There are five partners working together on this project: the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship (UK), Sammenslutningen af frie Rudolf Steiner skoler i Danmark (Denmark); steinerskoleforbundet (Norway); Steinerkasvatuksen liitto (Finland) and Crossfields Institute. Our project 'Acknowledging Creative Thinking Skills' aims to contribute to the development of a European area of Skills and Qualifications, thereby raising attainment for all students and reducing the numbers of early school leavers. We have identified a need, raised repeatedly by schools across Europe, for qualifications at Levels 3 and 4 (EQF) that recognise and validate learning gained through an integrated variety of formal, non-formal and informal learning styles. In an increasingly mobile Europe, these qualifications and the elements within them need to be portable. The ultimate aim is to have the qualification established in schools across Europe so that an exchange student can attend a school abroad and study, for example, a Physics module, there and return home with the credits for that module intact to add to their portfolio. This will give real mobility opportunities and a sense of educational community across borders. Those students whose learning styles do not sit well with formal learning and summative exam assessments are at greater risk of becoming disillusioned, disengaged, stressed and even disruptive. Similarly, those who manage well within a formal learning environment in their teenage years are also not best served in an exam driven environment, in that it places undue stress upon finite fact regurgitation rather than creative understanding and engagement with principles as continually developing concepts. We want to facilitate creative thinking and maximise potential in all students through a holistic approach to curriculum development and implementation combining the highly-focused, analytic thinking and memory training involved in formal education with the softer focus, non-verbal, experience of interconnections and context that is often found in non-formal and informal learning. We recognise that in order to enable the successful embedding of this approach in schools, a parallel activity developing suitable CPD and assessor training will be needed. It is in this context that development of Level 2 and 3 qualifications can be realised. The methodology for this three year project will be collaborative and involve: 4 Project Management meetings to plan and disseminate results relating to: 4 Curriculum Development Transnational Activities facilitated by the Crossfields Institute. These will develop an innovative integration of formal, non-formal and informal learning within school provision to reduce the number of early school leavers, and raise the attainment of all including low and high achievers, by enhancing creative thinking skills. Layers of creative thinking will be studied across the entire curriculum. Qualification meetings will write up the diploma priorities with subject specialists and in a cross curricular context, also in consultation with learning support specialists. The participants will all be experienced teachers, teacher trainers and educationalists. 3 Assessor Trainer Transnational Activities lead by Crossfields will train experts to cascade down the necessary assessment training to teachers in the schools. Assessor training will include holistic assessment using a range of integrated methods, observation skills, working cross curricular, with past, present and future and conscious reflective practice. Crossfields will work collaboratively with the partners on the detailed development of the units including an innovative unit making explicit the creative thinking skills so valued in Higher Education, employment and business. Once completed, the diploma will be launched at the end of the three year project. Alongside this, an invaluable overview of approaches, methodologies and case studies discussed at the Transnational Activities will be synthesised into an easily understood and digestible publication suitable for practical use and wider dissemination in the form of the SWSF intellectual output: 'Creative Thinking: the integration of formal, non-formal and informal learning in schools'. This will be made freely available on the SWSF Information Hub website, along with articles, reports, forums and information about the diploma.