Oxfordshire local authority
Oxford Global Dimension Forum
Two meetings have taken place, on 28 February 2009 and on 11 June 2009.
With the retirement of Giti Paulin, Judy Dyson and Ike Garson, along with staff changes at Oxfam, it was vital to recruit new members to the Forum. New members now include Catherine Moeran (Christian Aid) Jo Rose (St Gregory the Great Secondary School) Jim Robinson (Oxford University Department of Education).
A Climate Change working group, drawn from the Forum, has been established and met on 18.06.09. The group’s aim is to contribute to Oxfam’s big focus on climate change over the coming months, as they prepare for a term of action starting in September. The key points from the meeting were:
• Many schools are already doing very good sustainable schools work - but do not currently emphasise the human impact. However, if given the right help and resources this could easily change. We need to find ways of providing these resources and working with existing networks.
• Many schools already take a variety of actions to combat climate change but do not currently emphasise the political change that need to happen. We need to find ways of providing easy ways of enabling schools to turn their actions into political influence, if they want to.
• Many teachers do not feel confident that they know enough about climate change (and the impact on people). We need to provide very accessible Q&A type support for teachers rather than expect them to trawl through websites and research documents.
• Many teachers do not have the time to do/find out about 'yet another thing'. We need to provide a useful 'hub' of useful web-links, generic materials (eg pictures and stories) and easy 'actions' that schools can contribute to.
• We really need the help of real teachers to help us turn our pictures and stories and materials into really helpful resources and advice (particularly during the summer holidays), if we are going to have something good up for the Autumn term and the run up to the key Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in Dec 2009.
Through union contacts within the Forum, the NASUWT have recently agreed to provide funding for a new Uganda teaching resource which is being produced by RISC in collaboration with teachers who are part of the Forum. This will raise the profile of Local4Global within Oxfordshire schools, over 60 of which have partnerships with schools in Uganda. Planning meetings have taken place with one of the teachers both before and after her visit to Uganda during the spring half term.
Through OIEB schools in Oxfordshire are developing partnerships with schools in China. The Forum has enabled information about this to be shared and collaborative work to be discussed. For example RISC’s seminar about the work of contemporary Chinese artist Huang Xu was promoted to Oxfordshire schools.
Taking the work forward
Widening the membership of the Forum will continue to be a priority. Meetings have been arranged with two potential new members - Jo Fageant, Diocese of Oxford and Jennifer Smith, Oxfordshire County Council.
Through the Forum, RISC has offered Global Citizenship training for the new Oxfam staff that will be joining their Public Engagement Team. This includes a new schools team leader, new youth engagement officer and new schools engagement officer.
Support on teaching about Climate Change will be ongoing in the run up to the key Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.
The next meeting will take place on 12 November 2009.
RISC was involved in establishing the Oxford Global Dimension Forum in September 2003. Members of the Forum include Oxfordshire Head Teachers, classroom teachers, Local Authority advisers, representatives from TTIs and NGOs and a member of RISC's Education Team. The Forum currently has 43 members and meetings are held in Oxford once a term. They are generally attended by between 10 and 20 members. This year's funding has enabled the following activities to take place:
In July/August 2008 a subgroup of the Forum met twice to discuss the New Secondary Curriculum, focusing on what support Forum members and their networks could offer Secondary Schools in implementing QCA's Cross-Curriculum Dimensions. A bulletin highlighting global citizenship and global dimension initiatives for whole school, sixth form and a range of curriculum areas was sent out to all Secondary Schools and placed on the Oxfordshire Intranet.
New networks within the Local Authority are being established, for example through Giti Paulin (Adviser for PSHE and Citizenship) who attends the Forum, the Oxfordshire Healthy Schools Team requested resources and support for their Anti-bullying Week initiative. A subsequent meeting with Jo Brown (Anti-bullying Coordinator) led to information about GC/GD being distributed throughout her network of schools and a request for RISC to provide training on gender issues as part of the Healthy Schools Team's training programme.
As a result of contacts within the Forum, teacher networks using Oxford's Teachers' Centre at Cricket Road can be reached through RISC's exhibitions and information which promote good practice in GC/GD.
Through the Forum, RISC's Education Team has consolidated its links with members of Oxfam's Education Team. This has resulted in collaboration with work on training, resources and events. e.g.
RISC's Global Citizenship Advocates Course took place at Oxfam House in autumn 2008. Participants included teachers and Oxfam staff.
The establishment of a Local Authority/Oxfam/RISC working group including 10 teachers who will trial and evaluate Global Citizenship resources.
The key launch event for ‘How do we know it's working? A toolkit for measuring attitudinal change in Global Citizenship' (RISC 2008) being held at Oxfam House on 20.06.08, with Liz Craft from QCA providing the keynote input.
A member of RISC's Education Team is now part of the team advising on resources to be included in Oxfam's catalogue.
Two meetings have taken place with Nick Peters, International Education Officer, new to the Forum, to discuss ways in which RISC can support OIEB's work with schools. RISC features a number of times on the OIEB website, e.g. at http://www.oieb.org/wps/wcm/connect/oieb/Resources+%26+websites/Useful+websites/oieb+-
The Forum has led to the development of links between individuals who are part of other networks. e.g.
Through the union contacts of one member, the NASUWT have sponsored a RISC resource ‘From Chocolate to Computers' which explores workers rights (RISC 2008). As a result, the union are more aware of GC/GD resources and the work of RISC within the Local4Global network. The teacher has begun discussions with a senior union member who is interested in the NASUWT hosting a Global Citizenship Advocates Course.
Teachers from two Global Schools who attend the Forum have developed a local link between their contrasting schools. This link demonstrates good practice in local linking which is being disseminated by other Forum members across the Local Authority and by the teachers concerned through their school clusters.
Through Pip Murray, a Head Teacher who attends the Forum, RISC has been able to link into the Oxfordshire Head teachers' network. Eugene Symonds, the Head Teacher organising the Oxfordshire Head Teachers' Conference, has asked RISC to attend the conference and deliver workshops to between 40 and 50 Oxfordshire Head Teachers.
Participants at the last Forum meeting (13 November 2008) were asked to comment on its value and impact:
‘It brings together people who have connections but don't normally sit together'
‘People meet who spend a lot of time in their jobs talking about education, but don't often talk to teachers this provides that important opportunity'
‘It's outward looking - helps us all to see the bigger picture'
‘An extremely useful forum for a diverse group to meet - we are looking at the impact we can have'
‘Need to explore what vehicles we can use to interest people - measuring change is a good example'
‘The diversity of people who come is its real strength'
‘It's more than an info opportunity, it's a learning opportunity'
‘The connectivity of the people who attend has an impact - more Global Citizenship than originally planned took place at the Primary Humanities Conference'.
January 2009
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