International
The Faculty is proud to work with a range of partners on realising its International Strategy which encompasses the below strategic goals.
- Expand the FoE’s global mobility with a focus on student opportunities within and beyond the curriculum.
- Capitalise on existing and create new international Knowledge Exchange Partnerships focused on the Faculty’s CPD KE priority.
- Build global engagement in research and publication.
Internationalising the Faculty involves strong collaborations and partnerships which align with the faculty’s vision and strategic direction.
The Faculty’s vision statement captures a commitment to education as an engine for social justice, to tackling inequality and championing diversity, and to actively seeking to address the causes and effects of marginalization. The reference to working with others acknowledges that partnership and collaboration are key. Working with colleagues, students, fellow professionals, and stakeholders across the world is an important part of the process. The use of the word ‘creatively’ signals a commitment to, and expertise in, finding innovative and thoughtful ways of working that challenge the status quo where necessary, and learning from and working with the best of international practice.
Hear from our students
The Faculty’s partners
British School of Kuwait, Kuwait
The British School of Kuwait (BSK), based in the Middle East, was founded in 1978 and has provided the best of British education to local and expatriate families for the last 45 years. BSK is a truly global community, with the current student body being made up of over 70 different nationalities with teaching starting from nursery through to secondary school.
The British School of Kuwait (BSK), has been a valued partner of the Faculty of Education (FoE) since 2018, providing international enhancement experiences and full-time, employment opportunities to our students and graduates throughout this period. (Hear directly from the current Graduates employed at BSK).
To date, 27 FoE alumni are BSK employed as Early Career Teachers (ECTs), middle and senior leadership team, employed across all teaching age phases. BSK have demonstrated a significant commitment to the partnership by regularly engaging with a range of activity with Education students both virtually and in person; including regular visits to campus to speak directly to all cohorts, promoting international teaching generally and specific opportunities in BSK and the wider Nord Anglia group of schools, alongside providing regular online and in-person workshops for application support. BSK reflect their commitment to developing Graduates when they become ECTs with a dedicated staff member leading ECT mentoring within the school.
To support the expansion of the partnership and our students’ mobility and employability, BSK have co-designed an annual enhancement for 10 students to undertake a life-changing opportunity to experience life as a teacher at BSK. This enables students to meet many elements of the Graduate Attributes framework including ‘personal attributes’ and ‘people related skills’. (Hear from the students directly by watching the BSK video). To date, this initiative has been successful and transformative for many, including for example Elias Hughes who secured employment in BSK following this experience- his student profile explains his story. The design and development of these opportunities are underpinned by the EHU Graduate Attributes. The next step in the partnership (following student feedback) is providing longer and more frequent international enhancement experiences with BSK alongside ITE placements as a gateway into employment, giving students the confidence and skills these experiences offer. BSK recently won the Edge Hill University Career Award for ‘Graduate Employer of the Year’.
Baldwin Wallace, Ohio
Baldwin Wallace, located in Ohio, America, is a liberal arts-based college offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees, certificates, and professional education programmes. The Faculty recently welcomed Assistant Professor Brandi Seither and Director of Field and Clinical Experiences Dr Heather Marzenski to campus to undertake a weeklong knowledge exchange visit. The visit included sharing with FoE students the opportunity to undertake an international experience at Baldwin Wallace, as well as further employment opportunities. During the visit, FoE and Baldwin Wallace visited partner school St Andrew’s Primary School (part of the Liverpool Diocesan School Trust) in Maghull, where the school’s head pupils showcase the school and their learning journey.
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF), based in Orlando, Florida, America, is one of the largest universities in America, with an array of academic options. UCF offer over 240 degree programmes, award-winning faculty and ground-breaking research.
UCF and the Faculty have been undertaking research activity and planning for student opportunities. In September 2023, 10 delegates from UCF flew over from Florida to engage in a knowledge exchange visit which includes a 2-day research symposium with the theme ‘Role of the University and the Vulnerability Agenda’. Academics from both FoE and UCF presented to the delegates their research exploring EHU and UCF’s community engagement with the context of the vulnerability agenda. During their visit, UCF colleagues visited our partner; Our Lady Immaculate Primary School, relishing in the chance to see primary school context.
What’s next?
As a direct result from the knowledge exchange visit, we will:
- extend and deepen our collaboration, including the development of new projects
- jointly publish papers
- provide international experiences to FoE and UCF students.
