Global Learning Programme
The Global Learning Programme (GLP) was a funded programme of support that ran from 2013 to 2018 to help teachers in primary, secondary and special schools to deliver effective teaching and learning about development and global issues at Key Stages 2 and 3.
Used by thousands of schools
Together with free curriculum support, resources, training and funding*, the Global Learning Programme (GLP) built a national network of like-minded schools committed to equipping their students to make a positive contribution to a globalised world.
More than 7800 schools participated in the programme, with many experiencing the positive impact that global learning can have on pupils’ engagement, knowledge, skills and values.
The GLP has helped schools teach pupils about the challenges our world faces and think critically about issues such as poverty, inequality and sustainability. One of its aims was to help pupils make sense of the world in which they live and understand their role in a global society.
By using global learning to enrich the curriculum, GLP schools discovered that global learning can help to develop critical thinking skills, promote SMSC (spiritual, moral, social and cultural development), and foster values such as respect and empathy.
An Ofsted School Inspection Update released during the programme noted that, as the GLP ‘maps onto the four Ofsted core judgements and to SMSC’, schools on the programme should be able ‘to set out how the GLP is contributing to their provision and outcomes for pupils’. Highlighted positively in inspection reports, global learning is reported as contributing to the enjoyment and learning of pupils in GLP schools – reinforcing their curriculum knowledge and understanding.
You can access some of the free resources, guidance and research outputs from the GLP via the Global Dimension website.
Pearson is now working with the British Council to deliver a new government funded programme called Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning.
"Global education makes the learning more relevant and interesting for pupils, and so it contributes to their enthusiasm for learning."
- Extract from January 2015 Buntingsdale Primary School Ofsted report
"Students’ outstanding spiritual, moral social and cultural development has been enhanced by the strong international links that have been well established. They are very well prepared for their role as citizens of modern Britain."
- Extract from the March 2015 Polesworth School Ofsted report
*The Global Learning Programme (GLP) ran from 2013 to 2018 and was funded by the UK government. The GLP in England (GLP-E) was managed by a consortium of partners: Pearson (lead), Geographical Association, UCL Institute of Education, Oxfam UK, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), SSAT and Think Global.