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Thomas Deacon Education Trust

TDET develops international partnerships

TDA and QKA join SoTo heads and school leaders to forge educational partnerships with China

 

Last week, school leaders from Schools of Tomorrow (SoTo) visited China as part of the first the international delegation. SoTo is a member-owned social enterprise that brings schools together through a shared commitment to the four quadrants of educational delivery.

 

The objective of the China Delegation was to form long-standing partnerships with primary and secondary schools in Qingdao, with a view to sharing best practice and providing meaningful two-way learning opportunities for students and staff.

 

During the visit, the delegation explored the city of Qingdao which is made up of a several districts, the most notable being the west coast and east coast areas, which were home to the schools identified as suitable partners for the UK schools. Each school was partnered with a comparable Chinese school and, following the official signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the respective school leaders spent an afternoon discussing and sharing ideas about their vision, values and education system.

 

In addition to visiting the partner schools, the UK school leaders spent time exploring the newly established Yew Chung International School of Qingdao and the China-Britain Innovation Industry Park to explore additional learning opportunities for the staff and students.

 

Clive Corbett, SoTo Director said, ‘I came to Qingdao committed to developing links between children in England and China, something that I believe to be of particular importance during a time when the UK is seen by some as turning inwards. Establishing international connections between children and families is central to enhancing international understanding and mutually advantageous development, and essential to the future well-being of our countries’.

 

The visit proved to be extremely beneficial to all parties and TDA is delighted to be formally partnered with Bilingual Primary School and Huangdao Hongde Middle School, Qingdao, China.