In October 2019, EFEC led a group of education psychologists, researchers and administrators from Zhejiang Province on a brief study tour in SE England to discover how mental health and wellbeing was supported within schools and the local community. They returned to China just as the Covid pandemic was unleashed upon the world and our work in and with China came to an emergency stop.
It was therefore particularly pleasing for Paul Beashel, our Director of Education services, to plan and lead a 12-day study tour for a group of 18 graduate teachers from a prestigious University in Nanjing, China. Paul has seen for himself how mental health and wellbeing has assumed a much higher profile in all schools.
The objectives for the study tour were for the teacher trainees to:
- Gain a fuller understanding of the UK education system;
- To visit schools and observe teaching and learning in action in a range of subject areas;
- To provide the opportunity to talk with fellow professionals about the joys and challenges of teaching in an increasingly complex and interconnected yet fragmented world
Our study tour started with a day at The Downs Primary School which is a member of Passmores Multi-academy Trust in Harlow. All the Chinese trainee teachers are subject specialists and found the idea of the primary class teacher being responsible for teaching their children a range of different subjects really challenging. They expressed amazement for the social and leadership skills demonstrated by the young student guides who showed them around their school and loved the points system that rewards reading and all positive behaviours and certainly appears to lead to motivated and well-behaved students. Some of the teacher trainees also noted the little ‘quiet corners’ everywhere and the way that students could choose to have solitary time, indicating the school’s dedication to students’ wellbeing.
Spending two days at Passmores Academy enabled Principal, Natalie Christie, time to provide the Nanjing trainee teachers with the school context and describe how the teaching and non-teaching staff developed their school culture to better meet the their school priorities of:
- Extending trust to build trust
- Acknowledging and appreciating others
- Embracing difference and diversity
- Continually spinning the (important) plates
- Identifying the potential in others
- Demonstrating vulnerability
- Embracing failure as a learning opportunity
- Seeing success as a team outcome.
We saw how trauma perceptive practice was embedded into the life of the school and enjoyed a presentation on well-being/mental health from Lucy Goddard and her team. This included a lesson taught by a group of Year 10 well-being ambassadors. Our trainees observed lessons being taught in a number of different subject areas and also experienced a practical drama session let by Karen Warnken, an English and drama specialist.
The day we spent at Chobham Academy, a school that was conceived pre-Olympics and is housed in an impressive building that was first used as both a gym and a security/drug assessment hub during the 2012 London Games, was very special. Our visit was orchestrated by Mr Ben Leonard, Assistant Principal and his enthusiasm epitomised the positive and supportive culture in the school. In addition to observing some classroom teaching our teacher trainees were given the opportunity to do a little team teaching. This was met with enthusiasm by the students in the classes with whom they worked.
Our Chinese guests identified the firm and effective systems used consistently by all teachers across the school to ensure high standards of work and behaviour are maintained, They also noted the consistent colour coding throughout the building and the way that corridors were ‘themed’ according to the subjects, often highlighting success stories in each subject.
Our fourth school visit was to Southend High School for girls, a high performance grammar school that accepts girls with high academic potential as determined through scores gained ain an English and maths test set by the Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex. Our Nanjing trainee teachers were able to spend time in subject departments and observe a number of teaching sessions, deliver some team teaching, learn about Ofsted and participate in a thought-provoking discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of ‘student-centred learning’ and ‘direct instruction.’ They could see how the rich and challenging curriculum that includes Latin and classical Greek, together with the exciting extra-curricular offer, helps to create confident, articulate and highly motivated young people able to make the very best of their future.
Visits to the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge enabled our group to see what life as a student there entails as well as learn about the history of these iconic universities.
Our students returned to China after a very full programme of school and university visits with a greater knowledge and understanding of schooling in the UK. They recognised that although the environments and the school intakes differed considerably, all of their school leaders and their staff recognised the importance of fostering a nurturing and inclusive environment that supports the holistic development of every student. The leaders and staff are committed to creating a culture of continuous improvement, where innovative teaching methods and a focus on mental health and well-being are integral to the curriculum. This approach ensures that students are not only academically successful but also well-rounded individuals who are prepared to face the challenges of the future with resilience and adaptability. The Nanjing trainee teachers left with a wealth of insights and practices that they could adapt and implement in their own educational contexts, contributing to the global dialogue on effective education and the well-being of the school community.
