Head Teachers from Taiwan visit Schools and Education Experts in London and Edinburgh -Ministry of Education Republic of China (Taiwan)

Head Teachers from Taiwan visit Schools and Education Experts in London and Edinburgh

Date: 2014-12-15

Head Teachers from Taiwan visit Schools and Education Experts in London and Edinburgh

At the end of October and the beginning of November, 2014, the Education Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK welcomed a delegation of twelve head teachers from Taiwan, and four senior members of the New Taipei City Government Education Department. The delegation benefitted from a full and varied programme during their stay in the United Kingdom, visiting London and Edinburgh. It was organised by the Education Division with assistance from the British Council and the Institute of Education at the University of London.

In London, the delegation first attended a meeting at the British Council, where they heard presentations giving an overview of the UK education system, elaborating the importance of International Education, and outlining the role of the British Council in implementing international education projects and developing school partnerships. At the same meeting, a representative from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) conducted a briefing session on Ofsted’s work and protocols in evaluating secondary schools in the UK, and the history and ongoing development of the established education standards and evaluation tools that Ofsted uses.

The following day, the group first visited the Institute of Education to hear two professors from the London Centre for Leadership in Learning talk about leadership in education and leadership of place in an education context. After these thought-provoking presentations, they then participated in a comprehensive two-hour seminar at the Department for Education to learn more about the UK government’s student apprenticeship programme.

In the second week, the head-teachers visited a number of impressive schools and colleges located in Edinburgh and London: Dollar Academy, Edinburgh College, Putney High School, and City & Islington College. They enjoyed tours of the respective campuses, presentations focussing on international activities and curriculum development, and Q&A discussion sessions, and met with head teachers and other key members of the teaching staff. The visit was extremely successful, and it is hoped that the friendships formed and the educational exchanges initiated between schools in the UK and schools in Taiwan will continue to flourish.

Photo: The delegation with staff members outside Dollar Academy in Edinburgh.