School Standards Minister met with his counterparts
from across the world today to launch a new resource for
teachers, aimed at helping them to inform and explain the
importance of the Commonwealth to their pupils.
The new classroom tools are for teachers working with 11 to
14 year olds and contain information on the Commonwealth
and its values, accompanied by a range of classroom
activities relating to topics including citizenship,
geography, general studies and history.
It has been created ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting in April, where leaders, business, civil
society and young people from around the world will gather
in London to focus on a common future and helping ensure
every young person can access a world-class education.
School Standards Minister said:
Standards are rising in our schools thanks to our reforms
and the hard work of teachers. There are 1.9 million more
children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010 and
our recent rise up the international rankings for reading
and literacy puts our achievements on a global scale.
We are already sharing best practice internationally.
Last year, I visited Australia to discuss with policy
makers the evidence behind the success of phonics in
teaching children to read. This included the introduction
of the Phonics Screening Check to ensure all 6-year-olds
are on track to becoming fluent readers. As a result of
that check, our focus on phonics and the hard work of
teachers, there are 154,000 more 6-year-olds on track to
becoming fluent readers than in 2012.
By working collaboratively with other countries we can
create ever more opportunities for young people and help
build a Britain that is fit for the future.
Mark Herbert, Head of Schools Programmes at the British
Council said:
As the home to one third of the world’s population, 60%
of them under the age of 30, young people have always
been at the heart of the Commonwealth. This pack,
designed specifically for primary and secondary schools
in the UK, will help pupils understand the Commonwealth
and why it matters to us all in an ever-more connected
world.
The materials in this pack can support teaching of a
range of subjects and topics across the curriculum
including history, geography, economics, citizenship,
art, design and personal and social education. The
resources link to the Commonwealth Summit’s overall theme
of ‘Towards a Common Future’ and, at a local level,
encourage pupils to contribute to a fairer, more
prosperous, secure, inclusive and sustainable future for
all.
The activities in the new teacher resource have been
designed to be delivered collectively to form a complete
lesson or individually to complement other classroom
activities.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will bring
leaders from up to 52 countries spanning six continents
together to ensure that the Commonwealth is able to tackle
current and future challenges effectively and will focus on
ensuring the Commonwealth is meeting the ambitions of young
people as the organisation works towards a common future.
