International Education

SCIPD visits - Reporting

Pupil wearing raffia hat

Stages of reporting

It is a condition of acceptance of funding for SCIPD individual and group visits that participants produce reports, in the format described below, following their participation in the study visit.

Exceptions will only be made where, by prior agreement with LTS, participants’ reports are produced in a format specified by GTCS for Professional Accreditation or by one of the universities offering the Chartered Teacher module in International Education. In either case, the resultant report(s) should be copied to LTS for its information.

Guidance

As part of the application for funding or participation in a group study visit, applicants set out their rationale and specific learning objectives for their visit.

During the visit, participants should keep a personal ‘log’ or learning journal, recording their experiences, details of visits made, the main ‘learning points’ at each stage, and notes on comparisons with Scottish education. This will be a private record but will be essential in completing the post-visit reports.

Interim report

Four weeks after their return, participants are required to produce an interim report of up to 1000 words in length, commenting in detail on the learning experience and addressing some or all of the following areas:

  • the extent to which their objectives, as expressed prior to the visit, have been achieved
  • arrangements for the visit
  • activities undertaken during the visit and evidence gathered
  • the outstanding ‘learning points’ from the visit and how these articulate with their own educational views
  • comparison, favourable or otherwise, with equivalent systems/practices in Scottish education
  • initial thinking about how to disseminate key messages and to which audiences
  • plans to implement, in their school or authority, aspects of what they have learned.

This interim report should be emailed to the International Education team at LTS.

Final report

Nine months after their return, participants are each required to produce a final report of approximately 1500 words in length. This is a more evaluative piece of work, following professional reflection on the visit experience and its impacts, and of any initiative introduced subsequent to the study visit. Final reports will be published on the LTS website, with the author identified.

There is no set format for this report. It will build on material used in the interim report but its emphasis should be on:

  • the impact of the study visit experience on the individual’s professional development
  • the wider impact of any changes or initiatives within their school or local authority, and how such changes have been evaluated
  • long-term ‘added value’ to children in Scottish classrooms
  • dissemination activities they are undertaking to share their extended knowledge with colleagues.

It can include photographs from the visit, and participants can also provide copies of materials used for dissemination (such as PowerPoint slides).

You might wish to invite a colleague to act as a critical friend, reviewing and commenting on drafts, prior to finalising your report. This can be of mutual benefit and contribute to sharing of your experiences with others.

This final report should be emailed to the International Education team at LTS, and copied to your local authority international education co-ordinator.

It should be noted that failure to produce and submit the reports, as agreed by individuals at the application stage, may result in the individual having to repay study visit costs to LTS.