Finland

For the past 4 years, Welbeck Primary School has linked with primary school children in Koli, Finland,

sharing their learning and engaging in research projects together.

This link has been enabled through our school partners and has involved a multitude of learning and communication opportunities, from  sending each-other handwritten letters and postcards, to meeting each-other in video conference calls, sharing scientific research projects and sharing art.

In March 2026, a 2-year research project into nature culminated in six of our Year 5 pupils visiting the University of Oulu, Finland to present their research findings at the European Citizen Science Association Conference 2026.

To find out more about our pupils learning, research and trip to Finland, please read on below.

Welbeck-Koli

International Schools Link

How much nature do children need? The project begins…

ECSA 2026
European Citizen Science Association Conference Oulu, 2026- Travelog

As part of our international links, we have linked with a school in the village of Koli, Finland. Koli is a small village in the area of North Karelia and is famous as a cultural centre for artists - there is a nature park, lots of forests and lakes.

Initially, we linked with the school by writing letters to our pen pals. This is also one of our 50 Things to Do tasks at Welbeck. We established a relationship with our pen pals by continuing to write letters and postcards to each other. We also arranged a video call and asked each other questions about school life and life in each country to learn more about cultural similarities and differences.

To help our understanding of our local areas, both schools sent maps to each other and photographs so we could learn about the landscapes and facilities that are in and close to our school grounds.

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