Erasmus + is funded entirely by the EU. It aims to increase the positive impact of European activities at all levels to ensure benefits for the individuals, organisations and countries involved in projects. It supports transnational partnerships between education, training and youth organisations, as well as supporting grassroots sport projects. We are very pleased to announce that Lakeside School has been successful in applying for funding for a joint European project called ‘Dome’.

Our project ‘DOME’. This is an exciting whole school partnership with four European schools in Spain, Poland, Sweden and Turkey. The project will last two years. We have successfully worked with the our partners from Spain, Poland and Sweden on a previous project called ‘Amazing Blue Europe’.

Children and staff from Lakeside visited their partner school in Slovakia. Staff and children from our partner schools visit Lakeside and enjoy the historic sites of York.

Miss Pillinger and Mrs Kenway visited partners in Germany with children from Year 6.

Aims of the project To encourage pupils to investigate and engage with their own cultural heritage. This will be the starting point for shared projects over the two years. To promote a shared European identity, raise awareness of different cultures and languages. To promote cooperation and innovation for good practise. To build a public space to be shared by our school community that will become a lasting memory of our European partnership.

Aim of the project The aim of this project is to design and build a permanent dome that will be a space shared by the whole school community. This project shall promote a European identity and raise awareness of different cultures. During the first year we aim to build the dome with an outer and inner cover. The outside cover shall be a growing and evolving planting scheme reflecting each country.

Cultural heritage and identity Throughout the two years we shall be using our cultural heritage as the starting point for joint projects on folk songs, language, games, our environment, tourism, local legacies/traditions within our community and architecture. During the second year we will decorate the floors with mosaics that reflect the European identity of each partner country.

Getting started Our first project will be to investigate domes, their design and structure. We shall be holding a whole school competition to design a dome suitable for the project. We will be asking Year 6 children if they would like to take part in our first partner visit to Trujillo in Spain.

Visits planned Partnership visits and general meetings (2 adults and 4 children to each country) All dates are flexible and not set. Spain th November 2014 Sweden th May 2015 England – th October 2015 Poland – th March 2016 Turkey – th May 2016

End of the project June 2016 Key Priorities of the project Improving the attainment of young people. Developing their creativity. Teaching and learning of foreign languages. Developing pride in our own cultural heritage and history whilst exploring and engaging with other countries.