What do you want the pupils to take away from the link day? This is important to consider first as it will help you decide on appropriate activities.

Do you want to visit each other or do you want to meet up at a different location? For Lancashire schools there are many places to meet. For example, Grizedale Forest, Going Global in the Outdoors includes Sustainable Development activities, building shelters and exploring the issue of asylum seekers. See case studies for more examples of link day activities.

When is the day/visit going to take place? This needs to be organised early on as calendars get busy. When would be the most appropriate time of year? After SATS? When Year 11 have gone on study leave?

Have you thought about transport? This can be very expensive, although some companies are much cheaper than others. Coaches also get booked up very quickly especially in the summer term. Some coaches will also not be available until after or before they have done the school run. Can you make transport cheaper by running activities from 11 am - 2pm?

What activities are going to take place? How do they enrich your scheme of work?

How much link activities cost depends on the kind of activities you want to run, and the materials you need to run them, for example:

Expensive - paying an outside organisation to run a workshop. Having a food tasting session.

Cheap - inviting local parents to come and talk about their faiths, cultures and heritage. There are many classroom activities with an intercultural learning element that only require pens, paper and a little planning.

Do you have enough space for hosting the activities? Do you need to swap classrooms? Could the day be organised when another class is out of school to create space? Do you need to book the hall or a local community centre?

Have you done a risk assessment for the day? Letters of permission far enough in advance? If the pupils are visiting your school have you let parents know they are coming? Have you invited to parents to join in?

Are pupils going to bring their own food or are you going to provide food? If you are providing the food, have you found out about any dietary requirements?

Exchange itineraries for link day activities so everyone knows exactly what is happening and when.

What activities are you going to do back in the classroom to ensure effective learning? (This could simply be taking 10 minutes to ask them what they learnt during their visit.)