The project ‘Competent teacher as a key to the school development’ is going to be carried out for two years - from 1 June 2015 to 1 June 2017 as a cooperation between Secondary School of Art in Kielce and Escuela de Arte de Granada in Granada. The crucial tasks will be realised by the teachers from Secondary School of Art in Kielce during business trips to the Spanish school. The main aim of the project is to improve the teachers’ practical skills, professional and language competence as well to support enterprising attitude, which will all result in raising the standard of lessons and enriching the educational offer of Secondary School of Art. The necessity for modernising teaching has been caused by the new curriculum. Students are better prepared for the job market and further artistic education by introducing new techniques and technology. Detailed aims: • to expand the international dimension of education; • to introduce the Spanish educational system, including artistic education; • to meet the organisation and Spanish school methods; • to strengthen teachers’ teaching skills and creativity; • to prepare students better for the job market and further education; • to promote mobility of employees; • to advance the ability of communicating with the Spanish partner; The participants of the project are 7 teachers from Secondary School of Art: teachers of tapestry, ceramics, fine art printing as well as teachers responsible for conducting artistic group projects. The goals of the project are going to be achieved by organising three business trips for teachers to Spain. • The first trip will be for all the teachers taking part in the project to participate in a 10-day course of Spanish on elementary and intermediate level – October 2015. • The second trip will be for 4 teachers in order to learn about a particular job through observation (job shadowing) – 5 days in April 2016. • The third trip will be for 5 teachers – a combination of job-shadowing (3 teachers) and teaching assignment (2 teachers) – 5 days in March 2017. The intensive Spanish language course will improve communication between teachers and will raise the effectiveness of cooperation. Higher language competence will make a positive impact on teachers mobility while abroad. Learning about the principles of operation of the Spanish school will let develop an ability to specify and plan strategic expansion of the school. Lesson observations will deepen teachers creative attitude while planning students team work. It will certainly help to plan lessons by choosing proper teaching methods and sets of exercises to accomplish the new curricular aims. It will also cause the need to write new syllabus or their modification and will allow to define the workshops equipment needs. Secondary School of Art teachers will share their knowledge while running a series of tapestry workshops for the students from the Spanish school. This experience will strengthen the sense of teachers’ professional value; it will influence the attractiveness of the school as the partner for the Spanish school and will result in bilateral exchange of experience. During all the business trips the teachers will meet the rich Andalusian culture, especially the works of art, which had a crucial impact on the development of European culture. This experience will serve as an inspiration for creative working with students. Secondary School of Arts will make an effort to control that the project activities are realised according to the plan and that they will bring the expected results. The key employees responsible for managing the project are experienced in conducting similar tasks. The consecutive trips will be planned in such a way that in each group there will be one head teacher or project coordinator, which will make the participants feel more secure and will guarantee the effectiveness of the project realisation. The head teacher as well as the coordinator will be able to evaluate teachers’ involvement and the progress of doing the tasks. If needed, they will make modification of particular activities. To evaluate the project various ways and tools will be used, i.a. questionnaires, tests, interviews or documentation analysis. After the realisation of the project teachers will be prepared to introduce changes in their teaching and to undertake new challenges improving the school work. Gained competence will prevent employees from professional burnout and will follow in the increase of self-value of the teachers. In-depth experience in organising foreign business trips for employees will strengthen the process of staff mobility. Secondary School of Art together with Escuela de Arte de Granada will search for other forms of cooperation, including the students and teachers exchange. Education in both institutions will become international. The schools will enhance their position in the local environment and educational market.