Dear parents

One of the many events impacted by last year's coronavirus hiatus was the Wellington College China Festival of Education. This annual forum on issues facing educators, parents and employers in the 21st Century began in our sister school in England and is now the UK's leading festival of its kind. The Festival offers a chance for all those engaged in raising children, teaching and learning, future developments in education and ensuring the current generation of schoolchildren are equipped for a world of work, to share their insights. As such, the Festival of Education offers something for everyone, and in this, it is unique in bringing together professionals and non-professionals for a shared platform to exchange ideas.

I am delighted that this year sees the fifth Wellington College China Festival of Education returning once more to our schools. The week-long festival opens in our own school, here in Tianjin, on Saturday 17th April and then continues in physical sessions (hosted by our schools in Shanghai and Hangzhou) and online until Sunday 25th April. The combination of live in-school events (Tianjin 17th April, Shanghai 24th April and Hangzhou on 25th April) and online sessions (from 18th-23rd April) offers parents, educators and others the chance to access a vast range of topics and discussions.

As usual, the Festival has several key themes which run across the week. This year, we have five: early years' education; wellbeing and mental health; 'future schools'; and the development of bilingualism in education. I know from my meetings with parents across the Tianjin community that these are pressing issues for us all. In a year so heavily impacted by Covid-19, parents and those working in schools have grown increasingly concerned by the pressures on our children. Wellbeing and mental health are two areas we have discussed a great deal in our school, and I know that parents will be interested in finding out more about these hot topics.

Similarly, employers and those looking at university education for their child will be interested to hear what the future holds in store for schools – what kind of learning and teaching will children need to help them prepare for a future in employment? How will schools harness new technologies? There is heavy coverage on inculcating values, why they matter and how schools can help to develop these from a young age. In all, there are over 100 speakers at our three live events and 26 international speakers in our online sessions. Many are world-famous leaders in their fields and include educational leaders from the UK, China, US and more. Details of Tianjin's live event are below, with the link to the wider Festival also provided.

I know very well how passionate and committed our parents are about education in Tianjin. Engagement with our briefings and regular meetings is so high, and questions from parents so thoughtful, that I am sure we will have many parents requesting tickets for the live event and access to the online talks. There will be simultaneous translation available for the talks on Saturday 17th April, and many of them are delivered in Chinese. I believe the Festival will prove a genuine highlight for all our community, and I strongly encourage you to come along and engage in person.  

Having missed out on a Festival of Education in 2020, this year will see the biggest and most ambitious programme of events and speakers in our history. It will be a genuinely global gathering of those committed to improving the future for our children and offers an excellent opportunity for families to feel more informed about the future of learning.

Best wishes

Julian Jeffrey
MASTER