Case studies

Specialism focus: a business-like approach to sharing work

The Westgate School, Slough, Berkshire and Collège Pablo Casals, Cabestany
The Westgate School, a business & enterprise college in Slough, joined the Inter-Action programme in 2007-08, having gained the International School Award for its global dimension work. It was matched with a college in a small town near Perpignan.
The two schools quickly began communicating by email and exchanging student questionnaires. A group of year 9 students from The Westgate School then began work on a PowerPoint presentation about the school and their lives to send to their partners in Cabestany.
This has proved to be a successful way of cementing relationships between schools in the early stages of many Inter-Action partnerships, but the approach taken at The Westgate School was a little different.
Reflecting the specialism
As a business & enterprise college, the school believes in encouraging students to manage projects and develop initiatives themselves.
After an initial briefing, when all involved agreed on a format for the presentation, students were given three lessons to complete it. They only 'touched base' with the teacher coordinating the partnership for five minutes each week.
The students organised themselves in pairs and appointed a 'chef de projet'. Each pair of students was responsible for a specific part of the presentation.
The Westgate School will be celebrating its 50th birthday in 2008 and the work shared with Collège Pablo Casals will feature strongly in the festivities.
Find out more
You can download a presentation by year 9 students at The Westgate School from the panel on the right.

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Presentation