International Links

While Winchester provides a distinctively British education, our programmes include extensive international links with a group of schools around the world through which  exchange of educational practice and ideas and cross-cultural encounter can be developed over the long term. The Winchester International Symposium has nine member schools, including Winchester. These are:

African Leadership Academy, Johannesburg, South Africa
Collegio Claustro Moderno, Bogota, Colombia
Johannes Kepler Grammar School, Prague, Czech Republic
Karachi Grammar School, Pakistan
Liaoning Province Shiyan Co-operation High School, China
Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville Tennessee, USA
Nada High School, Japan
Raffles Institution, Singapore
Winchester College, United Kingdom

We also maintain established links with Boston University, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Columbia, University of North Carolina and the Beijing Language & Culture University, all of which send young graduates to teach in the School. 

In the last week of March 2010 two Sixth Form pupils from each school will meet in Winchester for our first International Symposium, which will be titled ‘Building a Sure Foundation’. The goal is to produce a collaborative proposal towards solving some global problems, using a combination of media, developed and concluded in an extended essay.  Pupils will prepare for the Symposium, under (electronic) supervision from Winchester between September and March. The structure of each day will include a two-hour morfning seminar, led by a different distinguished expert. Each afternoon will be spent in a collaborative drafting of a section of the essay. For all teachers and students there will be a formal dinner in the evening, with discussion.
 
The main proposition of the Symposium is that the values and practices that led to the current financial meltdown are discredited. The Symposium will consider what practical steps their countries can take over the next 30 years to help to build a global economy on the rock of justice and solidarity, rather than that of self-interest and greed.
 
Each school will come with a prepared piece of 500 words on each of the sections set out below. These preparatory pieces will include reference to relevant problems, ideas, plans and practices in currency in the home country, and will form a basis of contribution to discussion in the morning session and to drafting in the afternoon session.

Here are some details about the structure of the week and the names of the experts who will lead the morning discussions:
 
Day 1: Financial Architecture                         Sir David Clementi
Day 2: The Natural Environment                    Pavan Sukhdev                      
Day 3: Security                                            Lord Carlile of Beriew               
Day 4: Education                                         Sir Richard Sykes                                          
Day 5: Completion of the Essay

As far as we know we are breaking new ground in gathering together so international a group of Sixth Formers with such a challenging agenda.