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Immanuel & St. Andrew C.E. Primary School, in South West London, has established a Sister School Partnership in China to broaden pupils’ global learning experiences. As part of a recent Leadership Delegation, Headteacher Suzette Coleman visited schools in Hangzhou and Nanjing to strengthen international links, explore innovative teaching approaches and identify new opportunities for collaboration and cultural exchange.
Meet the delegate
My name is Suzette Coleman and I’m the headteacher of Immanuel & St. Andrew Primary School in the London Borough of Lambeth. I took part in this trip to visit our partner school in Nanjing as well as to explore other education settings in a few other Chinese cities like Hangzhou.
Key findings and observations
It was a phenomenal visit! I visited 8 schools in total and was struck by the similarities but also inspired and challenged by the differences.
One of the key differences was the class size in the primary schools-every class had between 40 and 48 children with 1 teacher. Despite these large ratios the children were attentive and learning; showing excellent behaviours for learning.
Another difference was the approach to use of technology. The Chinese schools are certainly way ahead of the UK in their embrace and use of technology; something I will be exploring for my school in the coming months.
Professional growth and development
The trip left an indelible impression on me. Firstly, it was lovely to meet and develop professional relationships with the UK school leaders. We were able to establish connections with each other and planned further meet ups back in the UK. In addition, I was also able to make professional links with other Chinese school leaders.
One takeaway from my many visits was the attention that is given to using the corridor and wall spaces to showcase the school values and momentous occasions. In one school there were over 50,000 wall frames!
Strengthening the partnership
I was able to exchange details with my partner school so I am looking forward to future communications. In addition, I was inspired by the children’s Peking Opera performance which highlights their focus on the Arts. Their focus is in line with my vision of developing and improving my children’s access to the arts. I am even more secure in ensuring that I continue to build on this focus on the arts in my school as I can see the impact.
Message to other school leaders
This was an invaluable visit, and I would encourage other school leaders to do it. It was amazing to see education in another country which is so different from the UK. Experiencing another country, another culture, hearing another language, eating other dishes but seeing children learn and apply their skills in the same universal way was particularly life-changing.
Partnership with the Global School Alliance
Thank you, GSA, for this opportunity to open doors for our pupils and staff to gain international experience. I am looking forward to hosting international students and sending our pupils abroad to have this rich experience of cross-country collaboration and insight. To this extent, I am committed to ensuring that our children do in fact start their journey to become global citizens.
Interested in joining a future delegation? Get in touch to learn more
”Visiting China on the Leadership Delegation was phenomenal! I have a fantastic time visiting schools in the various settings- primary and secondary, private and state funded. The teachers and school leaders were warm and welcoming, sharing their practice and opening up their schools to us. The pupils were equally engaging and welcoming to us as we descended upon their classes. It was awe-inspiring to see the innovation in schools and exchanging gifts to cement our partnership. Thanks, GSA, for making this visit a possibility.
Suzette ColemanHeadteacher
