CASE STUDY WIRRAL COUNCIL £304,000 ESTIMATED LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT INTRODUCTION In 2014, the first Academy Birkenhead and Taicang 72% Experimental Middle School, and CONSIDER RETURNING TO ever Sister School have continued to run successful THE LOCAL AREA Partnership between school exchange programmes between the regions ever since. Wirral and Taicang was launched with 80 True Education Partnerships (TEP) LEO STUDENTS STUDYING TEP. Established in 2011, True Education MANDARIN Partnerships (TEP) are the most trusted provider of immersive The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral educational student exchanges is part of the Liverpool City Region, between the UK and China. with an estimated population of Our Government-backed Sister 323,235 (as of 2018). Surrounded School Partnerships programme by cultural Liverpool, thriving and educational trips to China help Manchester and historic Chester, it to inspire young people and prepare is a unique and attractive place to them for the world of tomorrow. live, work and visit. By establishing and supporting Within the Wirral one can expect bilaterally beneficial Sister School beautiful scenery and countryside, Partnerships, we enable schools to from the stunning coastlines of increase cultural awareness, boost the Rivers Mersey and Dee to the student enrichment and facilitate tranquillity of open parks and green the development of essential life spaces, as well as an abundance of skills. attractions and activities. We also work directly with councils Wirral Council has been partnered to establish and maintain sister with the city of Taicang in Jiangsu city partnerships between the UK Province since 2011. The two and China. This helps to increase regions signed a sister city cultural awareness across cities; agreement to develop business develop educational partnerships links, secure inward investment, such as joint research and teaching boost tourism relations and create programmes; boost tourism and links for sustainable technology and trade and encourage new business education. relationships and investments. In 2014, Wirral Council began Pioneering a bold and visionary working with True Education approach to learning, TEP’s Partnerships to preserve and grow programmes have had incredible the Taicang relationship. They benefits for students, teachers, established the first sister school schools, councils and the local partnership between University economy. trueeducationpartnerships.com WIRRAL AND TAICANG SISTER CITY PARTNERSHIP TEP began working Many councils have already established sister city partnerships that they wish to utilise for mutually beneficial relationships. However, a variety of with Wirral Council circumstances and factors can prevent them from moving forward with planned projects. Educational programmes, such as TEP’s Sister School in 2014 to grow Partnerships programme, provide a great avenue to not only establish strong its education and links with their sister city, but also achieve measurable long and short-term benefits for both regions. business links with Taicang. Wirral and Taicang Past Activity Wirral and Taicang have shared a close sister city relationship since 2011, enjoying several mutually beneficial business, educational and community Sister City Partnerships developments since 2008. Sister city partnerships are Wirral signed an official sister city agreement with Taicang in October 2011. affectionately named agreements The partnership was designed to boost tourism relations and links for ports, between certain towns, cities, sustainable technology and education, as well as to develop business links. provinces or in some cases, Taicang is based in the Jiangsu province and is one of China’s wealthiest cities. countries across the globe. This Representatives from Wirral’s business community, UKTI and the China- voluntary forging of ties helps Britain Business Council travelled to Taicang in 2015 to sign a Memorandum of encourage cultural understanding, Understanding (MoU) with Taicang General Chamber of Commerce. The MoU friendship and exchange, as well placed Wirral in a positive position to create stronger trade links between the as trade agreements and business UK and China. partnerships between the two cities. A follow-up trade mission was organised by Wirral Chamber of Commerce in The sister city relationship has been 2016 for local businesses to visit China. hugely beneficial for forging closer In late 2017, Liverpool and Wirral joined forces in a business delegation visit ties between the UK and China, to South West China and Tianjin, to boost investment for the two regions. creating a deeper understanding Wirral Cllr Leader Phil Davies said that the visit was a great opportunity for between Chinese and British international investors to build on existing relationships and that they also cultures. look forward to visiting their sister city Taicang during the trip. The TEP Sister School Partnerships programme is one of the main ways SISTER CITY PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS we support and encourage links between cities, even if a formal Increased city-wide cultural awareness city partnership has not yet been established. Educational partnerships and developments, including joint Sister School Partnership research and teaching programmes Sister school partnerships are long-term agreements between two An influx of business, tourism and trade schools consisting of immersive student exchanges, participation in joint projects and curriculum Sharing of valuable resources and approaches in business, enrichment. education, culture and technologies International school partnerships provide a great opportunity to Raising the international profile of cities help students develop the skills they need to succeed in education, work, society and relationships. More investment in the local economy TEP works closely with government backing to provide positive Sister School Partnership programmes for Showing local government achievements schools in the UK and China. trueeducationpartnerships.com WIRRAL AND TAICANG SISTER SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS TEP has established The visiting students, accompanied TEP runs several Leadership by 19 teachers, travelled over Delegations to China annually, 12 sister school 5,687-miles from their China These enable teachers, institutions in co-ordination with the headteachers and other educational partnerships between Chinese Education Bureau. During leaders to establish partnerships Wirral and Taicang, their stay, they attended timetabled with their sister schools by signing lessons with their host students, a Memorandum of Understanding 10 of which are still learned more about UK culture and (MoU), as well as strengthening active today. had the chance to practice their agreements and partnerships that English language skills. Meanwhile, may have already been established. visiting teachers were able to get a These delegations also give Between 2016 and 2019, 13 UK real insight into Western teaching teachers valuable insight into schools hosted their sister schools, practices and trade information teaching styles of Chinese schools, providing an immersive educational and resources with their British providing ideas and inspiration they experience for 166 Chinese students counterparts. can bring back to the UK. from various regions across China. The visit started and ended with an Ruth Beddal, Biology teacher at Five schools have also embarked on Opening and Closing ceremony - an The Mosslands School, said: “I was life-changing trips to China to visit important aspect of Chinese culture able to speak to the English teacher their sister schools. that helps to build the relationship from China about the teaching In 2019 alone, 12 UK schools between the partnered schools. styles and the ways in which we hosted 152 Chinese students and 19 To help Chinese students feel teach differ. That’s one part I’m teachers from 10 schools. Three UK welcome, each of them was paired really looking forward to when we schools also visited China in October. with a UK student via the ‘buddy visit our sister school.” Four Wirral schools are currently system’. This encourages cultural preparing to travel to China in 2020. mingling and allows friendships to blossom. Chinese Visitors 2019 In July 2019, a selected group of Total number of Total number of Percentage of Wirral Chinese exchange students 12 schools in the Wirral hosted Wirral schools that schools that would to the Wirral since 2016 hosted in 2019 choose to host again over 100 students from their sister schools situated in Taicang. 318 12 100% SISTER SCHOOLS St John Plessington Taicang No.2 Middle Upton Hall School Taicang No.1 Middle Catholic College School FCJ School Bidston Avenue Taicang Experimen- St Anselm’s College Taicang Experimen- Primary School tal Primary School tal Middle School St Mary’s Catholic Taicang Ludu Middle St George’s Primary Taicang Jingmao College School School Primary School The Mosslands Taicang Shaxi Ex- Thornton Hough Taicang Kejiao School perimental MS Primary School Xincheng PS Townfield Primary Taicang Zhudiwen Wirral Grammar for Taicang Liangfu School Primary School Girls Middle School trueeducationpartnerships.com Personal Enrichment & School Community Development Our Sister School Partnership LIFE-LONG Personal enrichment and programmes have a wide-reaching development of students is impact on the school community, something that is particularly strengthening schools’ curriculum, BENEFITS noted during the school hosting quality of teaching and outcomes programmes. for students. Upon