Chinese students visit Selwood Academy

Many of us have experience of school exchanges with students from our close neighbours in Europe. But last week, Selwood Academy hosted students from further afield, welcoming a group from Shandong Province in China.

The 28 students from China spent three days at the school participating in classes.

“The children were paired up with pupils from Selwood and had a great time learning about our education system and culture,” said Katie Mines, the school’s business manager.

“We are very grateful to the families who hosted the Chinese students in their homes, making this exchange such a success.”

Tom Saunders, managing director of Opportunity Education, the company facilitating the exchange said, “We are seeing a huge increase in the number of Chinese schools visiting the UK.

“Chinese families and students are interested in gaining the real British education experience, whilst immersing themselves in the local culture.  Complementing this is the fact that more and more UK schools are beginning to understand the importance of developing cross-cultural understanding among their students from an early age, as the world continues to grow closer and closer together.”

Selwood Academy headteacher, Jean Hopegood said, “It’s such a great learning experience for our students and the families in Frome. We already enjoy excellent relationships with several Chinese schools and working with Tom to further develop our links has been wonderful.”