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.

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.

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.

Going to school is no guarantee of learning, as it is estimated that 250 million children worldwide are unable to read, write or count well, even if they have been to school. The education Global Goal for Sustainable Development (SDG) focuses on access to education and inclusive quality education. This resource combines knowledge about this global issue with tasks that focus on pupils’ own schools. By understanding the situation in different parts of the world, pupils gain understanding about their own situation. Use the resource to help pupils make proposals and take action within and beyond their schools. The resource can be adapted for each school, the age of the class, and the needs of specific pupils. The ten lessons of 60 minutes are designed for 7-11 year olds and can be adapted for 11-14 year olds.

The Ragdoll Foundation is dedicated to developing the power of imaginative responses in children through the arts.‘What Makes Me Happy’ is a series of short, fun films showing that even where lives are difficult children can still find happiness. The films were produced in-country by working with the children themselves. These are their own stories about what makes them happy and we want to share them with you and as many children as possible around the world. There is so much you can learn about your own happiness and the happiness of others.

An overview of the progressive facilities at a modern coal mine in Scotland, with an emphasis on the steps taken to ensure worker welfare there.

A Techincolor film exploring the beautiful scenery and famous buildings around Snowdonia, Wales.

An overview of the industrial landscape of Northern Ireland, with a particular focus on the impact of and contribution to the Allied war effort.

Exploring the daily life of a large family in Yorkshire, ‘We of the West Riding&’ shows both their work at the textile mills and their varied leisure pursuits.

A snapshot of life in the Outer Hebrides, ‘The Western Isles&’ shows the traditional manufacture of Harris Tweed and the dramatic homecoming of shipwrecked sailors.

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.

Use our ‘Welcome to Malta’ resource and PowerPoint presentation to learn about the country, its history, culture and language. Read letters from Maltese children describing their daily life and the Maltese story ‘Do you believe in magic?’ to develop your pupils’ creative thinking, tolerance, respect and understanding.

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.

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.

We have developed a series of resources, in partnership with The Royal Society, to enhance science learning in schools. This fourth resource in the Commonwealth Science Class series is centred on the topic of global food security 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: https://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/classroom-resources/list/global-food-security-how-can-we-feed-growing-population

In China, young people hoping to go to university must excel in the Gaokao - a very tough entrance exam. This film follows Ma Li, 18, who is one of the 9.15 million Chinese high school students about to start studying for the exams. For Ma Li, and many like her, the exams will be the culmination of an exhausting year of cramming and revision. The pressure is high, with some schools going to increasingly extreme lengths to boost exam results.

Nada, 13, and Mina, 12, go to different schools with different head teachers in Keseljac, Bosnia Herzegovina. But the two schools are in the same building. This is known as ‘Two Schools Under One Roof’. After the Bosnian war ended in 1995, this kind of school was set up as the first step to bring people back together. But after so many years, it’s keeping them apart. Most of the Bosnian Muslim pupils here - like Nada - want the two schools to merge. But Croat pupils - like Mina – are concerned that they will lose their identity.

Inspired by a friendship, 12-year-old Oli from Bangladesh is campaigning against child marriage. Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. The issue is a huge problem in the country, with 20% of girls becoming wives before their 15th birthday, even though 18 is the minimum age allowed by law. Oli became fed-up of seeing his friends dropping out of school and decided to do something about it. He and his friends tour the slum where they live, looking for girls at risk and educating their elders.

Oli is a 12-year-old boy from Bangladesh who is campaigning against child marriage. Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. 20% of girls become wives before their 15th birthday, even though the law says that they should not get married before the age of 18. Oli became fed-up of seeing his friends dropping out of school and decided to do something about it. He and his friends tour the slum where they live, looking for girls at risk. They try to educate their elders by talking to them about why they shouldn’t marry off their daughters so young.

In China, young people hoping to go to university must do well in the notoriously difficult entrance exams, the ‘Gaokao’. Ma Li, age 18, is one of the 9.15 million Chinese high school students about to start studying for the exams. It’s a long, hard road, and both Ma Li and her family will have to make sacrifices if she is to do well. Follow Ma Li’s progress and find out why China’s university entrance exams, the ‘Gaokao’, are said to be the toughest in the world.