28th Franco-British Summit - Administrative arrangements in the areas of Educational Cooperation and Training

Administrative arrangements between the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research of the French Republic and the Department for Education and Skills, in England in the areas of Educational Cooperation and Training

Memorandum of Understanding

Pursuant to the cooperation agreement of 2 March 1948 between the Government of the French Republic and the Government of the United Kingdom.

Wishing to contribute to the Lisbon Reform Agenda of building a knowledge-based Europe for 2010, and being eager to establish links between the French and English educational systems in the form of tangible joint achievements, the Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research of the French Republic and the Department for Education and Skills in England, hereinafter referred to as “the Participants”, hereby decide as follows.

CLAUSE 1
TRAINING OF TEACHERS, HEAD TEACHERS AND MANAGERIAL STAFF


1.1 Teacher Training

The Participants will continue and develop the reciprocal training programme for trainee primary school teachers.

They will carry out an exploratory project by way of experimentation with a view to extending the programme to trainee secondary school teachers and, as a priority for the French Participant, teachers who teach non-linguistic disciplines in English.

1.2 Training of Head teachers and Managerial Staff

The Participants will encourage cooperation in the training of the managerial staff of secondary schools, including head teachers, on the topic of secondary-school management and administration.

They will alternately organise an annual seminar on a topic agreed between them.

They will continue the meetings between teachers, heads of schools and managerial staff on topics which are priorities for the two countries such as the learning of modern foreign languages in primary school.

CLAUSE 2
SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIPS


2.1 School Partnerships

The Participants will maintain and promote partnerships, and in particular educational cooperation projects between their primary schools and secondary schools, through pupil exchanges or by means of information and communication technologies, notably within the framework of the exchange programme between Language Colleges and Sections Européennes (LC-SE) and the Community e-Twinning Programme.

In the sphere of vocational education, they will continue to promote training courses for pupils, teachers and head teachers, including those in further education, with a view to developing innovative educational projects. They will develop or strengthen the teaching of the partner's language.

They will jointly organise an annual conference of young people on a chosen topic which shall take place alternately in France and England.

2.2 University Partnerships

The Participants will turn the lessons learned from innovative initiatives such as the TransManche Project to good advantage and to encourage a strengthening of the cooperation between their higher education institutions whilst not compromising their autonomy.

In the context of the Bologna Process, the Participants will alternately organise a high-level annual meeting to intensify dialogue on the major topics of common interest in the higher education field.

CLAUSE 3
EXCHANGES ON TOPICS OF COMMON INTEREST


3.1 Expert Groups

The Participants will continue the exchanges of views and good practice in the context of expert groups. The topics to be addressed will be defined jointly and reviewed every two years.

The priority topics identified are the following:

  • school/family relations,
  • responsible behaviour education: citizenship, nutritional education and diet,
  • decentralised cooperation,
  • joint design of teaching programmes and certification for vocational qualifications geared to the labour market, more specifically for 14-19 year olds.

3.2 Café Education

The Participants will encourage exchanges of information and good practice between educationalists through the medium of videoconferencing sessions known as “café éducation” three or four times a year on jointly selected topics.


CLAUSE 4

All actions implemented under this agreement may be noted down in a report, at the discretion of the Participants, in order to maintain a record thereof.


CLAUSE 5

The Steering Committee will act as the decision-making structure and meet in an annual plenary session. The Participants must have the agreement from the Steering Committee for major actions and any financial requirements in respect of these arrangements. The composition thereof is left to the initiative of the Participants.

An implementation group will meet in plenary session, at least once, before the steering committee meets in order to prepare its work and present it with a schedule of actions. The composition thereof is left to the initiative of the Participants.

Thematic implementation groups will be formed as and when required, at the initiative of either Participant. They will report to the steering committee via the implementation group.


CLAUSE 6

The present arrangements will have effect for a term of four years. They will come into operation on the date of signature. They may be cancelled by either of the Participants giving three months' written notice to the other.

Halfway through the term of the present arrangement and upon its expiry, the Participants will conduct an evaluation of its implementation.

The present arrangements replace the administrative agreement between the Ministry for Young Persons, National Education and Research of the French Republic and the Department for Education and Skills in England relating to exchanges and training in the areas of general, technological and professional teaching signed in Le Touquet on 4 February 2003.


Signed in two originals in the French and English languages, each version being equally valid, in Paris on 9 June 2006.


The Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research of the French Republic
The Department for Education and Skills, in England






Others sites