A core element of the Haileybury experience is fostering an international outlook in every student. This is achieved through the deliberate development of global competence from the Early Learning Centre through to the Senior School.
Global competence is about helping students to look beyond the ‘school bubble’ and to develop the knowledge, skills and respect for other cultures that enable them to travel, work and live anywhere in the world.
The activities offered at Haileybury are based on the School’s extensive and decades-long global experience and expertise, and on rigorous worldwide research conducted by Global Competence Associates, which resulted in the Global Competence Model™.
Charlie the Travelling Teddy: Connecting children to the world
The ELC’s Travelling Teddy program is designed to extend children’s learning beyond the walls of their ELC environment. Through Charlie’s adventures, children are developing an understanding that there is a world beyond their immediate community, filled with diverse people, cultures, languages, traditions and different ways of being and knowing. From a young age, the program encourages children to see themselves as connected, curious and confident global citizens.
In Term 2, Charlie travelled from the Edrington ELC to Castlefield, where he was warmly welcomed and integrated into both learning programs in a meaningful cross-campus exchange. Charlie’s adventures then extended internationally in Term 3, when he travelled to Germany and the Netherlands with Dr Stephan Muller (Deputy Principal International and Engagement). The children explored air travel, international borders and different cultures, even creating a passport for Charlie. They were fascinated by the Netherlands’ famous windmills and discovered how traditional Dutch clogs are made. Their excitement peaked when Charlie returned with his very own pair.
Through Charlie, children are discovering that learning has no borders and that they are part of a wonderfully diverse world.
Middle School: Connecting with sister schools
Our sister-school partnerships have provided Haileybury Middle School students with valuable opportunities to connect directly with peers from other countries. Throughout the year, Middle School students have welcomed visiting students and teachers from sister schools around the world, including Japan and Taiwan, giving them the opportunity to host international visitors, share their own school experiences and discover what school life is like for students their own age in another country.
Selected Chinese classes have also participated in a pilot international exchange program. Moving beyond the traditional pen-pal model, students used their language skills to communicate with their international buddies while collaborating on shared projects. They exchanged feedback, reflected on differences in daily life, introduced their school grounds and facilities, and researched and shared special festivals from their respective countries.
These experiences have demonstrated that intercultural learning is most powerful when students are not simply learning about another culture but learning with people from that culture.
Benaaz Master (Deputy Head of ELC - Edrington) and Ricky Zhu (Middle School Classroom Teacher)
