What is Comenius?

What is
?
Comenius provides funding for partnerships between schools and colleges across Europe, as well as professional
development and teaching assistants. There are great opportunities to travel in Europe and share knowledge
and experience with peers, which truly enhance teaching and learning.
Comenius offers funding across four key activity areas:
Comenius partnerships Multilateral and bilateral links between the UK
and other European countries with a 2 year duration for engaging in
collaborative project activity including opportunities for travel.
Comenius in-service training Professional development
opportunities for educational staff to undertake a course or job
shadowing or other training activity in Europe.
Comenius assistants Students can apply from the UK to work in
other European schools as a cultural assistant for 3 to 10 months.
UK schools and colleges apply to host incoming assistants for the
same duration.
Comenius preparatory visits and seminars Mobility activities which
enable existing partners to plan a partnership project or participate
in a partner-finding seminar.
Why get involved with Comenius?
Comenius can be a key way of raising standards and meeting national
agendas such as Every Child Matters in England, An International Outlook in
Scotland, Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship in
Wales and Local and Global Citizenship in Northern Ireland.
As an education professional, working with peers across Europe provides
you with the opportunity to learn about different curriculum or management
approaches and allows you the time to reflect on your own practice.
Students at all levels also benefit from contact with other young people in
different countries, increasing their confidence and motivation for learning
through real friendships and experiences which bring their curriculum alive.
Comenius also enhances their understanding of their role as citizens of a
global community.
‘The benefit that students get from seeing different cultures
is the way they get a perspective on their own culture’
Stockport College
More on Comenius activities overleaf
More on Comenius activities
Comenius partnerships for schools and colleges provide a
great opportunity for creative and collaborative work between staff
and students from across Europe. Working with partners in other
parts of Europe can invigorate teaching and learning and enrich your
local community. Partnerships can focus on any theme related to the
curriculum, management issues, or language learning.
Comenius partnerships last for two years with a lump sum grant to cover
administration, activity costs and travel. The size of the grant
depends on the number of pupils and teachers that will travel to
visit partner countries throughout the duration of the partnership.
Comenius preparatory visits and contact seminars You
can apply for preparatory visit funding to visit your partners
before you apply for funding in order to prepare your
partnership application. Alternatively, you can apply for
funding to attend a contact seminar in the UK or abroad.
eTwinning (www.britishcouncil.org/etwinning) is also a great
way to find partners and establish a link, or you can visit
www.globalgateway.org to find partners.
Comenius assistants are normally trainee teachers who are available
at no financial cost to the UK host school to help promote language and
culture in the classroom for up to one school year. They can support
the European dimension across the curriculum and help teach their own
language.
Higher education students in the UK may also apply to work as Comenius
assistants in other European countries during or after their course of study
‘Our assistant was wonderful with the pupils, teaching them Portuguese language and
culture through songs, games and many other fun activities’
Dungannon Primary School
Comenius in-service training Comenius provides funded opportunities for European professional
development courses and work-shadowing for up to 6 weeks on themes like MFL, SEN, Early Years, ICT,
Curriculum and Management Issues. Funding is normally up to €1,500 for 1 week, €2000 for 2 weeks and up
to €2500 for longer periods.
How do I apply?
Assistants and partnerships deadlines are normally around the end of January each year, with rolling
deadlines for preparatory visits and seminars and four fixed deadlines for in-service training.
You can find further information on all Comenius activities, including application procedures and deadlines on
our website www.britishcouncil.org/comenius
There’s never been a better time to get to know your
European neighbours and refresh teaching and learning!
Find out more at www.britishcouncil.org/comenius