The objectives of the project have been drawn up based on three needs detected at our school which had been included in the European Development Plan. These were as follows: 1) Improve teacher professional skills through direct observation of innovative teaching practices. 2) Establish professional networks based on priority educational areas or about projects of any other nature. 3) Promote foreign language learning and improve the English language skills. 4) Promote CLIL methodology and training to develop CLIL teaching materials. 5) Foster innovative and creative teaching and reinforce inclusion and diversity. 6) Reduce school dropout (Andalusian school dropout rate is higher than 20% compared to an average of 12% rate in Europe) and improve the academic performance (statistical reports by AGAEVE). 7) Increase intercultural awareness and sensitivity, promoting the international dimension. Some objetives were short-term goals (2, 3, 4, 5) and others were mid-term goals (1, 6, 7).
Our center was created more than 30 years ago, and it hasn’t stopped growing since then. It began with 400 students and were more than 1000 at the moment of applying for this project – now it’s even bigger -. The institution participates of different educational projects, such as Prodig (now called TDE), Coeducación and Forma Joven, and an amount of networks related to communication, environment and enterprising. The surrounding area’s characteristics include a high percentage of foreign origin’s population from 20 different nationalities, therefore, the center implements a bilingual program teaching English as the first foreign language and French as the second one. In recent years, the institution is working to improve the quality and coexistence, supporting new methodologies, bilingual teaching and European programs, included in the Proyecto Educativo de Centro (Educational Planning) and the Memoria de Autoevaluación (Self – evaluation Memorandum). In this context, the project was applied for understanding Erasmus+ as one more tool to achieve the goals the institution was leading to. The management team and the teachers involved in Erasmus’ projects considered this program an opportunity to improve.