Align your activities in an annual plan to structure your partnership. Make an overview of recurring activities in your school, find common ground to organise new ones together and plan feedback moments. It is easier to build on something that already exists, than having to develop a school link from scratch.

De eerste kennismaking met je nieuwe partnerschool is achter de rug en het wordt stilaan tijd om je scholenband wat meer vorm te geven. Breng daarom de nodige structuur in je samenwerking en stem je activiteiten op elkaar af in een jaarplanning. Zoek raakvlakken tussen verschillende activiteiten en las enkele terugkoppelmomenten in.

A REALISTIC PLANNING

Good planning lightens the workload of your school link. That is why it is important to share as much information as possible about your school’s annual planning with your future partner school. Make a schedule together and determine in advance when which activities will take place, taking into account school holidays, closing days and exam periods. Describe your school link activities, the target groups and the expected results in detail.

THE COMMON THREAD

Your planning is the common thread for the school year and prevents the partnership from watering down due to poor time management. Describe both schools’ involvement in the planned activities, whether or not you are jointly organising them, and your interaction irrespective of these activities. Look for common ground and similarities. Unite for interactions that will benefit your school link in the long term.

GIVE REGULAR FEEDBACK

Because activities do not always go exactly as planned, it is advisable to schedule feedback moments several times a year. After an activity, discuss with your partner school what difficulties you encountered, what went wrong or well. This prevents misunderstandings and resentment within your school link. A less successful activity is not necessarily a failure if you learn from it together with your partner school and look for solutions.

Some useful tips

  • Talk about ‘feedback’ or ‘reflection’ and avoid the term ‘evaluation’, which usually has a negative connotation.

  • Integrate the reflection in existing consultations and in the reports about your school link.

Actieplan opstellen

Elke school die zich aanmeldde voor een scholenband, ontving het sjabloon voor het actieplan. Hier kunnen zij samen met de partnerschool aan de slag met de planning. Hieronder vind je een instructievideo: 'How to complete an action plan'.