Article Details

Article Details

Erasmus+ update from British Council

Author: Jude Wood, British Council

The reasons may vary - from learning good practice to increased job satisfaction – but 98% of school staff who took part in the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme would recommend it to a colleague.

Almost 70% of school education applicants successfully applied for over €4m in Erasmus+ grants in Scotland from 2014-2016. This provided opportunities for staff professional development, funds to support school project visits to other European countries, a revitalisation of teaching and support for curricular policy in over 300 projects. Many schools in Scotland have been able to extend their international outlook through Erasmus+ partnerships as a result, helping to fulfil Education Scotland’s curriculum goals of creating successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors.

UK schools received grant funding ranging from €1,300 to €212,000 for Erasmus+ mobility projects in 2016. Hundreds of staff received an average of nearly €2,200 in grant-funding, to help schools with international activities linked to education policies, such as the 1+2 Approach.

First steps

Schools should use eTwinning, a secure online community, to start or extend their Erasmus+ project. It helps users to find and forge partnerships across Europe before applying and then supports them throughout their projects. Other tools are also available, such as the School Education Gateway, which helps schools find and rate staff teaching and job shadowing opportunities and forge new strategic partnerships with schools across Europe.

Funding to increase

Scotland has shown strong and consistent interest in Erasmus+ with nearly €42 million awarded from 2014-2016. And the good news is that the Erasmus+ annual budget is set to increase by 10% in 2017. With this in mind, Ruth Sinclair-Jones, Erasmus+ UK National Agency Director, encourages more schools to apply: “We’d like more and bigger applications across the UK for 2017, to take advantage of the higher levels of funding available in the 30th anniversary of the programme. 2017 is the first year following the EU referendum result and we’d like to emphasise that successful applicants in 2017 will be awarded funding for the duration of their project.”

The Erasmus+ National Agency is here to support you all the way. Sign up to the Erasmus+ newsletter to stay informed of forthcoming webinars and for details of guidance and events that will support you throughout the application process and beyond.

Apply for Erasmus+ funding by 2 February 2017 and 29 March 2017 and discover how the Erasmus+ programme could benefit your school in 2017. 

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