The British Council’s Year of the Horse education pack contains classroom resources focusing on China and designed to help introduce primary school children to some of the differences and similarities between the lives and culture of people in the UK and China. The pack was produced by the British Council in connection with the IOE Confucius Institute for Schools. It is also available in Welsh. For more information, to access supporting materials and to download individual chapters, please visit http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/projects-and-resources/year-of-the-horse

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.

The armistice to end the First World War was signed between France, Britain, and Germany on 11 November 1918 in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiegne, about 60 km north of Paris. It ended a global conflict in which millions of soldiers and civilians lost their lives. This terrible war touched the lives of men, women and children across the globe and continues to have lasting implications in the world today. You can use the pack to teach your pupils more about the Armistice, to reflect on peace and to plan a commemoration of the centenary of the First World War.

Explore conflicts across the world through this innovative teaching resource. The Nerve Centre has put together five lessons that describe and summarise conflicts that have taken place in Northern Ireland, India, Lebanon, Sierra Leone and South Africa. In each lesson, students will be provided with information about the country and a background to the issues which fuelled conflict within that country. Each lesson provides students with opportunities to learn through questioning and investigation based active learning methodologies and links to a series of archive images, audio and video. The digital tasks provided will enable students to form creative expressions of the learning that they have developed around international conflict. For the full suite of Teaching Divided Histories resources on conflict and to download individual lessons please see the Teaching Divided Histories website . (The resource has been uploaded with the permission of the Nerve Centre).

The Battle of the Somme was one of the bloodiest battles in history. It took place in Northern France around the River Somme from 1 July to 18 November 1916. Now, a century later, our education pack is designed to help teachers introduce aspects of the Battle of the Somme and the ways in which it is being remembered. The pack contains resources to help students develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the conflict. It covers topics including experiences of the Somme from around the Commonwealth, Pals Battalions, conscription, recruitment and remembrance today. The materials are designed to be flexible and adaptable. They can be used as starting points for individual lessons or activities, or form part of a larger cross- curricular project with a partner school overseas. This resource pack has been developed by the British Council in partnership with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme, UCL Institute of Education and Big Ideas Company.

The focus of this unit is on how social entrepreneurs have built enterprises which make a profit, but which contribute to improving the lives of vulnerable communities around the world. It contains case studies of social enterprises, photographs of the people they work with and inspiring stories of how their lives have been changed. Your pupils will learn how social enterprises address the Sustainable Goals. How do you establish a social enterprise and what does it take to turn your idea into a reality? These materials can be used with a partner school or without one, and instructions are provided on how to best use the resources.

British Council has joined forces with The FA, Premier League + Football League to commemorate the 1914 Christmas Truce. The pack includes photos, eye-witness accounts + letters from soldiers. Perspectives from British, French, Belgian, German + Indian witnesses are included with activities for English, language, drama, art, sport, history + moral education. Schools are invited to design a memorial with the winner chosen by The Duke of Cambridge + Arsenal/ England forward Theo Walcott to be built at the National Memorial Arboretum. http://schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/football-remembers

The Great Languages Challenge can be completed during a planned lesson or also set as a language-themed homework task. We even have a blank version available that students can use to design their own challenges for their classmates or peers in their partner school overseas. Did you know that completing two or more international activities from these resources (or designing your own) will qualify your school for a foundation level International School Award? All you have to do is choose and complete two or more classroom-based activities linked to your curriculum. Apply and get your international work recognised. Sign up to the British Council Schools e-newsletter and be the first to hear about new resources, funding, training and global webinars!

Acting as an excellent layman’s introduction to the origins of one of the most common languages on the planet, &‘History of the English Language&’; demonstrates how language changes over time, and presents England as being multicultural right down to its roots.

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.

An amusing and informative introduction to the manufacture of power cables, set to an jaunty musical score.

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

A miner with an injured spine is treated in a hospital before being sent to a rehabilitation centre to make a full recovery.

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

A rendition of the traditional English folksong ‘Widdicombe Fair&’, accompanied by animated drawings.

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.

Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Leicester Square, and Soho during wartime.

A dramatic account of the lifeboatmen of Mousehole in Cornwall, and their efforts to rescue the crew of a foundering ship.

The first half of ‘Steps of the Ballet&’ demonstrates various ballet steps, and the process of staging a show. The second half is a short ballet showcasing these techniques.

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.