Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Global School Partnership programme and (b) the Connecting Classrooms programme.

The Global School Partnerships Programme (2003-12) was externally assessed by the National Foundation for Educational Research in 2011 and found to have a positive impact on the awareness, attitude and response of pupils in the UK towards global issues.

The 2012-15 phase of Connecting Classrooms was judged by an independent evaluation to be a success. Over 5,000 schools in more than 40 countries took part in joint projects and exchange visits and 18,000 teachers around the world benefitted from professional development training.

The current phase of Connecting Classrooms is being assessed annually.