School Exchange Programmes
Enhancing the skills, knowledge and values to succeed in today’s interconnected world, and become globally aware citizens
GSE facilitates visits to UK Primary, Junior and Secondary Schools, Colleges and Universities, from schools across the world, during the academic year.
Such visits create a real buzz of excitement around school; pupils discover more about other cultures and lifestyles, practise their language, teamwork and communication skills, and learn about being a welcoming host. The visiting pupils integrate into their buddy’s classes, and daily school life.
A GSE In-School Coordinator is present throughout to support the visiting pupils and ensure the smooth running of the programme.
GSE is passionate about removing barriers to internationalisation activities, making global exchange more accessible. By hosting a visiting school group your school will build credits to put towards activities of your choice, such as a school trip, return exchange or staff participation in an Overseas Leadership Conference.
Global School Exchanges
Primary and Junior School Exchanges
Secondary School Exchanges
Primary or Junior School Exchanges
Secondary School Exchanges
Expectations of the UK Host School
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To allocate a key point of contact for all programme preparation & liaison
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Brief all school staff about the visiting students in advance
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Deliver a Welcome Ceremony/Assembly
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Identify students to ‘buddy’ with the visiting students
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Allocate a 'base room' to be used before school, at lunch time, and after school
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Introduce visiting teachers to relevant staff, and show them the Staff Room
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Deliver a Closing Ceremony/Assembly with certificates (provided by GSE)
“Our students were given the opportunity to meet pupils from a culture few had experienced. They took on the role of buddies, which enhanced their feelings of responsibility and taught them to plan, organise and care for their guest students. They learned a great deal from the experience and I would highly recommend other schools to participate“
Shirley Junior School, Southampton
“Our students were given the opportunity to meet pupils from a culture few had experienced. They took on the role of buddies, which enhanced their feelings of responsibility and taught them to plan, organise and care for their guest students. They learned a great deal from the experience and I would highly recommend other schools to participate“
Head Teacher
Shirley Junior School, Southampton
Support from GSE
Pre-Arrival
Before the visiting group arrives in the UK, we meet with you and other key staff to prepare you for the programme and will issue resources.
Where helpful, templates for a Welcome Ceremony, Closing Ceremony and various lesson plans are issued. A range of planning, safety and lesson resources are available within our Exchange Toolkit.
If the visiting school stays with local host families, GSE manages all safeguarding requirements, including DBS checks, references and home visits.
During the Visit
A GSE In-School Coordinator will be present within your school for the duration of the programme.
Our role is to oversee the visiting group, provide support where needed, and liaise with UK teaching staff to ensure that the integration runs smoothly.
They’ll register and welcome the visiting pupils at the beginning of the day, supervise throughout and answer questions where needed, be present to remind the visiting teachers of school policies, run after school activities, and ensure safe departure at the end of the day.
Post-Visit
Feedback & Monitoring reviews the success of a visit, next steps in sister-school partnership building, and ensures continuous improvement.
“Everyone here has been so so nice… I am surprised how much the British students want to help us, and talk to us, and ask us questions”
Shaun
Student from Wuxi Foreign Language School
Sister-School Partnerships
Countries: UK, China, India, Europe
A sister school partnership is a meaningful and reciprocal long-term agreement between two schools. It enables them to:
- Deepen their global learning and engagement
- Expose their students to different countries and cultures build global citizenship
- Build intercultural capabilities and critical thinking of their students, teachers and communities
- Develop critical thinking, and comparative perspective
A sister school partnership is a meaningful and reciprocal long-term partnership between two schools.
These partnerships are a great way for schools to deepen their global learning and engagement, expose their students to different countries and cultures and build the global citizenship, intercultural capabilities and critical thinking of their students, teachers and communities.
- Deepen their global learning and engagement
- Expose their students to different countries and cultures build global citizenship
- Build intercultural capabilities and critical thinking of their students, teachers and communities
GSE works closely with clients to develop clear objectives and outcomes for each Sister-School partnership, and carefully match schools which share mutual goals. School Leadership will typically sign an MoU, setting out their goals for the partnership, which may include student exchanges, joint collaborative projects and leadership delegations.
“The visit gave our students an opportunity to integrate with pupils from a different country and a chance for them to become teachers and help them with the lessons that we were doing, as well as an opportunity to work on their patience, tolerance and communication skills. On the whole, the immersion experience provided was of a very high standard.”
“Our students were given the opportunity to meet pupils from a culture few had experienced. They were inspired to do extra curricular work at home to further find out about their guests. Alongside this,our students took on the role of buddies, which enhanced their feelings of responsibility and taught them to plan, organise and care for their guest students.They learned a great deal from the experience and Iwould highly recommend other schools to participate in similar schemes”
Headteacher,ShirleyJunior School,Southampton
This week I’ve seen pupils practising their Mandarin at lunchtime and showing real intrigue about life in China. Many have not travelled abroad before so I think working with the Chinese students has really opened their eyes to different cultures.
Stephanie
In-School Coordinator
“It has been a huge success…lasting relationships have been made with pupils and teachers, which we hope to continue through joint projects and collaborations”
Headteacher
Milford-on-Sea Church of England Primary, in The Lymington Times
