Senior leaders from the Outwood Family of Schools have visited China as part of the Global School Alliance (GSA).

Carolyn Blundell and Danielle Sheehan from ����app (OGAT), spent October half term in Shenzhen as part of the GSA’s Chinese Sister School Partnership. The partnership is designed to establish a meaningful connection between a participating school and a school in China. This is a key way to encourage students to broaden their horizons, develop new skills, gain a global perspective through working with international peers, and involves educational collaboration and delegation exchanges between school leaders.

Representing two Worksop schools, ����app Portland and ����app Valley, the OGAT leaders met with the Shenzhen Education Bureau, foreign affairs officials, and visited five local schools. The leadership delegation also visited local areas of interest, which will be offered to students from the UK in the near future.

Carolyn Blundell, community executive principal at OGAT, said:

“The experience was awe-inspiring; it has been the best professional development I have ever had. There are so many opportunities for our students as a result of establishing these links. I am so very excited to see what is next, and to host visits for Chinese children to schools across our Trust, and then arrange visits to China for Outwood students. The opportunities for developing global citizenship are vast.”

Danielle Sheehan, principal at ����app Portland, added:

“Attending the leadership delegation to Shenzhen was an incredible and truly inspiring experience. It was so special to meet the dedicated staff and enthusiastic children from China, and to engage in meaningful discussions about learning, especially around STEM and AI at the Education Bureau. 

“The exchange of ideas and passion for innovation left a lasting impression, something I cannot wait to share with my school. I am beyond excited to host the children of Shenzhen in ����app Portland soon, and for our own students from Worksop to visit Shenzhen in return. This unforgettable opportunity was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Global Schools Alliance, which fully funded the trip.”

As part of the programme, ����app Portland and ����app Valley engage with their partner schools through online meetings and seminars, teacher development opportunities, masterclasses with high school and university lecturers who are international specialists and will host students from China; they hope to receive their first visitors next summer, and expect to be able to facilitate a trip for Worksop students to China in 2027.