Learn about your partner country

Having some knowledge of your partner country is essential if the link is to be successful. This section suggests a light-hearted way of involving the whole staff in working together to share information about the country of a partner school.

This is followed by some general guidance on social and cultural differences, with specific information on particular countries available on the country-specific pages under “Countries to work with”. Much of the content was derived from workshops involving previous participants in our programmes.

The initial phase of a new school partnership may only involve one or two members of staff but it is important to introduce the country concerned to the staff as a whole. This might be done as part of a staff meeting or training day and perhaps turned into a quiz. A template for carrying out this type of activity can be downloaded here and adapted as necessary.

Some general factors to bear in mind

Working in international partnerships requires all partners to be aware of different cultural and social norms. Once the work has become further organised into school based projects it becomes important also to be aware of particular school differences, for example:

Different holiday dates and observances of feast days or religious holidays
Examination times (especially in UK ) are particularly stressful times

Holiday dates differ widely even across Europe and schools need to bear these in mind when planning new activities (especially at end of Summer term when contact may be lost for several weeks). For example schools in Ireland finish at end of June while a UK school may have a further 3 – 4 weeks working time. Irish schools also have a number real concerns about the way in which their education system and country is often perceived.

One important example is the widely held view of all schools being Roman Catholic faith schools. This is no longer relevant in a country with an increasing multinational population. Irish schools consider themselves to be very European and international in outlook and are also keen to distance themselves from traditional stereotypes whilst acknowledging the quintessentially Irish characteristics of their culture which are of interest to partners in other countries.

German schools also provide some interesting comparisons which may have relevance for a range of partnerships not only with Germany. Staff may seem relaxed in their dress and UK staff by comparison seem stuffy and overdressed but it is important to remember that all staff, especially the Headteacher are addressed quite formally. Calling the Head by his/her first name is unusual. This contrasts with the otherwise informal atmosphere and is the complete opposite of the situation in the UK.

UK teachers working with Germany are also surprised by the degree of pupil autonomy and independence. This can lead UK teachers to imagine that German schools have a lack of regard to pupil welfare. This is a cultural misunderstanding as the German staff feel it quite normal that pupils should travel around from an early age without close supervision and that pupils are expected to be responsible for themselves throughout their schooling. This is an area which is particularly an issue for schools arranging pupil visits to Germany where both parties needed to be aware of the other’s concerns and attitudes.

It is also all too easy to make assumptions about the provision of resources in partner schools especially when the partner country may be perceived as being more or less wealthy than the UK.  It should not be assumed for example that all western European schools are equipped with good ICT facilities and that joint programmes can be based solely around this medium. In some countries a high degree of regional autonomy means that there is not consistent resourcing of schools to a national standard which leads to large differences in provision across the country. A topical example is the provision of broadband which although common in the UK is by no means universal even in for schools in apparently privileged areas.

Moving out of the school environment and into the area of the general knowledge about the partner country it is important for both schools to be prepared for teachers and pupils to harbour some misconceptions and stereotypical images of the others society and culture. What is more surprising however is the degree of understanding which may be encountered especially of some more subtle aspects of culture and tradition. One of the key benefits of international partnerships are the opportunities they give to see one’s own culture through another pair of eyes!

This view was supported by the conference participants who felt that there was a great deal which the group members knew about their respective schools and that their pupils had in common. They tended to know salient details about each other’s countries but were admittedly ignorant of both factual knowledge about their partner country’s geography and more importantly contemporary social culture (contemporary musicians, TV stars, popular media etc).

Guidance for specific countries

If you have a link with Japan these are useful points to remember:

Time Keeping: Japan is very formal and has strict timings, this is less so in the UK. It is important that this is known and so partners can be flexible and reach a compromise
Japanese society is quite hierarchical and lack of punctuality is seen as showing a lack of respect, especially to those in high ranking position such as headteachers
Japanese teachers are required to move schools after 2 years but English teachers can stay at one school for as long as they desire. Therefore, for a link to be successful and continue to be successful the link needs to be backed by the Japanese school’s education board
The Japanese school year runs from April to March and the whole year is planned in February and March. Therefore it is important to develop projects/exchanges at this time

If you have a link with Spain these are useful points to remember:

In Spain there is no local management of schools for matters such as budget. Spanish schools have to refer to the Delegación e.g. for teacher to attend a conference or course
Autonomous committees have a lot more significance than in British Local Authorities
Spain does not have school league tables
Spanish schools have separate departments for each language and the concept of a Modern Foreign Languages department does not really exist.
Students in Spain study far more subjects for the ‘Bachillerato’ (British A-Level Equivalent
Spanish summer holidays start in late June
Spanish pupils are not put in ability-linked sets
Senior school managers are elected for 4 years. There is not much of a difference in salary but far fewer powers than in the UK. For example they do not have the power to make decisions about hiring staff
It is common in Spain for staff to work off site if they start late/finish early therefore it may be difficult to contact teachers at school
There are regional language differences and Castillian Spanish may not be the only spoken language (e.g. in Catalonia)

If you have a link with France these are useful points to remember:

The timing of the school day is different and the school day is longer in France
The relationship between the teachers and the head is different because the head is not the ‘employer’ in the UK sense
Budget and funding works differently e.g. a French primary school does not control its own budget
Timings and the length of holidays differ, there are more single days off school. However many schools also function on Saturday morning
It is forbidden at school to express one’s opinion in terms of religion and politics – the system is strongly secular

If you have a link with China these are useful points to remember:

China is a very diverse county
When in China expect a very high level of hospitality and valuable gifts - expect the unexpected!
The climate is different, regions and seasons vary considerably
There is considerable formality - lots of speeches, agreements/contracts, media moments - business cards are essential! However, people will usually answer their mobile phones during meetings, at the table and do not go outside for privacy
Groups visiting China need to be aware that hosts will almost certainly insist on paying for everything. This is a major cultural difference and Chinese visitors to the UK will need to take their own money to pay for some things
Religion and politics are taboo subjects
There are different health and safety rules e.g. crash helmets, lights on bikes

Download a partner country quiz sheet

Girl with her hand in her hair - Photographer Tim Hall

Advice and guidance

Partnership Agreements

Learn About Your Partner Country

Managing Communications

Evaluating Your Project

Case Studies