Project leader: Peter Spain (Secondary Teaching and Learning Consultant, Bath and North East Somerset Local Authority)

Key areas of work

Between 2009 and 2010 three secondary schools in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) set out to develop links with French-speaking islands to further intercultural understanding as well as language skills. The project developed from the idea that many pupils encounter cultural awareness in primary schools which is often focussed on France and everyday life in France, looking at e.g. food, drink, weather, Paris etc.

In order to develop intercultural understanding and a feel for life as a teenager in very different parts of the French-speaking world, schools developed partnerships with Réunion in the Indian Ocean and Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean.

Flip cameras were bought for schools in both sides of the partnerships so that short, accessible video clips could be shared. It was anticipated that pupils would be able to use the same resources in different key stages, with differentiated accompanying tasks and that pupils from older key stages may assist younger pupils in working on the filming and editing.

Find out more

You can read more about the key issues to consider, project outcomes, impact and future plans by following the links below. Alternatively, this information can be downloaded as a single pdf document from link at the bottom of this page.

Read more: Links with Islands in the Sun key issues

Download project report:
Links with Islands in the Sun, Bath and North East Somerset cross-phase project final report (.pdf)