ERASMUS+PROJECT
Our school is participating in an Erasmus+ project called
‘Inclusion and continuity in education (The best practice of continuing inclusive education after primary school)’.
Four schools from different European countries are participating in this project:
- Jūrmalas Vaivaru pamatskola, Latvia
- Colegio de Educación Infantily Primaria Francisco Pino, Spain
- Istituto Comprensivo Don Roberto Angeli, Italy
- Jan Deyl Conservatory and Secondary School, contributory organization, Czech Republic
The main objectives of the project are:
- Creating partnerships between participating schools working with pupils with special educational needs and helping their pupils and students with their education
- Sharing experiences and good examples, proven methods and practices related to inclusive education
- Organising seminars on the project topic
- Raising awareness of the importance of this topic
- Creation of a methodological recommendation for the Latvian Ministry of Education and other interested parties
The main target groups of the project are:
- Teachers and staff of participating schools
- Teachers from other schools who are interested in the subject
- Latvian Ministry of Education
The entire project is planned for 24 months (1
st September 2023 – 3
rd August 2025) and will include five reciprocal visits by representatives of the participating schools, as well as other activities throughout the duration of the project.
PROJECT TIMELINE
2023 JANUARY
- 9th January 2023 – our school was contacted by Inese Karklina, headmaster of Jūrmala Vaivari Primary School in Latvia, with an offer to participate in their upcoming Erasmus+ project.
2023 FEBRUARY
- 9th February 2023 –
the first online meeting of potential project participants - the plan
(document PDF):
- a brief introduction of the participating schools and their relationship to inclusive education;
- discussion on the possibilities of project implementation and discussion of the first tasks.
- 9th February 2023 – the first shared Google document for collaborative project design was created.
- 20th February 2023 –
the second online meeting – the plan
(document PDF):
- project length and application deadline;
- the different phases of the project;
- the responsibilities of each participant;
- planning of the next steps.
- During February, the project application was prepared in a shared document (brief information about each school, what they can contribute to the project, etc.).
2023 March
- 16th March 2023 –
the third online meeting - plan
(document PDF):
- During March, the necessary information was added to the project application (proposals for individual activities, preliminary dates and plans for mutual visits to the participating schools, etc.), the application was signed by the school headmaster.
- 22nd March 2023 – application deadline.
- 24th March 2023 – an acceptance of the project application has been confirmed.
2023 SUMMER
- The project application has been approved.
2023 SEPTEMBER
- 7th September 2023 -
the fourth online meeting - plan
(document PDF):
- project participants;
- presentation of the grant application evaluation;
- finances;
- planned project meetings;
- task list.
- During September, information about the school's involvement in the Erasmus+ project was published on social media and the school website.
2023 OCTOBER
- Preparations for the kick-off meeting of the project participants in Latvia (selection of participants, flights, accommodation, etc.).
- 31st October 2023 –
the fifth online meeting - plan
(document PDF):
- arrival in Riga (day, time, persons arriving);
- expected weather during the visit (forecast, clothing, etc.);
- preliminary agenda (13th November – 17th November);
- exhibition of the project logo design;
- cultural programme in Latvia during the visit;
- questions.
2023 NOVEMBER
- An email was sent to staff, pupils and students at our school in early November with more information about the project.
- A call for entries for the project logo design competition was launched.
- A presentation about our school was created for the project meeting in Latvia.
- 12th - 17th November 2023 –
the first face-to-face meeting of participants of the Erasmus+ project ‘Inclusion and continuity in education (The best practice of continuing inclusive education after primary school)’ in Latvia
- Upon arrival on Sunday evening 12th November 2023 the first informal meeting with the project participants took place (except for the Spanish representatives who arrived later). During the dinner, a first introduction was made and topics related to the content of the project were discussed.
- On Monday 13th November 2023, the project officially started at the ‘Jūrmala Cultural Space and Urban Design Centre’. During the opening meeting, the individual points of the project were discussed, the tasks of each participant were discussed, and the representatives of each school made presentations to the others. Furthermore, a joint workshop was held focusing on the problems faced by individual schools/states in the framework of inclusive education. In the afternoon, we visited the Jūrmala City Museum, where we were introduced to sand therapy, which is used to work with children with special needs.
- On Tuesday 14th November 2023 the agenda included a tour of the Jūrmala Vaivari Pre-Primary and Primary School (project participant), where they are trying to implement inclusive education. An exhibition of designs for the project logo was opened at the school. The afternoon was followed by a tour of the art school, the music school (similar to our ZUŠ) and the municipal library.
- On Wednesday 15th November 2023 a meeting was held with representatives of Jūrmala City Council to discuss the possibilities and changes in the approach to inclusion in Latvia. The afternoon was followed by a tour of Jūrmala Secondary School, together with a presentation of the school's work on inclusion.
- On Thursday 16th November 2023 the participants visited the National Library in Riga, followed by a meeting at the University with representatives of academics working in special education who presented their international research on the opportunities and barriers to employment for people with autism spectrum disorder.
- On Friday 17th November 2023 we all took part in the celebration of Latvia's Independence Day at Vaivari Primary School. During the day there was also a final evaluation of the whole week and the next steps in the implementation of the project itself were outlined.
- Overall, the visit was beneficial and opened up possibilities for further cooperation, for example with the music school in Jūrmala (in the form of consultations and assistance with teaching visually impaired students) - contacts were passed on.
2023 DECEMBER
- The winning design for the official logo of the project was selected at Jūrmala Primary School.
Logo of the project
During the first project meeting in Latvia, an exhibition of logo designs created by pupils and staff of the participating schools was held at Jūrmalas Vaivaru pamatskola. During December 2023, the pupils and teachers of the host school selected the winning design. Out of dozens of designs, the one from our school was chosen to become the official logo of the project.
- 12th December 2023 –
the sixth online meeting - plan
(document PDF):
- a platform for project dissemination;
- project logo;
- evaluation of the progress of the tasks;
- meeting in Spain;
- questions.
- During December questions for the questionnaire for teachers and administrative staff of the participating schools were prepared.
2024 JANUARY
- 8th January 2024 –
the seventh online meeting - plan
(document PDF):
- a questionnaire for teachers and school administrative staff;
- meeting in Spain.
- During January, the final version of the questionnaire was finalized and translated into the languages of the project participants.
- Preparations for the meeting of the project participants in Spain (selection of participants, flights, accommodation, etc.).
2024 FEBRUARY
- At the beginning of the month, the school's teaching and administrative staff were contacted by email and asked to complete a questionnaire on inclusive education.
- 18th – 24th February 2024 –
the second face-to-face meeting of participants of the Erasmus+ project ‘Inclusion and continuity in education (The best practice of continuing inclusive education after primary school’) in Spain
- On Monday 19th February 2024 the weekly project meeting began at 9.30 a.m. with an informational meeting of project participants at the Parquesol Municipal Center. During the meeting, the last steps of the project were addressed and the agenda for the meeting in Spain was presented. At 11.00 a.m., a tour of the Parquesol City Library was offered to the participants. This was followed at 12 p.m. by the first tour of the participating CEIP Francisco Pino Primary School. Participants visited several classrooms where pupils prepared a short programme and presented them with small gifts. In the evening (6.30 p.m.), a tour of the city centre of Valladolid was prepared for the participants.
- On Tuesday 20th February 2024 at 9.00 a.m., a meeting was held with the specialists taking care of students in inclusion at CEIP Francisco Pino Elementary School, who presented their role and the activities they perform (core team - EOEP2; team working with students with disabilities and team supervising behavioral issues). From 10.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m., the participants of the meeting, divided into small groups, attended each lesson and observed the work of the teachers and professionals (speech therapist, physiotherapist) in the activities of the school.
- On Wednesday 21st February 2024 at 9.00 a.m., the participants of the meeting visited the IES Jiménez Lozano Secondary School in Valladolid, where they were presented the school's activities in the context of the implementation of inclusive education. At noon, they were given a tour of the Tórtola Pino Obregón special school, which provides practical training for pupils with more severe disabilities, teaching them the basics of manual work, cooking, etc.
- On Thursday 22nd February 2024 at 9.30 a.m. a meeting was held at Valladolid City Hall with the Councillor for Education, Culture and Tourism. A final meeting was held at 11 a.m. to evaluate the actions of the meeting and outline the next steps (completion and evaluation of the questionnaire for teachers). In the evening (8 p.m.) a final dinner was arranged, which was less formal.
- Friday 23rd February 2024 was the day of departure of the meeting participants.
- During February, the results of the questionnaire for teachers and administrative staff were evaluated.
2024 MARCH
- 25th March 2024 –
the eighth online meeting – plan
(document PDF):
- an evaluation of the visit to Spain
- a preparation of headings for a questionnaire on inclusive education for pupils of participating schools
- partly also preparation of a meeting in Italy
- During March, a questionnaire on inclusive education for pupils of the participating schools was prepared.
2024 APRIL
- Participating primary schools prepared a questionnaire on inclusive education for pupils.
2024 MAY
- 13th May 2024 –
the ninth online meeting – plan
(dokument PDF):
- project meeting in Italy (27.05.2024 - 31.05.2024)
- presentation at the university of Pisa
- questionnaire for pupils
- photos on Google drive
- questions
- Adding information about the institutions visited in Spain to the shared Google drive.
- 27th - 31st May 2024 –
the third face-to-face meeting of participants of the Erasmus+ project ‘Inclusion and continuity in education (The best practice of continuing inclusive education after primary school’) in Italy
- On Monday morning 27th May 2024 a visit was made to the Istituto Comprensivo Don Roberto Angeli in Livorno, where the pupils presented their school to the participants of the meeting, followed by a preview of the lessons in the secondary and primary school. In the afternoon, a project meeting was held during which the next steps of the project were discussed and the planned activities for the meeting in Italy were presented in detail.
- On Tuesday 28th May 2024 a meeting with city representatives at the local town hall was on the agenda with a tour of the building. This was followed by a visit to another secondary school in Livorno, which included an interesting informal conversation with a group of pupils about their experiences with classmates with special educational needs. In the afternoon, there was a cultural programme - a guided tour of the city and a cruise on the Medici Canal.
- On Wednesday 29th May 2024 participants visited a kindergarten in the morning and then attended classes at an elementary school. In the afternoon, another project meeting was held during which further project activities and tasks were planned.
- On Thursday 30th May 2024 a tour of Pisa was prepared for the participants in the morning, followed by a conference at the University of Pisa in the afternoon with the participation of experts in the field of special education.
- On Friday 31st May 2024 the final meeting and the official closing of the meeting in Italy took place.
2024 NOVEMBER
- 28th November 2024 –
the tenth online meeting - plan
(document PDF):
- changes in the educational system in Latvia (Inese);
- project at our schools (all);
- development of the Latvian evaluation report;
- to do list – by the end of 2024 and beginning of 2025 (Beate);
- project meeting in the Czech Republic (Beate and Czech team);
- questions.
2024 DECEMBER
- Preparation of the project meeting in the Czech Republic (planning the programme, finding accommodation).
2025 JANUARY
- Preparation of the project meeting in the Czech Republic (in cooperation with the school management, setting up the programme, contacting institutions - by e-mail, telephone, arranging food, premises, inventory of material support, organisation of the concert, etc.).
2025 FEBRUARY
- Preparation of the project meeting in the Czech Republic (in cooperation with the school management, finalizing the programme, arranging specific information with the institutions involved, arranging the accompanying programme, purchasing material support, designing and printing the necessary project documentation - name badges, stickers, programmes, concert programme, certificates).
- 24th – 28th February 2025 –
the fourth face-to-face meeting of participants of the Erasmus+ project ‘Inclusion and continuity in education (The best practice of continuing inclusive education after primary school’) in the Czech Republic The aim of the meeting was to introduce our project partners to the system of inclusion and access to people with specific educational needs in the Czech Republic throughout their lives.
- On Monday 24th February 2025 an introductory meeting of the participants took place, where the prepared programme was presented and further common tasks within the project were discussed. Afterwards, a visit to the school counselling centre and an introduction to its role and activities within our school took place. This was followed by classroom visits. In the evening, a guided tour of Prague was arranged for the foreign participants.
- On Tuesday 25th February 2025 we visited the early care centre in the morning, where we were introduced to their activities, and in the afternoon we visited the special education centre for the visually impaired at Náměstí Míru.
- On Wednesday 26th February 2025 there was a meeting at the Pedagogical-Psychological Counselling Centre (PPP) in the morning and the Academic Counselling Centre of the Faculty of Education of Charles University in the afternoon. In the evening, a concert was held by students of the Jan Deyl Conservatory and High School, to which representatives of the visited institutions were also invited. The concert was followed by an informal discussion with refreshments.
- On Thursday morning 27th February 2025 a meeting was arranged with Ing. Věra Kovářová - Deputy Chairwoman of the Chamber of Deputies and a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Education. A tour of the Rudolfinum was arranged for the afternoon.
- On Friday 28th February 2025 an evaluation meeting was held in the Czech Republic and further activities related to the implementation of the project were planned.
2025 MARCH
- administration and evaluation of the meeting in the Czech Republic
- adding information to the shared Google Drive
- preparation and arrangement of the last meeting in Latvia planned for June 2025
2025 APRIL
- organisation of the last meeting with other project participants
- the online meeting originally scheduled for 9 April was postponed by one week due to organisational reasons
- 15 April 2025 – the twelfth online meeting - plan (document PDF):
- recent project activities at Vaivari Primary School
- upcoming activities at Vaivari Primary School
- upcoming changes in the inclusive education system in Latvia
- preparations for the final project meeting and conference on 04 June 2025
- questions
2025 MAY
preparations for the last meeting in Latvia in June 2025 (travel arrangements, preparation of presentation for the final conference)
2025 JUNE
- final preparations for the last meeting in Latvia (the presentation for the final conference, arranging the necessary material equipment)
- 2nd – 6th June 2025 - the fifth (last) face-to-face meeting of the Erasmus+ project participants ‘Inclusion and continuity in education (The best practice of continuing inclusive education after primary school)’ in Latvia
- The final project meeting included several visits to educational and cultural centres in Latvia and a public conference attended by more than 70 people from educational institutions in Jūrmala, representatives of the town hall, university, experts from the field of inclusive education and public.
- On Monday 2nd June 2025 representatives of schools involved in the project visited a special pri-mary school attended by pupils with mental disabilities and serious educational problems. Pupils here acquire the basics of practical skills (woodworking, cooking), which improves their potential career opportunities. This was followed by an excursion to the Youth Activity Centre, which provi-des a wide range of extracurricular activities and meaningful use of free time. During this excursi-on we had the opportunity to learn about the ancient musical instrument kokles, which is typical for the Baltic States, including Latvia.
- On Tuesday 3rd June 2025 final preparation of the presentations for the conference took place. The national representatives prepared a brief syllabus of their papers and translated them into La-tvian with the help of their Latvian colleagues for use in the conference materials. In the afterno-on, the participants visited SIVA (State Agency for Social Integration), where the activities of the agency were presented and the whole evaluation process, which takes 3 to 6 months, was presen-ted; we were impressed by how many support people are involved in this process. This was followed by a visit to Podzina (Knoflik), a special school for children with autism spectrum disorder. We were impressed by the variety of materials and activities available for the children, including the use of natural materials and warm sand therapy.
- On Wednesday 4th June 2025 the final conference of the project was held, opened by representati-ves of Jūrmala City Council, Prof. D Nimante from the University introduced the participants to the current problems of inclusive education in Latvia, B. Balandina presented the project and its goals, teachers from Vaivari Primary School shared their experience from project visits in each country, followed by presentations from representatives of schools in Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic, where the participating schools and their experience with inclusion were presented. In the second part of the conference, the participants were divided into 5 groups for a panel discussion on one topic in the field of inclusive education and at the end a summary of this discussion was shared with the other participants.
- On Thursday 5th June 2025 the participants visited the museum of the important Latvian writer Aspazija in Jūrmala and then a project meeting was held, where the participants' observations on the visited institutions were written, the project activities were evaluated and the next steps and tasks that need to be completed for the successful conclusion of the project were planned.
- Friday 6th June 2025 was already in the spirit of an informal meeting and shared activities (visit to the sculptor P. Jaunzens and his open-air museum).
- Administration and evaluation of the meeting in Latvia
- Updating of the school websites
