Global Learning Programme

Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning

The Society is delighted to be part of the new Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning* which is providing funding for UK schools to develop international links and explore global learning. 

To discover more about the power of global learning and how to apply for funding towards an international partnership visit the Connecting Classrooms website on this link

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Global Learning Programme - used by thousands of schools

Together with free curriculum support, resources, training and funding*, the initial Global Learning Programme (GLP) built a national network of like-minded schools committed to equipping their students to make a positive contribution to a globalised world.

More than 7800 schools participated in the programme, with many experiencing the positive impact that global learning can have on pupils’ engagement, knowledge, skills and values.

“Global education makes the learning more relevant and interesting for pupils, and so it contributes to their enthusiasm for learning.”

Extract from January 2015 Buntingsdale Primary School Ofsted report

The GLP has helped schools teach pupils about the challenges our world faces and think critically about issues such as poverty, inequality and sustainability. One of its aims was to help pupils make sense of the world in which they live and understand their role in a global society.

By using global learning to enrich the curriculum, GLP schools discovered that global learning can help to develop critical thinking skills, promote SMSC (spiritual, moral, social and cultural development), and foster values such as respect and empathy.

An Ofsted School Inspection Update (PDF) released during the programme noted that, as the GLP ‘maps onto the four Ofsted core judgements and to SMSC’, schools on the programme should be able ‘to set out how the GLP is contributing to their provision and outcomes for pupils’. Highlighted positively in inspection reports, global learning is reported as contributing to the enjoyment and learning of pupils in GLP schools – reinforcing their curriculum knowledge and understanding.

“Students’ outstanding spiritual, moral social and cultural development has been enhanced by the strong international links that have been well established. They are very well prepared for their role as citizens of modern Britain.”

Extract from the March 2015 Polesworth School Ofsted report (PDF)

You can access some of the free resources, guidance and research outputs from the GLP via the Global Dimension website.

*The original Global Learning Programme (GLP) ran from 2013 to 2018 and was funded by the UK government. The GLP in England (GLP-E) was managed by a consortium of partners: Pearson (lead), Geographical Association, UCL Institute of Education, Oxfam UK, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), SSAT and Think Global.

The Society’s work focused on the following areas:

• Developing a curriculum framework to show where Global Learning can support the teaching of geography, alongside other subjects including citizenship, English, history, mathematics, religious education and science. This framework will highlight the contribution of geography to the study of development both within and beyond the National Curriculum
• Helping teachers to update their subject knowledge about development and developing countries through CPD training and online case studies materials that provide up-to-date case studies and research about development
• Providing a ‘development’ strand within the Geography Ambassadors programme through which pupils can hear from university students currently studying development issues and individuals working within this field
• Providing opportunities for geography teachers to have their involvement within the GLP recognised within an application towards Chartered Geographer (Teacher) status
• Publishing online teaching resources and materials relevant to development issues

The Society provides the accreditation Chartered Geographer (Teacher) for geographers with competence, experience and professionalism in the use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills in the workplace. In addition, colleagues may also be interested in an application for the Global Learning Lead Practitioner accreditation which can recognise your expertise within this particular field. 

Maria Larkin from Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Hove talks about the importance of global learning in geography