The partnership implemented this project: a) to develop a methodological guideline for teachers on how to enhance educational inclusiveness by better involving parents, local authorities and the community in extracurricular, based on a research with valuable insights from all educational actors; b) to develop teachers’ skills into creating a more inclusive educational environment through extracurricular activities, based on sharing good practice examples from partner schools and on the methodological guideline developed through the project; c) to encourage pupils, parents and representatives of the local community to share their insights about enhancing the inclusiveness in schools and to participate to common activities for reaching this goal. All 3 objectives are directly linked to creating a more inclusive learning environment by providing tools for teachers and skills to use those tools, but are also linked to tackling learning disadvantage and early school leaving because having children feeling more included and valued in their schools also makes them learn better, despite their learning disadvantages, and makes them more motivated to stay in school.
The partnership decided to implement this project in order to facilitate the social and educational inclusion of children in their communities, to increase children wiliness and interest in participating in education, to make them feel more welcome at school and to create a secure learning environment that makes each child feel safe and valued. The partnership considered, based on results of previous projects and on experts opinions (UNESCO - School feeding for inclusion: brief on inclusion in education, 2022; the Council recommendation of 22 May 2018 on promoting common values, inclusive education, and the European dimension of teaching etc.) that a very effective way to reach the educational goal of inclusion is to involve children in extracurricular activities, as success in those activities is irrespective of their learning potential, their disabilities, their social and economic status, their ethnicity etc., and all children fell welcomed in the extracurricular activities. Also, the extracurricular activities allow the involvement of parents in a more direct way than the “academic” activities.