British independent schools sprouting all over Southern China

According to a report from a popular education consultancy, the southern province of Guangdong has seen a surge in education investment as part of the government’s plans for developing the Greater Bay Area encompassing the cities around the Pearl River Delta as well as Hong Kong and Macau. China’s southern coastal provinces, especially Guangdong, are fertile grounds for British independent school brands. Of those that plan to open in the next two years, 47% are in Guangdong and 51% of the companies that are partnered with British independent schools are headquartered in the Greater Bay Area. This trend is expected to expand to other southern provinces such as Sichuan, Fujian and the island of Hainan. However, British independent schools are in a complicated position. They have to walk a tightrope when it comes to following government regulations and capitalizing on the surge in interest from Chinese companies that want to partner them. Local authorities have put a greater focus on ensuring Chinese students aged between 6 and 15 cover the basic national curriculum, while there has also been a growth in local customs and values ingrained into schools’ cultures and routines, such as morning flag raising. Apprehension over sending children overseas for their education has also created new demand in cases where the children of Chinese parents hold foreign passports as families are nervous about sending their children to study far away from home. They can’t send them to normal school or have not wanted to because of the very difficult situations in both the UK and the US. That is why there has been a demand for international schools located in China. While some smaller schools have struggled to switch to online, which resulted in parents refusing to pay fees, one of the biggest issues faced by schools remains staffing. For more details, go to https://thepienews.com/news/china-intl-schools/

New teacher guides for writing assessment

An introduction to the new teaching guides for assessment of writing for A2 Key for Schools; B1 Preliminary for Schools; B2 First for Schools; and C1 Advanced

There are now new teacher guides for the assessment of writing designed to support busy teachers to evaluate learners’ writing in preparation for the B2 First for Schools; C1 Advanced exams; A2 Key for Schools; and B1 Preliminary for Schools exams.

The guides have been designed to provide teaching tips and classroom activities to assess writing. and they also give authentic samples of learner writing, examiner grades and comments. Also included are practice assessment activities to compare your assessment with the examiners’.

Why are the new guides such a valuable resource now? Because they are designed as a teacher development tool, to be informative, easy to follow and understand, and to support you as you support your learners. They also have practical tips and useful teaching ideas to try.

The new guides have new navigational tools and hyperlinks taking you where you want to go and back again. They take the pain out of searching, taking you directly to resources and saving your time. They also have embedded key terminology to explain terms you want to know but never dared to ask.

We have teacher assessment top tips that teachers find very useful as they show the importance of feedback. They encourage learners to take ownership of their work. Why is meaningful feedback so helpful for learners? Because they inspire confidence and motivation, promote self-awareness, encourage learner autonomy, and improve learner performance.

There are many activities to try such as picture prompts. Students need to learn the value of doing a picture prompt writing activity. The prompts provide speaking for fluency, activate ideas and language, and create safe spaces to write. The guide also provides options for you to adapt the activities.

For more details, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MPhqNyXa3A for B2 First for Schools & C1 Advanced and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruqKK_WpYYU for A2 Key for Schools & B1 Preliminary for Schools

Positive signal to international students as Canada sets immigration targets

Canada’s international education strategy has been successful largely because of the country’s reputation for straightforward immigration pathways. International students are given the chance to stay in the country and apply for a work permit after completing their studies.

The Canadian government has announced plans to welcome some 1,233,000 new permanent residents into the country between 2021 and 2023. The targets were published by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Canada now aims to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022, and 421,000 in 2023 – a goal which stakeholders have said will be partly achieved by international students remaining in the country after their studies.

“These newly announced immigration targets are a positive signal to international students that Canada is eager to welcome skilled talent from around the world,” according to Wendy Therrien, the director of research and external relations at Universities Canada.

Cosmina Morariu, senior manager of Fragomen, a leading law firm that deals with immigration services, explained that a study permit is one of the main gates into Canada.

“It allows you to come and study and then after you finish your studies you can get a post-graduate work permit, which is an open, very flexible permit that allows you to work for any employer, at any location in Canada,” she said.

“The maximum duration you can get on that permit is three years, so it is very convenient. The moment you have one year of employment in Canada you can apply for permanent residence.”

Go to https://thepienews.com/news/positive-signal-to-intl-students-as-canada-sets-immigration-targets/ to find out more