How to find a link

Finding a link is an engaging, curriculum-relevant way to promote community cohesion in your school, and SLN is here to help. We’ve made every effort to ensure that finding links using our website is as straightforward as possible. You can start using this site if you have a project in mind, or if you are simply interested in learning about your options.

  1. Register – this will establish your school’s profile on this site.
  2. Use your profile to link to schools, and for other networking.
  3. Your registration also establishes your eligibility for Continuing Professional Development (CPD); information will be sent to you soon.
  4. During the CPD, you will be issued with login details for access to our bank of resources.

Registration

What does the CPD involve?

Registering with this site establishes your eligibility for comprehensive CPD in community cohesion and linking projects with the SLN. The day of CPD will help you to understand ways to approach issues of identity and diversity through your curriculum; within one subject or one class or with a whole-school focus.

CPD for schools

Who can we link with?

You can link with any other school, with a cluster of schools or even apply the project principles and methodology within your own school. SLN can suggest suitable partners for your school, drawing on our expertise and bank of profiles. You might like to consider linking with a school that is:

  • either very different or similar to yours
  • near to your school and serving a different community
  • located in a different area of the country (consider rural/urban links).

SLN works to the principle of equity for all partners. This does not mean that link partners have to be of the same age or ability, but means that there is equal benefit to all involved.

The table below shows a range of linking models.

Model Focus Groups Project Focus
Within a school
One focus group leading whole school work		 Class/ form
Year Group		 One curriculum area
Cross phase/within phase groups linking School Council Cross-curricular theme
Linking in a cluster
Cross phase/ same age phase groups linking		 Subject Group
Selected ambassadors		 Specific projects/ active citizenship e.g. Model United Nations Debates
Linking with another school
Cross phase/ same age phase groups linking		 Any class group
Any subject group
Work experience students		  

What does the linking process involve?

SLN suggests beginning the process of linking by establishing reflective practice in the classroom - you can start by considering how your students feel about the idea of linking, for example. Then carry out in a series of activities, depending on your agreed focus. Your choice of focus will depend on the results you are looking for and the curriculum areas you wish to explore through the linking project. CPD will support you to develop this way of working and provides many examples to draw upon.

The concepts of identity, diversity, equality and community are introduced by the four key questions:

  • Who am I?
  • Who are we?
  • Where do we live?
  • How do we live together?

Asking the question: Who am I? is a natural entry point.

Usually the projects begin with this question. Students then reflect on how they see their own identities through names, cultures and communities. The parties involved in the link then exchange information about one another, which leads to the first meeting.

This is followed by further work on identity, based around the question ‘Who are We?’ The emphasis here is on reflecting on what has been learnt through working together. A second and third exchange of information and meetings follow, focussing on the key questions ‘Where do we live?’ and ‘How do we all live together?'.

Registration

Resource area - Planning and support for linking

Case studies

Linking map