Practical information - Best Practices Benchmarking

Best Practices Benchmarking in Finnish (and Estonian) schools: 11-15/17 September & 9-13 /15 October &
23-27/29 October 2016
Helsinki option 5 days: Arrival on Sunday, Departure on Thursday evening / Friday morning
Helsinki-Tallinn option 7 days: Arrival on Sunday, Departure Saturday evening / Sunday (leave Helsinki for Tallinn on Thursday late afternoon 16.00->)
Tallinn option 3 days: Arrival on Wednesday, Departure on Saturday evening / Sunday
Costs
Course fee is paid by bank transfers in beforehand, NO cash payments on course venue. Billing questions: contact by email: courses@euneos.eu Lunches & coffees at school cafeterias can be paid by cash/bank & credit
card
http://www.euneoscourses.eu/?page_id=711
Participants will pay for the travelling costs, commuting, accommodation and food from their own budget.
Flights & Ferries
The nearest airport is Helsinki-Vantaa (HEL). There is also an international airport in Tallinn, Estonia, 80 km
away from Helsinki. The route Tallinn – Helsinki is frequently connected by ferries, which costs about 60 – 80
euros a return ticket. Travelling via Tallinn can be a good choice especially for those who choose the option of
Helsinki &Tallinn 5+2 days and for those who choose the 3-day Tallinn Benchmarking course from Thursday to
Saturday. They may choose to leave home from Tallinn instead of Helsinki. Then the ferry costs will be included in the travelling costs to be compensated by the EU grant. Tickets for the ferry Helsinki – Tallinn – Helsinki can be bought at the desk in the port terminal, not later than ½ hour before the departure.
Ferries that leave from the West-Terminal, easy reachable with Tram 9 from the railway station:
1.Tallink Silja Lines http://www.tallinksilja.com/
2. Eckerö Line https://www.eckeroline.fi/
Ferry that leaves from Katajanokka, easy reachable with Tram 4:
3.Viking Line http://www.vikingline.com/en/
Ferry that leaves from Makasiiniterminaali, easy reachable with Tram 2 from the railway station:
4.Linda Line http://en.lindaline.ee/
Helsinki airport
If you arrive at Helsinki airport, please buy there a 5-day Regional ticket for public transport in Helsinki capital
city area (€ 36). It is the cheapest way to commute during the course week http://www.finavia.fi/en/helsinkiairport/to-and-from/train-buses-and-taxis/
How to buy a ticket for public transport at the airport:
http://www.finavia.fi/en/news-room/news/2015/hsl-how-to-buy-a-public-transport-ticket-at-the-helsinkiairport-train-station/
Local transport
You need to buy a Regional ticket for the length of the stay to be able to commute in the capital city area
schools while observing them: https://www.hsl.fi/en/tickets-and-fares/2016 It will be valid in buses, trains
and trams. Click ‘Travel area’ and choose: Regional ticket.
Accommodation
Please book a hotel near Helsinki railway station or Tikkurila railway station so that you will be able to commute smoothly during the course week. Booking.com, Momondo, Ebookers, Trivago are good tools to choose
accommodation. (Well-known hotel chains are for instance Sokos Hotels, Scandic hotels. Areas like Kaisaniemi, Kamppi are close to the railway station in Helsinki. In Tikkurila there are two hotels: Sokos Hotel Vantaa
Original (good quality, easy distance) and Hotel Tikkurila (cheap option).)
Course venue
The main course venue is the Tikkurila school complex with schools from pre-school to upper secondary
school.
Plenary meetings will take place in Varia Vocational College (Tennistie 1, 01370 Vantaa)
https://goo.gl/maps/vEM4ASH2Cvv , or Tikkurila Upper Secondary School (Tikkurilan lukio)
(http://www.edu.vantaa.fi/tilu/) Valkoisenlähteentie 53, 01370 Vantaa, tel +358 9 83925118.
https://goo.gl/maps/b3yTqCcff2S2 The course will start in Varia Vocational College Auditorium on Monday
morning 9.00. There is free wi-fi available in the venue. The course venue is in a distance of 15 min walk from
Tikkurila/Dickursby Railway Station.
Trains
The train from Helsinki railway station to Tikkurila and/or Hiekkaharju station takes about 20 min. All trains
stop at Tikkurila/Dickursby Station (Railway & Buses). Helsinki local trains called IPKTN stop at Hiekkaharju/Sandkulla, which is the next stop after Tikkurila and the closest stop for the venue with about 5 min.
walk. You can easily follow the names of the train stops in the train monitors, and listen to English information.
Helsinki local trains that will stop at Hiekkaharju/Sandkulla: IPNKT
Helsinki local trains that will stop at Tikkurila/Dickursby: IPNKRTZ
Ring rail trains Helsinki – Airport – Tikkurila – Helsinki, or vice versa: I,P
The Ring Rail in Helsinki Capital city area:
Meals
You have your KA1 grant budget for your accommodation including meals. There are school restaurants in
the venues providing school lunch 6,30e -6.80e depending on the school canteen and coffee 1.50-2.50e.
Lunch break is at noon and coffee/tea breaks in the morning and afternoon before 14.00. Please pay for the
lunches and coffees you will have at Tikkurila upper secondary school during morning coffee break at the
canteen/cafeteria where you will receive the receipt. The canteen/cafeteria will be open 8.00-10.15 and in
the afternoon 13.15-15.00. You may also bring your own lunch boxes with you to the venue. If there are
special diets, the school restaurants may not be very flexible in arranging it at short notice. There will be a
vegetarian dish each day in Tikkurila upper secondary canteen. Other special diets need to be booked in advance.
Guided Tour in Helsinki Sunday afternoon (optional, book in advance):
Participants who have chosen (ie. ticked the box in Profile Questionnaire which you all received before the
course and were asked to fill in and send us back before the course) the guided tour are welcome to join.
Duration 1h-1h30 between 14.00-15.30. Meeting point Helsinki railway station main entrance facing the
trams and a Bar Sports Academy. Print out a map:
http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en/sites/visithelsinki.fi/files/files/Esitteet/EN/city-opas_map_2016.pdf
Welcome dinner Sunday evening (optional, book in advance):
Participants who have chosen (ie. ticked the box in Profile Questionnaire which you all received before the
course and were asked to fill in and send us back before the course) the Welcome Dinner are welcome to
join. The price for the dinner will be €15/person. You will pay it directly to the restaurant. The buffet menu
will include fish, meat (no pork), vegetable dish, green salad, water. Other beverages can be purchased. The
restaurant is a 10-minute walk from Tikkurila railway station. We shall meet each other outside the station
main entrance at 18.00 and walk to the restaurant together to have dinner at 18.30. See you soon!
Insurance
The insurance for the benchmarking courses compensates accidental damages that are caused by participants or trainers during the courses. It does not cover illness or losses, and therefore all participants should
have a valid travel insurance of their own.
It is also a good idea to get the European Health Insurance Card, EHIC. http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=509&langId=en
Facebook group
Facebook group for all April course participants for sharing photos, links, keeping contact. Use search function and ask to join: Autumn 2016 BestPracticesBenchmarking (more information, see: Sync.com folder
General/Facebook group)
Links for travellers
http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en
http://www.suomenlinnatours.com/english/
http://www.visittallinn.ee/
Benchmarking course websites
http://www.benchmarkingcourse.eu/
http://www.euneoscourses.eu/?cat=8
Preparatory tasks
You will need to prepare for the course:
Video-conference before and after the course: see the document in folder General for dates, times and instructions
Preparatory materials: see folder Preparatory tasks
Participants and Trainers
Participant lists: see folder General, Trainers’ names and phone numbers: see folder General
Europass
If you wish to have a Europass, please read the instructions carefully well before the course: http://www.euneoscourses.eu/?page_id=1077
Information for participants who will travel to Tallinn on Thursday
Ferries that leave from the West-Terminal, easy reachable with Tram 9 from the railway station:
1.Tallink Silja Lines at 16:30 http://www.tallinksilja.com/
Ferry that leaves from Makasiiniterminaali, easy reachable with Tram 2 from the railway station:
2 .Linda Line at 18:00 http://en.lindaline.ee/
Accommodation in Tallinn
You will have to make a hotel reservation for Thursday night in Tallinn and for the following nights if you
are going to stay in Tallinn. There are many cheap hotels and restaurants in Tallinn. You can find them with
booking sites such as booking.com, Trivago, Momondo. Please select a hotel in the inner city of Tallinn or
close to the English College, Estonia blvd. 10, Tallinn, 10148, ESTONIA.
Information for participants of 3-day Tallinn option:
Travelling days are Wednesday and Sunday.
The course starts on Thursday morning and
ends on Saturday afternoon. You will join
the participants who have chosen HelsinkiTallinn 7-day option on Friday morning.
The Benchmarking course is organised by Euneos Corp in cooperation with schools in Vantaa. Euneos Corp. organises EU courses on a standing basis since 2006. Euneos PIC:
950782555. Euneos VAT: FI19358803. (VAT-registered customers can claim back 24% VAT
in their own countries due to B2B.)