resources to help them enter the National Science and Engineering competition, which also looked at environmental and global issues.
- Think critically about how the support from the development organisation supports the Global Learning you want to promote
Consider how the support of the development organisation promotes Global Learning within the GLP. Different organisations will promote a wide range of issues in different ways, so try and ensure the issues you work on are relevant. Events like fundraising, school linking or charity appeals can be very useful opportunities to engage pupils with Global Learning, but need to be carried out carefully to ensure learning is the focus and that they donot reproduce negative stereotypes of the developing world.
WeydonSchool pupils used a school partnership with Ghana as a learning opportunity to understand more about culture and geography, and have used it to support literacy and numeracy in the school.
Similarly, at Sir John Lawes School, participating in the Send My Friend to School campaign was an opportunity to explore education as a global issue and develop pupils’ presentation and public speaking skills.
- Think about the aims of the development organisation. What are they hoping to achieve and how will your school fit into that vision?
Development organisations work with schools to further their broader aims, and education teams within them may sit within a larger communications or campaigns department. A good relationship is one where your school will help an organisation meet their objectives, but in a way where the prime beneficiaries of this relationship are the pupils at your school.
Through campaigning on issues important to Oxfam, pupils atSir John LawesSchoolhave had opportunities that they would not otherwise have had, such as visiting 10 Downing Street to deliver their ideas to the prime minister or attending a reception at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to celebrate the passing of an Arms Trade Treaty they had supported. Oxfam has been happy to support and facilitate this, as these activities have supportedOxfam’s long-term campaigning agendas on these issues.
- Have realistic expectations
Most organisations will have a small schools teamwho, while enthusiastic, might not be able to respond to a school’s requests at short notice or devote a large proportion of their time to one school.For it to be successful, it is important for a school to take ownership of a project, dedicate staff time towards it and think carefully about the value the development organisation can add.However, with perseverance and understanding, you will be able to build a solid working relationship that benefits you, the development organisation and, most importantly, the pupils at your school.
- Evaluate
Take time out and review how your school is making use of development organisationoffers. Is the relationship working? Are pupils benefiting? What is the educational value? Could it improve?
In reviewing their participation in UNICEF’s Rights Respecting Schools Award, Torriano Junior School considered four key elements: the achievement of pupils, enthusiasm of pupils, enthusiasm of teachers and the support of parents. Curriculum leader Susan Bush explains that schools need to revisit their vision and question whether or not an organisation is helping to fulfil that vision.
GLP tools
Whole School Framework
The GLP Whole School Framework is designed to support schools in taking a whole school approach to Global Learning. It will help schools recognise where and how they can embed Global Learning more deeply as they move through the programme.
The framework is made up of 12 criteria, designed to show where Global Learning can be promoted across the school.
The GLP Whole School FrameworkArea of school / Criteria / Description
Pupil Achievement / P1 / Pupils develop their understanding of global knowledge themes through a range of subjects and topic areas
P2 / Pupils develop high quality learning skills through Global Learning, supporting their literacy, numeracy and communication
P3 / Pupils are better prepared for transition and work through Global Learning activities
SMSC outcomes / Pupils develop their learning and social skills through participatory activities
Teachers’ practice / T1 / Teachers are confident in their global knowledge, and use teaching approaches supporting pupils’ skills and values development
T2 / Teachers are equipped to support active global citizenship by pupils in lessons and extra-curricular activities
T3 / Teachers use effective cross-curricular planning skills to provide coherent Global Learning experiences
SMSC outcomes / Teachers support the moral development, enquiry and debating skills of pupils
Behaviour and relationships / B1 / Global Learning assists values development across the school community, supporting positive relationships
B2 / Global Learning supports positive attitudes towards diversity and cultural difference
B3 / Pupil voice is developed across the school through Global Learning activities
SMSC outcomes / The school community explores and values cultural diversity
Leadership and the community / L1 / School leaders use effective planning to embed a school vision preparing pupils for a globally interdependent world
L2 / Global Learning helps create a rich and rewarding professional development programme
L3 / Global Learning supports better engagement with parents, community groups and other organisations locally, nationally and globally
SMSC outcomes / Community heritage, interdependence and identity are better understood
Global Learning pupil outcomes for the GLP
The aim of the GLP is for young people to have a thorough knowledge and understanding of global poverty and the ways that it can be reduced. To achieve this, schools engaging with the GLP need to engage pupils in activities and approaches that will achieve the following outcomes:
- Pupils acquiring knowledge, enabling them to understand the causes and effects of global poverty and uneven development – including globalisation, social, economic and political processes – and to consider what possible solutions exist.
- Pupils developing skills through engaging with this knowledge to explore issues critically and to examine the actions individuals and communities can take to overcome global poverty, including their own responses.
- Pupils exploring their own values when looking at key global issues, considering issues such as fairness, human rights and tolerance.
Within the GLP, we are calling these Global Learning pupil outcomes. These are summarised below. More information can be found on the GLPwebsite.
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What types of support do INGOs offer to schools?
This table outlines the types of support offered from a range of development organisations in England. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.
Organisation / Focus / Type of support offeredActionAid UK / Raising awareness of global poverty issues and promoting active global citizenship. KS2 & 3. / / / / / £ / /
Amnesty International / A human rights organisation offering inspiring resources, projects and CPD. KS2 & 3. / / / / / / £ / /
CAFOD / Faith based campaigning, fundraising and education on development issues. KS2 & 3. / / / / / / £ / /
Christian Aid / Inform pupils about global issues and inspire them to help bring an end to global poverty. KS2 & 3. / / / / / £ / /
Engineers without Borders UK / An organisation that inspires, enables and influences global responsibility through engineering. KS2, 3 & 4. / / / /
GCE UK/ Send My Friend to School / A campaign supporting every child’s right to go to school. KS2 & 3. / / / /
Handicap International UK / An aid organisation working alongside people with disabilities and in situations of poverty, conflict and disaster. KS3. / / / / / £ / /
Link Ethiopia / Linking UK and Ethiopian schools to facilitate the exchange of ideas and learning. KS2 & 3. / / / / / / £ / /
Oxfam / Challenging poverty and injustice, helping pupils to understand their world and make a positive difference in it. KS2 & 3. / / / / / / / /
Partner Schools Worldwide / Linking secondary schools in the UK and other countries around the world to support educational exchanges for mutual benefit. KS3. / / / / /
People & Planet / Empowering young people to take action on global issues. KS2 & 3. / / / / / / / /
Practical Action / Provides free teaching resources for primary and secondary which provide a global context for pupil learning. Focus on STEM and geography. KS2 & 3. / / / / £ /
UNICEF UK / Promoting a child rights-based approach to education and sharing good practice in improving outcomes for young people. KS2 & 3. / / / / / /
Support for youSupport for your learnersSupport for your school Support for staying current
/ Online resources / / School speaker / £ / Fundraising support / / Newsletter/magazine / Physical resources / / Pupil workshops / / Support for youth groups / / Online community
/ Teacher training / / International school links / / Whole school framework
Support for you (as teacher)
Online resources – many INGOs produce online resources for schools related to issues and projects. Some are simply there as stimuli but others have activities and curriculum links. Many are free, but some are charged.
Physical resources – INGOs have moved away from physical resources in recent years as the Internet has taken hold, but some still produce these, ranging from posters to full-on resource packs.
Teacher training – several INGOs offer CPD opportunities for teachers to develop their own knowledge and skills around the work of INGOs and of Global Learning more broadly.
Support for your learners (pupils)
Pupil workshops – INGO offers of workshops range from established products to bespoke offers to suit your learners’ needs. They also vary from short to whole-day workshops or longer.
School speakers – whether for an assembly, theme or in response to current news or interest, INGOs frequently have a school speaker programme that can bring the work of INGOs into your own setting.
School links – several INGOs support links between schools in the UK and less developed countries that can enable pupils to learn directly with one another.
Support for your school
£Fundraising support – the whole issue of fundraising with or for INGOs can be problematic for both schools and INGOs and so some INGOs offer support to help you explore the benefits and pitfalls.
Youth group support – some INGOs offer support for youth groups and this may be especially appropriate for schools wishing to engage the wider community or for aspects of the secondary phase.
Whole school support – a handful of INGOs have developed their support for schools to the extent that they offer whole-school frameworks that enable cross-curricula, through-phase learning. This is sometimes linked to a specific curricula or scheme.
Support for staying current
Newsletters– many INGOs offer physical and/or online newsletters or updates that you can subscribe to for free. These can provide links to current affairs or updates on new resources and offers for teachers and learners. Some also include activities to use in the classroom.
Online community – some INGOs offer online spaces for sharing teaching and learning ideas and communicating with INGO staff. Others have spaces such as Facebook or Twitter that teachers can follow in order to stay current.
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Case studies: schools who are successfully working with organisations
1.Ursuline Academy and Practical Action:Developing global knowledge and skills
In 2012, Ursuline Academy used Practical Action’s Global CREST challenge resources for a cross-curricular project between Science and Design and Technology. The Global CREST challengesare based around Practical Action’s work, and give students an insight into howscience and technology can be used to tackle challenges faced by communities in the developing world.
Two groups of pupils spent six weeks working on two separate projects that they entered into the National Science and Engineering competition – culminating in the Big Bang Fair in March 2013. Out of over 1,100 entries, both won major prizes at the event: the Shell Award for Sustainability and the UKFT Textile Edgeprize.
Rose Russell, the pupils’ Design and Technology teacher, explained that they picked Practical Action’s resources “because at the time we wanted to work on a project with the aim of entering the Big Bang competition;but one [a project] that would look at environmental and global issues, [and] that the students could not only learn from but enjoy doing at the same time”.
Each group of students worked on a different project. One chose to focus on developing materials to use in construction of housing in Bangladesh, using recycled materials and natural resources.The other looked at providing a solution to food shortages in Kenya by combining techniques including rainwater harvesting and a special gel to grow seeds using Polysolar glass in the construction of a new building they named an ‘Agrihouse’.
The resources provided an opportunity for learning that seemed real and relevant whilst also being fun. 13-year-old FloridineFidegnon-Edon admitted that she had,“learntmore electrical information than I thought possible” by taking part in the project.Rose Russellconsiders practical projects like this to be a really effective way of engaging young people with global issues such as international development. She explained that the experience has helped the students to gain skills such as team work and time management.
The students clearly became very engaged with Practical Action’s work and development issues, and wanted to take action in their own lives as a result. 13-year-old Susannah Dodge explained that “doing this has made me more determined to raise awareness and focus on creating solutions for people in the third world”.Floridineadded that the project “has made me more determined to raise awareness (of people in developing countries) and focus on creating solutions”.
Rose Russell concludes that the project would not have been as successful without the support of Practical Action: “The excellent resources, information and tips are all ready to use for STEM projects.”