International Links
“A globally aware child realizes that while there are many similarities among all of us, there are many differences as well. A globally aware child learns to appreciate the differences and realizes that differences are OK.”
International Links
We are very proud of the work we do to promote the understanding and tolerance of other cultures and to celebrate our similarities and differences. We believe this is vital to prepare children for a multi-cultural world as well as engaging them in exciting learning.
Sweden
In 1999, Cherwell Council supported a link with schools in Vara, Sweden. Nearly 30 years on, we are proud to say that we are still maintaining our link with Vastra Parkskolan! We have engaged in three Commenius projects with the school alongside other partners, and have partaken in a ERASMUS+ project with the school. As part of our link, each class writes to their corresponding class in Vastra Parkskolan. Year 5 and 6 children write to their pen pals and the Year 6s also video-conference their friends.
Previously, we have conducted exchange trips, where children from our school visit our friends in Sweden and in return, our families host them here which we hope may soon be re-established. We also celebrate the St Lucia festival together using video link and the Swedish children enjoy our children perform songs from their Christmas performance each year. Friendships formed during school exchange visits many years ago are still going strong today with families taking holidays in Vara and vice versa! We are incredibly proud of our link with Vastra Parkskolan.
International Award
We have been successful in achieving the full International Award for the third time, showing the range of opportunities we provide for our children. Activities such as our whole school International Week, Year 2’s African Drumming, FSU’s Thanksgiving Celebration and Year 6’s Swedish exchange all count towards achieving the award. The assessor’s comments at the initial stage of the application were:
“Hook Norton Church of England School is committed to enriching the school curriculum by including global learning and citizenship. The established partner school in Sweden provides a platform for both language learning and collaborative work on issues such as Fair Trade and Recycling and Re using. The staff of your school have taken advantage of the CPD opportunities available such as ERASMUS+. I particularly like the way the activity ‘Thanksgiving’ looks at food and then making the pupils mindful of the Food Bank and why we have a need for them. The visitors to the school from different backgrounds and countries enriches the experiences of the pupils.”