The UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) organised ‘Education is GREAT’ Early-Years Campaign for 2017. As part of supporting the campaign, UCL IOE Confucius Institute welcomed a delegation of 30 prestigious Early Years education providers from China last week.

The Chinese delegation explored potential opportunities to work with UK’s Early Years providers and training institutions. IOE has rich experiences in training Early Years teachers. During the visit to the UK, delegates experienced the child-centred, learning-through-play approach which is the key feature for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The Chinese delegates were motivated to learn about UK’s experiences in delivering both privately and publicly funded nurseries. The week’s activities culminated in the ‘UK-China Early Years Development Forum’ which enabled the Chinese delegates to meet and share best practice with the UK counterparts.

Whilst at the IOE Confucius Institute, Xiaoming Zhu, National Network Coordinator, introduced the CI’s varied programmes including teachers training schemes such as PGCE for Mandarin teachers. Fernanda Bates, manager at the International Office of the IOE explained to the delegates a variety of training opportunities including short courses for the Early Years teachers. The delegates were impressed with the information and was given opportunities to have their questions answered. The seminar ended with increasing enthusiasm and energy to find out the next practical steps of cooperation.