Launched in 2022, the European School Education Platform is the meeting point for all school staff (from early childhood education and care to primary and secondary education, including initial vocational education and training), researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders in the school education field. The European School Education Platform is a single platform that integrates the former platforms and services of eTwinning, School Education Gateway and Teacher Academy. As of 2022, the eTwinning community has been hosted in a restricted area within the European School Education Platform. This area is only accessible to school staff validated by the National Support Organisations. Since its launch in 2005, eTwinning has grown from a grassroots initiative into an active school community and has involved more than 1 053 000 school staff working in more than 233 000 schools, across more than 40 countries. eTwinning provides a safe digital platform where teachers are engaged in various activities from designing and implementing European collaborative projects to networking, and from participating in virtual groups to professional development and peer learning. Through its platform, which is available in more than 30 languages, eTwinning provides a range of resources and learning opportunities for teachers. The topics of these resources include the benefits of engaging with eTwinning, 21st-century skills, the use of ICT in education and project kits for inspiration and guidance. Registered teachers have access to the restricted area of the platform, called eTwinning Area. The European School Education Platform and the eTwinning community are funded by Erasmus+, the European programme for education, training, youth and sport. They are initiatives of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. The platform is operated by European Schoolnet (providing coordination, content and services) and Tremend Software Consulting SRL (providing technical infrastructure), both under service contracts with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). The eTwinning community also exists thanks to the support of the National Support Organisations, funded by Erasmus+ under grant agreements with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, and the Supportive Partners.
