Ellesmere welcomes visiting pupils and teachers.

Ellesmere College recently welcomed a delegation of Chinese students and their teachers for a tour of the College and to learn more about life at an English boarding school as part of a broader cultural tour of the UK.

The students - aged between 16-18 - were visiting from Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province approximately 200km from Shanghai, and represented two high schools - Yuanqing High and Kaiyuan High - both of which are ranked in the top 10 schools in the Hangzhou area.

The time at Ellesmere was structured around the ethos of the College and the many varied aspects that a pupil at Ellesmere will experience in their time. The pupils took part in some short sporting activities before embarking on a tour of the campus, which allowed many of the pupils to take pictures as they were fascinated by the architecture and the facilities on offer. This was followed by a short presentation on the IH summer camps for English language development and a final Q & A with Stephen Mullock (Assistant Head).

As many of the students wish to go on to study in universities abroad, their itinerary also included visits to Cambridge University, Oxford University, the University of Birmingham and the University of Manchester. They also took some time in London to visit museums and art galleries there. A short video of the trip, organised by the Hangzhou Education Bureau, will be broadcast back in China to middle schools in the region to further enhance the opportunities Ellesmere College can offer to Chinese students who wish to study abroad.

Nick Pettingale, Director of External Relations, who establishing the link said, "Ellesmere College has very strong connections with China and we are always delighted to be able to receive guests from overseas. It has been a wonderful learning experience for the students and teachers - many of whom who have never been to the UK before. They were very interested in all aspects of life at an English boarding school and really made the most of their time here. We look forward to seeing the final video of their visit!"

As well as the academic side of school life, the students are also keen photographers and bought with them examples of their images from their photography club and asked Stephen Mullock to judge the top three images! Stephen commented, "I was very impressed with the high standard of images - composition, lighting and subject matter - it was very hard to pick a winner!"

The winning image was taken by Xingyu Shen, second prize went to Xunji Wang and third place to Jiacheng Cai.

Image: From the left, 3rd place Jiacheng Cai, 1st place Xingyu Shen, 2nd place Xunji Wang

13th August 2018  Back to News