Erasmus+
Parkview Special School are now involved in an Erasmus+ Key Action 2 International Project; ‘Joyful Integration’, in partnership with 3 other schools: Harberton School, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Sodertorns Friskola in Huddinge, Sweden and Primary School #51 from Lublin, Poland (Co-Ordinating school). Each school has a variety of profiles, pupil ages and cultural backgrounds. This variety will enable all participants to enrich each other with unique solutions regarding their education systems.
Its origin arose from the need of improvements within the systems and practice of integration of students with special educational needs and their healthy peers in both school and out-of-school environments in Poland and Sweden.
The project’s main goal is to exchange good practices between schools’ staff - principals, teachers and other professionals working with special educational needs students. To achieve this goal, participants planned the following actions:
Organizing of a short–term teacher training programs based on observation classes and other activities in each participating school
Conducting a study on the attitudes of teachers towards SEN-children in different countries on the example of Poland, Sweden and Northern Ireland
Formulation of a paper “Education of students with special needs with the European added value - the experience of schools in Poland, Sweden and Northern Ireland”
Organizing of an international conference on the results of the project "Joyful integration" for dissemination purposes The project’s lifetime is from 1st September 2015 to 31st August 2017. The initial planning meeting was held in Sweden in October 2015, where Co-ordinators and Principals met to discuss the projects development.The first International visit was in Belfast 22-27 November 2015, where 15 guests from Poland and Sweden visited Parkview School and Harberton School to observe best practice with pupils with Special Educational Needs. A special reception was also held with Belfast’s Deputy Lord Mayor; Councillor Guy Spence at Belfast City Hall, where the focus was on the ‘Education Perspective’ from Northern Ireland, and the interest to be involved with International and European countries.
While in Parkview School, our visitors were involved throughout the school in all departments, observing pupils and staff, observing specific strategies for pupils with SEN, and were involved in an interactive International Assembly.
The next International visit will be in Poland in March 2016, where 6 members of staff from Parkview School will be visiting Primary School #51 in Lublin, Poland.
More info coming soon