The project Bridge is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Servicio Espanol para la Internacionalizacion de la Educacion (SEPIE). Neither the European Union nor the National Agency SEPIE can be held responsible for them. -- Number: 2025-1-ES01-KA220-HED-000359236 --

The BRIDGE Digital Museum brings together good practices, educational proposals and images that inspire reflection and action

Social Challenges Analyse social challenges to intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and democratic cohesion Good Practices Discover experiences that generate social impact Educational Space Access teaching guides, activities and materials for the classroom Documentary Photography Explore the social challenges in a visual, reflective and educational way

LEVEL 1. PICESL: Promoting Educational Inclusion

BRIDGE Main Challenge: A.3. Educational gaps throughout educational trajectories, including higher education

What problem does it address?

PICESL addresses early school leaving not as an isolated event but as a gradual process of disengagement influenced by socioeconomic and cultural factors. This practice addresses Social Challenge A.3 on gaps in educational pathways by promoting intercultural inclusion in compulsory education to prevent these pathways from being disrupted before university.

What does it propose?

PICESL aims to prevent early school leaving through inclusive and intercultural pedagogies and a community of practice involving teachers and researchers. Through a Toolkit and a teacher training course, it provides tools to promote safe educational environments, strengthen pupils’ sense of belonging and prevent school disengagement in the educational stages preceding university.

Why is it an inspiring practice?
  • It brings teachers and university researchers together on equal terms, challenging traditional academic hierarchies to connect scientific theory directly with classroom practice.
  • It encourages teachers to view the cultural and linguistic diversity of vulnerable pupils as a pedagogical asset rather than a barrier, moving beyond a deficit-based perspective.
  • It provides a Toolkit bringing together prevention approaches grounded in the scientific literature and documented educational experiences, alongside a multilingual teacher training course available as an Open Educational Resource (OER).
  • It identifies, prevents and addresses early school leaving as an ongoing process of disengagement that needs to be tackled during compulsory education to protect subsequent educational pathways.
  • It provides practical diagnostic tools, such as the Inclusion Indicator System and the “Safety Thermometer”, enabling each educational community to assess its level of inclusivity independently.
  • It offers resources adaptable to different European educational contexts and promotes knowledge transfer through a community of practice connecting universities, schools and networks involved in education policy.
Resources you'll find
  • Toolkit of Inspiring Practices.
  • Teacher training course on preventing early school leavin.
  • Inclusion Indicator System and Safety Thermometer.
  • Scientific documentation and pan-European mapping of inclusive practices.
Featured results
12
Approaches to preventing early school leaving grounded in the scientific literature and compiled in the Toolkit of Inspiring Practices.
8
Documented educational experiences in schools in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Croatia, included in the Toolkit.
4
Thematic units of the teacher training course covering diversity, moving beyond a deficit-based perspective, collaboration between families, schools and communities, and bullying prevention.
45
Secondary school students who volunteered as tutors in the “Bocadillo Online” initiative during the COVID-19 lockdown.
180
Participants in multiplier events held in Greece and Seville to disseminate the project’s results and resources.
What can visitors learn?
Understand 12 effective, evidence-based strategies for preventing early school leaving and examine eight real-life initiatives implemented in schools in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Croatia.
Develop skills through a four-unit teacher training programme to move beyond a “deficit-based perspective”, strengthen partnerships between families, schools and communities, combat bullying and manage inclusive classrooms.
Learn to use the Inclusion Indicator System and the “Safety Thermometer” independently as diagnostic self-assessment tools to assess school inclusivity and measure pupils’ sense of safety and acceptance.
Analyse extensive research on the factors leading to early school leaving (ESL) and explore a scientifically informed mapping of intercultural and inclusive good practices developed in the European Union.
Explore how to apply participatory pedagogical and methodological approaches such as Service-Learning (SL), peer tutoring (Bocadillo Online), restorative justice and digital storytelling.
Download methodological guides, explanatory video tutorials by the authors, newsletters and teaching materials published as Open Educational Resources (OER) under Creative Commons licences, free of charge.

LEVEL 2. EXPLORE BEST PRACTICE

Introduction

As a transnational Erasmus+ initiative, PICESL addresses early school leaving not as an isolated event but as a gradual process of disengagement influenced by socioeconomic, cultural and linguistic factors. This phenomenon relates to Social Challenge A.3 on gaps in educational pathways, whereby exclusion during compulsory education creates prior barriers that affect vulnerable pupils and make it harder for them to access higher education.

  • Coordinating organisation: Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO), Spain
  • Participating countries: Belgium (BE), Croatia (HR), Greece (GR), Italy (IT), Netherlands (NL), Portugal (PT), Spain (ES)
  • Duration: 2019 - 2022
  • BRIDGE Main Challenge: A.3. Educational gaps throughout educational trajectories, including higher education
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  • SDG 4: Quality Education
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Secondary Challenges
  • A.1. Structural and intersectional inequalities that shape inclusion and social cohesion
  • A.6. Deficits in democratic participation, representation and inclusive governance

The Challenge

What social issue does it address?

PICESL addresses early school leaving not as an isolated event but as a gradual process of disengagement influenced by socioeconomic, cultural and linguistic factors. The problem relates to Social Challenge A.3 on educational gaps, whereby exclusion during compulsory education affects vulnerable pupils and makes it harder for them to reach higher education.

Why is it important?

PICESL addresses school disengagement through inclusive and intercultural methodologies. Its relevance to Challenge A.3 lies in intervening at earlier educational stages, when inequalities begin to accumulate and may affect educational continuity and subsequent opportunities to access higher education.

How does it contribute to the BRIDGE Challenge?

PICESL contributes to Challenge A.3 through resources and methodologies aimed at preventing school disengagement during compulsory education. By fostering inclusion, participation and a sense of belonging, it addresses barriers that may disrupt educational pathways and limit subsequent opportunities to access university.

How does it work?

PICESL works through horizontal collaboration between teachers and researchers in a community of practice. It develops pedagogical and intercultural tools, including a Toolkit with 12 effective approaches and a four-unit teacher training course. It also provides an Indicator System and the Safety Thermometer to assess inclusion in classrooms.

What might inspire you?
Ideas for adaptation
  1. Implement Service-Learning (SL) projects in the community.
  2. Use peer tutoring to provide emotional and academic support.
  3. Use the Safety Thermometer to assess inclusion.
  4. Use digital storytelling to make pupils’ identities visible.
  5. Apply the Inclusion Indicator System in self-assessment.
  6. Use restorative justice to resolve conflicts without exclusion.
  7. Move beyond a deficit-based perspective by valuing cultural diversity.
  8. Create communities of practice involving teachers and researchers.
  9. Consult the open-access Toolkit to adapt good practices.
  10. Foster the co-creation of projects with vulnerable pupils.
Resources created

Toolkit of Inspiring Practices

Manual

An open-access toolkit and practical manual (OER) compiling 12 effective approaches to preventing early school leaving and eight real-life initiatives implemented in schools in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Croatia.

Teaching staff, Students, Researchers

https://www.upo.es/picesl/intellectual-outputs/

Teacher training course on preventing early school leaving

Online training

A digital training pathway hosted on Moodle and organised into four thematic units: addressing diversity, moving beyond a deficit-based perspective, family–school–community partnerships and bullying prevention.

Teaching staff, Students, Researchers

https://www.upo.es/picesl/intellectual-outputs/

Inclusion Indicator System and Safety Thermometer

Educational resource

Self-assessment tools enabling schools to examine their inclusive practices, identify areas for improvement and learn about pupils’ sense of safety and acceptance through anonymous questions. They form part of the project’s practical resources and support the prevention of school disengagement.

Teaching staff, Students, Researchers

https://www.upo.es/picesl/

Scientific documentation and pan-European mapping of inclusive practices

Digital publication

A review of academic literature on factors related to early school leaving and a mapping of intercultural and inclusive experiences developed across Europe.

Teaching staff, Students, Researchers

https://www.upo.es/picesl/newsletters-and-flyer/