INTERNATIONAL THINKING in association with
United through sport
ROUND THREE years ago, King
A
Edward VII School in King’s Lynn
Our international page travels East this
place, and further trips already in the pipeline – starting
this October.
was contacted by the Youth Sport
Trust and the British Council, and week, as Chris Parr looks at how one
Mr Tebay continued: “We’ve already had students
out there organising sports festivals, and we’ve done
told that schools in the east of that off our own bat. However, this October is the
England had been partnered with
school has built a relationship with China,
official Dreams and Teams event, which will be
schools in China as part of the exciting.
Dreams and Teams programme.
Since then, the school’s relationship with Tsinghua
using sport as a catalyst
“We’re planning on introducing rugby to Tsinghua,
and are hoping to set up a tournament there. We then
High School in Chongqing, central China, has have some students coming to visit us in July.”
blossomed to such an extent that the two schools take “In return, we flew out to take part in their 70th “I was assigned to teach Frisbee,” she told us, “and For some King Edward students, their relationship
part in regular exchange programmes, while students anniversary celebrations in 2008, and since then we at times we had to instruct groups of around 50 or even with Tsinghua continues even after they officially leave
also have the opportunity to spend full terms studying have taken two cohorts of students to the school 60 pupils. It was quite overwhelming at first. We were the school.
at their partner school. – around 30 in total.” completely swamped by them – all trying to take our “Since we started working together, we’ve had
In addition, students from the Norfolk school, which The most recent visit took place at Easter, when a photograph.” four students go out to Tsinghua school once they’ve
also boasts the DCSF International School Award (ISA), group of 20 made the trip to Chongqing. Among them Getting to grips with communicating without a finished their A levels. They go out there to do a
regularly spend their gap year working full-time at was Thomas Spittlehouse, a year 12 student studying common language was one of the biggest challenges gap year, and get involved in teaching a number of
Tsinghua High, and pupils from the two institutions met A levels in biology, geography, IT and PE. for the students, particularly when talking to such large different things.
up in Beijing last year to take in the Olympic Games. He told us: “I was involved in teaching football and groups. “One of our former head boys went and taught a
Assistant headteacher Paul Tebay explained: “We cricket, and they were really keen to teach us some of Hannah continued: “Fortunately, there were usually leadership course, and he was replaced out there by a
were allocated a school in China, and the idea was to the sports that they were in to – like basketball and table one or two students who were particularly good at girl who has been teaching English,” Mr Tebay said.
deliver a sports festival in order to establish strong links tennis. I hadn’t played much table tennis before, and English, and they were able to help us out by acting as In return, students from Tsinghua can often be seen
between schools over here and in China. although the language problem was a bit of a barrier translators. Also, we were able to pick up a few basic walking the corridors at King Edward, taking part in
“From the initial Dreams and Teams contact, we at first, we learned to use hand signals and figured out words, like ‘throw’ and ‘run’, and this helped too. day-to-day lessons.
started to look at other ways to work together, and it has how to communicate quite quickly.” “In the end though, it was mostly about gesturing, “We currently have two students with us from
all developed from there. For example, we celebrated Hannah Groom, another year 12 student who was and acting things out, and generally making a complete Chongqing, and they have been doing lessons with us
our centenary in January 2007, when the Queen came on the trip, was in charge of teaching a slightly more fool out of yourself in order to get the message since February. In addition to that, we are now offering
to the school, and we had staff from Tsinghua come and unusual game to her Tsinghua peers, and the school’s across.” GCSE and A level Mandarin, and having some native
visit us then. feeder primaries. In addition to the sporting activities, the King speakers around can really help.”
Edward students visiting China are encouraged to The Norfolk school already has further visits
learn about the country’s culture. As well as the visit to planned, and hopes that more of its students will take
the Olympic games, the school takes all of its visiting the opportunity to spend an extended period of time at
students to the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the the partner school.
Forbidden City, and Shanghai. Since returning home, Thomas, Hannah and Holly
Mr Tebay continued: “Sport is a good way to build have all expressed an interest in visiting Tsinghua
the links, but while we are out there it becomes very again.
much a cultural exchange, with the students taking in Tom told us: “I’m definitely interested in going
rural areas as well as the massive cities.” back, but the journey has also made me keen to visit
Holly Minns, another of the year 12 cohort that other countries too. I’m hoping to go on to university,
visited China over Easter, told SecEd: “It was interesting and then go out to America to get involved in sports
to see the difference in Chinese customs compared to coaching over there – something that my China visit
England. For example, they were really keen on giving will really help me with I think.”
gifts as a way of saying thank you to each other, and Hannah added: “The visit really opened my eyes
to us. to teaching and working abroad, and I think that
“Also, the way the students behaved in class when I finish school I’d be interested in coaching less
and in front of teachers was different to how we do privileged people in developing countries – maybe out
– they were very serious. Also, we stayed with the in Africa.”
students in dorms and they all got up at 6:45am to do Holly, too, said she would be keen to return, adding:
exercises before school started at 7am, which was a “I’m really glad that a few King Edward students have
bit strange. spent their gap year out there, because that’s given
“However, when we were talking to the students more people the chance to do the same. It’s definitely
properly, once we’d got to know them better, we something that I would consider.” SecEd
realised that they have the same interests as us. We
talked about boyfriends, and the music we liked, and
Further information
it was really nice to chat with them and find out how • King Edward VII School: www.kingedward.
much we have in common.” norfolk.sch.uk
Eastern promise: During a recent visit to their link school, King Edward students got the The two schools have further plans to develop their • ISA: www.globalgateway.org.uk
chance to see the Great Wall of China (top) and many other cultural sights (above) links, with video-conferencing equipment already in • Dreams and Teams: www.britishcouncil.org/sport
SecEd • July 9 2009 23
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