Looking for Partner Schools for the project named "Building Belonging at School"

We are looking for partner schools to join an Erasmus+ KA210 (Small-scale Partnerships in School Education) project focusing on school belonging, historical school identity, and student well-being.

About Our School
Ankara Lisesi is one of the most well-established and historically significant upper secondary schools in Türkiye. Founded in the early years of the Republic, the school represents a strong educational tradition, a historic school building, and a deeply rooted school culture.
Located within a historical and cultural campus area in Ankara, Ankara Lisesi is not only an educational institution but also a living heritage reflecting the values of equality, cultural identity, civic responsibility, and social cohesion. Its strong alumni network and long-standing traditions continue to shape the school’s identity today.

Project Rationale and Focus
In today’s digital age, schools are no longer only spaces for academic knowledge transfer. They are social environments where students develop their identity, values, sense of belonging, and connection to society. Research shows that students with a strong sense of school belonging demonstrate higher academic motivation, better well-being, and stronger social engagement, while low belonging is associated with absenteeism and early school leaving.
Despite this, there is still limited research and practice on how historical school buildings, traditions, and cultural heritage contribute to students’ sense of belonging, especially at upper secondary level.
This project aims to address this gap by exploring the role of historical school identity as a protective and strengthening factor for school belonging and student well-being.

Project Objectives
The project aims to:
• explore the relationship between school belonging and historical school identity,
• examine how students perceive and experience historical school buildings, traditions, and school culture,
• develop student-centered and transferable practices to strengthen school belonging and well-being,
• compare experiences, challenges, and good practices across different European contexts.

Partner Profile – Who Are We Looking For?
We are looking for upper secondary schools (high schools) in Europe that:
• have a long-standing history and/or are located in historical school buildings,
• value school culture, traditions, alumni connections, and institutional identity,
• are interested in student well-being, school climate, and sense of belonging,
• are willing to take part in a small-scale, practice-oriented Erasmus+ KA210 project,
• are open to qualitative and simple quantitative student activities (surveys, workshops, storytelling, reflection activities).

Previous Erasmus+ experience is not required.

Indicative Activities
• Student surveys and reflections on school belonging
• School heritage, memory, and identity workshops
• Exchange of student stories, traditions, and school experiences
• Online meetings and collaborative sessions between partner schools
• Joint digital outputs (e.g. student narratives, digital exhibitions, school culture guide)

Why Erasmus+ KA210?
The KA210 format allows schools to:
• work with a small and committed group of partners,
• focus on meaningful, student-centered impact rather than administrative complexity,
• produce practical and transferable results for other schools with historical or cultural backgrounds.

Interested in Becoming a Partner?
If your school is interested, please contact us with a short introduction of your school and its historical or cultural background.

Contact:
Zeynep Türksoy İlhan - Teacher
Ankara Lisesi – Türkiye
E-mail: zeynepturksoyilhan@gmail.com

We believe that historical schools across Europe share a common responsibility: keeping school heritage alive while making it meaningful for today’s students.

We look forward to building this partnership together.