The Commonwealth Class education pack is a dynamic, exciting resource for teachers who want to teach young people about Commonwealth values like rights and responsibilities, protecting the environment and what people need to lead healthy lives. The pack contains cross-curricular activities, short films and discussion guides with learning outcomes that link to key skills, curriculum subjects and Commonwealth values. The activities can be used to support lesson planning and teaching across your curriculum. The flexible and wide ranging materials are mainly targeted at 7-14 year olds.

The British Council’s Year of the Horse education pack contains classroom resources focusing on China and designed to help introduce primary school children to some of the differences and similarities between the lives and culture of people in the UK and China. The pack was produced by the British Council in connection with the IOE Confucius Institute for Schools. It is also available in Welsh. For more information, to access supporting materials and to download individual chapters, please visit http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/projects-and-resources/year-of-the-horse

193 world leaders have committed to The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to help make the world safer, fairer and more just for everyone. There 17 Sustainable Development Goals aim to accomplish three things by 2030: tackle extreme poverty fight inequality and injustice protect the planet. The resource challenges you and your students to discuss the 17 goals and think of practical solutions to contribute to a more sustainable world. Exploring the themes of the SDGs is an excellent way to get your students thinking about their wider community and environment, while also delving into the life obstacles faced by others.

The focus of this unit is on how social entrepreneurs have built enterprises which make a profit, but which contribute to improving the lives of vulnerable communities around the world. It contains case studies of social enterprises, photographs of the people they work with and inspiring stories of how their lives have been changed. Your pupils will learn how social enterprises address the Sustainable Goals. How do you establish a social enterprise and what does it take to turn your idea into a reality? These materials can be used with a partner school or without one, and instructions are provided on how to best use the resources.

British Council has joined forces with The FA, Premier League + Football League to commemorate the 1914 Christmas Truce. The pack includes photos, eye-witness accounts + letters from soldiers. Perspectives from British, French, Belgian, German + Indian witnesses are included with activities for English, language, drama, art, sport, history + moral education. Schools are invited to design a memorial with the winner chosen by The Duke of Cambridge + Arsenal/ England forward Theo Walcott to be built at the National Memorial Arboretum. http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/football-remembers

Felicia lives in Isleworth in London. She’s studying hard for her art A-Level exam. Today she has taken time-out to visit her grandparents, Eileen and Henry. Felicia lived with her grandparents for the first eight years of her life as her mum was working full-time. She has always shared a special bond with her granddad. But in recent years things have become increasingly difficult. Although Henry looks very healthy, he has a disease called Alzheimer&'s. Alzheimer&’;s is a type of dementia or disease of the brain.

‘The Second Freedom&’ follows Jack Brown as he goes through life, and explores the various benefits he may receive as a result of National Insurance.

Eleven-year-old Sean has a condition called cerebral palsy. It means his muscles don’t always work properly. This sometimes makes it harder for him to speak and to control his legs. Sean goes to school at Multikids Academy in Ghana. Any child can come here - whether they have special needs or not. There are six children in Sean’s class. About half of them have a special need. Keeping class sizes small means the teacher can give all the children the right amount of attention. Around 1 in every 300 children in Ghana has cerebral palsy, which is caused by complications at birth.

Focusing on China, the materials which were prepared in connection with the IOE Confucius Institute for Schools will help introduce primary school children to some of the differences and similarities between the lives and culture of people in the UK and China. Each education pack contains an array of resources for the classroom including; lesson plans, Chinese poems, assembly plans, posters and activities to keep your young people engaged throughout.

Kofi goes to school at Multikids Academy in Ghana, West Africa. It is unique because it’s inclusive: any child can come here, whether they have special needs or not. Kofi has severe cerebral palsy and needs a wheelchair. There are seven pupils in his class, all with special needs. Extra helpers make sure everyone gets enough attention. Although Kofi’s friends think he&‘s around 16 years old, nobody really knows. He was abandoned near a graveyard three years ago, and he&’;s not able to say where he came from.

Our primary languages downloadable pack is designed for Language Assistants and other native speakers who are new to teaching languages at primary level as well as giving advice to the host schools. The pack includes guidance on how to get started, examples of best practice, specific teaching ideas and resources for use in the classroom.

This Shakespeare Lives schools’ pack has been created by the British Council in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016. The pack celebrates Shakespeare as a writer who still speaks for all people and nations, addressing big questions and themes about the human experience and what it means to be a citizen in the twenty-first century. This pack encourages teachers and pupils to engage with some of the key issues, themes and ideas in Shakespeare’s plays, and to explore the ways they remain relevant and current in our lives today, wherever we are in the world. Specially designed to encourage learning across the curriculum, the resource is split into five key themes; Leadership and Power, Family and Relationships, Identity and Equality, Fate and Destiny, Justice and Rules. Within each themed section you will find a wide range of activities for pupils aged 7-14. These can be used as starting points in individual lessons or as elements of a cross-curricular project, which could be carried out with a partner school overseas. Shakespeare’s plays have been staged many times since they were written over 400 years ago, and there are still so many different ways of interpreting his work. Each interpretation will draw out different themes and ideas. We hope you and your pupils will enjoy exploring the ones we have developed in this pack, which is available to download now.

Discover what 2016’s Year of the Monkey symbolises using our new pack filled with fun activities based on Chinese culture and traditions. Start preparing for Chinese New Year, explore the mythology behind the Chinese zodiac and uncover what the Year of the Monkey actually means in 2016. Take your students along on a journey with the Monkey King as he steals the pills of invisibility and then sets out to the west with his magical companions. Or, using the pack, teach them how to make traditional opera masks, draw monkeys using Chinese brush strokes, create decorative DIY kites and even learn some basic Chinese. There are plenty of creative and fun ideas for you and your students to learn about the rich history and culture of China. Note: To listen to embedded sound clips, please download the education pack and open with Adobe Reader.

From 16-27 March 2016, Five short films from BFI Flare, the British Film Institute’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Film Festival, was available to audiences around the world through the BFI player. The festival has now closed, however you can find out more about this year’s films here. Films and resources Although the main festival has closed, you can still use our resource and watch our film ‘London Loves You’ to stimulate discussion in the classroom. The film was made in a London secondary school and shows students discussing how they and their school community feel about LGBT issues. You can watch it here (https://vimeo.com/158625035) and it can also be found in the resource pack. Please note, in some countries you may prefer to use this material with older students.

We have developed a series of resources, in partnership with The Royal Society, to enhance science learning in schools. This second resource in the Commonwealth Science Class series is centred on how the prevent the spread of infectious diseases and is packed with activity ideas to help your students investigate and explore the subject in more depth. Before downloading the resource, and to help you get started, we recommend you watch the accompanying video with your class.

We have developed a series of resources, in partnership with The Royal Society, to enhance science learning in schools. The first in the Commonwealth Science Class series focuses on the topic of renewable energy and is filled with activity ideas to help students discuss and explore the subject in more depth. Before delving into this resource, we recommend that teachers show students the accompanying video.

We have developed a series of resources, in partnership with The Royal Society, to enhance science learning in schools. This third resource in the Commonwealth Science Class series focuses on the topic of rising sea levels and is filled with activity ideas to help your students investigate and explore the subject in more depth. Before downloading the resource, and to help you get started, we recommend you watch the accompanying video with your class.

Keep your students up to date with the latest news from across the Commonwealth using the First News monthly newspaper. First News is one of the leading newspapers aimed at students from ages seven to fourteen, investigating and delving into stories affecting the wider world. Each month, the newspaper will explore themes related to the environment, politics and citizenship within the Commonwealth states. The newspaper serves as an excellent source of debate within your classroom to get children engaged in the diverse world around them.

This resource pack provides ideas for discussion, activities and a framework to help you use social entrepreneurship as an engaging project in your school. It is designed to encourage students to develop an awareness and understanding of how business can help to address social problems as well as gain practical experience in planning and setting up their own social enterprise. From projects on social responsibility, the impact social enterprises can make, and successful entrepreneurship, the pack allows students to increase their knowledge of social innovation whilst also develop core skills for learning, life, and work. It will also enable students to develop personal skills and attributes such as teamwork, confidence, and innovation.

The Arab world is a fascinating, diverse geographical region with a rich culture and history. Arabic is spoken by more than 300 million people. The education pack is designed to help primary school teachers introduce aspects of both Arabic language and Arab culture to your pupils, including: well known Arabic fables, teaching students moral lessons. counting to 10 in Arabic perfecting your pronunciation of Arabic greetings exploring the intricate geometric patterns of Arabic mosaics The Arabic Language and Culture pack is an excellent way to introduce young learners to the Arab world while also challenging their preconceptions of Arab culture. This education pack has been created as part of the British Council’s Arabic Language and Culture Programme in partnership with Qatar Foundation.