Illustration of characters in a circle with a world map in the middle.

International Education as a Form of Soft Diplomacy

Like many schools in the UK, Ardingly College is in the process of establishing a family of international schools around the world. We were relatively late to the game and continue to learn with gratitude from the experiences of other schools, but we are making up for lost time. Our first school opened in Zhongshan, China in 2022, and our second will be in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2024.

One of the questions that regularly arises in these projects is how far the values of a UK school can and should be emulated in a school outside the UK under the same brand, whether in terms of curriculum, organisational culture, or other aspects.

For continuity it is clearly important for the foundational UK school values and branding to remain the same, yet at the same time it is necessary to contextualise the educational offering in the local setting. We always need to remind ourselves that we are guests in other peoples’ cultures. We must remain welcome, and not take this for granted.

To be successful we need to listen carefully and seek always to learn from others. And yet if we lose sight of our own values in the busyness of educational business, we no longer represent the DNA of the original UK school within the local context. Whilst identical replication is neither possible nor desirable in another country, especially when it comes to building design, nonetheless drawing out the essence of the UK school through the ethos and values is key. And this essence can be articulated differently over time even within the same UK school.

At Ardingly College our core values are Compassion, Engagement, Resilience and Collaboration. For younger students in the Primary years we aim to develop the complementary characteristics of being Generous, Curious, Adventurous and Ingenious, with an emphasis on ‘us’ to amplify the essentially interpersonal nature of these values.

When travelling to other countries in the hope of new projects, I am always welcomed by people who are proud of their own culture and keen to explain and share cultural insights from their own land, especially through the medium of food, which is a bonus for someone like me! At the same time I find they are attracted to the rigour and holistic aspects of education found in the best UK schools.

In the creative tensions between many cultural paradigms, I often ask myself what are the key characteristics necessary for navigating these conversations? I recently read an article by Baroness Cathy Ashton, Former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy entitled “10 Habits of effective Diplomats” which resonated with me in the context of trying to establish a family of Ardingly International schools. The list is as follows:

  1. Seek knowledge
  2. Manage Communication
  3. Pursue collaboration
  4. Prioritise prevention
  5. Show stamina
  6. Maintain engagement
  7. Show good judgement
  8. Identify connections
  9. Define success
  10. Be Humble

This list is as valuable for those of us establishing campuses overseas as it is for diplomats and as such I have come to the conclusion that establishing branded schools overseas is essentially a soft diplomatic endeavour.

This is a complex and nuanced journey with multiple stakeholders: UK school governors, international investors and operators, local government regulators and of course parents and students. It is a fascinating and at times entirely bewildering set of needs and perspectives to navigate.

Of course, one of the major drivers for setting up campuses in other countries is the income we receive, which will help us to weather the likely VAT storm ahead and provide bursary support for those in need. Sometimes I hear people saying that the only reason for establishing overseas campuses is the money, but this is misleading and simplistic. At the heart of the matter what really drives us is the ability to learn together across cultural divides. This is not always easy and sometimes very difficult. Nonetheless, if we keep in mind the principles of good diplomacy above, we may set out on the long journey with the wind behind our backs.

Source

Jamie Large, Director, Ardingly College

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