PARTNERS

CATALUNYA (SPAIN)
Escola Ginesta is a public Pre-primary and Primary school from Vilanova i la Geltrú, in Barcelona, located in a depressed area on the outskirts of town. We have 380 pupils, aged from 3 to 12, and 36 Pre-primary and Primary teachers. Owing to our pupils' special needs, we are a Preferential Educational Attention Center (CAEP), because although our pupils come from a wide range of families, roughly a 40% of them have special needs because of their social or financial situation. There are a 30% of foreign pupils, mainly from North Africa, South America or East Europe. In such a diverse context, we are aware that there is a high risk of social exclusion .Consequently, our school is extremely concerned for social and emotional education. For several years, we have been working in cross curricular issues to prevent behaviour conflicts and to improve social skills, participating in training courses for teachers. We are currently taking part in a local project called "Ara'Munt" to avoid social exclusion, the school has a "Sports Catalan Plan",focusing in sports as a healthy lifestyle and as a way to achieve social cohesion. We are also recently awarded with the "Green School" qualification, taking part in the National Green Schools Net, developing an environmental project to become a sustainable school. We also have several Pedagogical Innovation Projects: Library (called Puntedu) to encourage children to reading habits, and Foreign Languages Innovation project ,teaching art in English (CLIL). Interested in communication with other countries, English teachers are carrying out four e-Twinning actions. Our role in the project is as a coordinator partner. We have organised a Preparatory visit between partners to have a first meeting, in order to discuss about the main project lines, objectives, expected results, timing, activities and mobilities, sharing opinions and creating a common framework.

UNITED KINGDOM
Windsor Community Primary School is an inner city school in the Toxteth area of Liverpool. Our children are aged 3-11 years old and we are a single form entry school. The school is made up from a number of different ethnic groups. School numbers fluctuate between 140-180 due to a transient population from local women’s refuges, asylum seekers and movement within the area due to the regeneration of some housing. The school is situated in one of the highest areas of social deprivation in the country. The majority of our parents are on state benefits, unemployed or come from socially disadvantaged/fragmented families. There are high levels of drug abuse and alcoholism. English is not the main language at home for about 35% of our children. Our school is involved in the National ‘Eco’ project and our children in the gardening and construction clubs are working towards the Silver Eco Award. We have strong links with our local community and a drumming group that performs in venues across the North West of England. We have a strong “I can do it” culture within the school with lots of visitors coming here to enhance lessons and raise the aspirations of the children.

ITALY
Raffaele Leone” is a comprehensive school placed in Marina di Ginosa, a little town in the very south of Italy within the Region Puglia, on the Ionian Sea. It has a population of 620 pupils, whose ages range from 3 to 13 years old. The institute works and operates in a very variegated social context because, though a little town (7000 inhabitants), maybe because it is placed along the coast, Marina di Ginosa is a migration destination for many families coming from different countries, both European and extra European, looking for work and new opportunities of life. 30% of the present population is represented by foreign citizens. The integration of these families and their children, at high risk of social exclusion, is a fundamental issue for the school and the local authorities. It is often made difficult because of the different languages, cultures, codes of behaviour, economic and social situations they come from. That is why the school is engaged in complex projects, often involving both children and adults, aiming first of all at allowing the participants to get to know each other and create a serene atmosphere of collaboration and exchange on common grounds, through treasuring of diversity. Such projects go from mere courses of language, to eliminate emotional and practical obstacles of communication, to programmes based on important issues of citizenship and mutual respect. In particular we devote special attention to environmental issues on which pupils are stimulated to work and develop activities since nursery age. The school is also attended by a large number of students with special needs. We make sure these more practical and wide range projects have a major space for them, thus ensuring a natural and satisfying integration within the community.

ITALY
"1° Circolo Didattico di Pontecorvo " is an Italian public primary school located in Pontecorvo. Pontecorvo belongs to the province of Frosinone and is 43 Kilometers far from Frosinone, that is the CHIEF Town of the homonymous province. Our small town has a population of 13.280 inhabitants (Pontecorvesi);there are also about a 3%of immigrants from China and North Africa. Our pupils are aged from 3 to 11 years old and almost all profess the Catholic Christian.

Although few pupils' families have economical or social problems, our school is concerned for these issues and currently we are developing many projects about diversity,respect,tolerance,social skills,enviromental education...and our POF (Offering Training Plan) is entitled "Essere,conoscere,capire e amare..."("Be,know,understand and love.."). For that reason we are interested in sharing approach, pedagogical resources and communicate with other countries.

**TURKEY**
Tarsus SEV Primary school was established in 1997 and is in a suburban area. It is located in the south of Turkey. We have 474 students. Our students age range from 6 to 14. We have a very small number of foreign students and a minority of Christians. We have 52 teachers on our staff, six of which are foreign. Our school is a member of Eco-school and has been awarded the green flag because of our hard work in maintaining an environmentally friendly school.

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We are one of the partner schools in this project and believe that this link between these schools will help the personal development of our students and teachers through cultural interaction. ======