At noon on October 23, 2023, more than 30 students and teachers from Dartford Grammar School, known as the best IB school in 400 years, came to Beijing National Day School for a half-day short-term visit. The teachers and students attended classes, visited the campus, and engaged in sports activities together. Both sides had a wonderful afternoon together. The resumption of international exchanges after the epidemic brought more opportunities for students, and effectively promoted the friendship between the two schools.

1. Lunchtime

After a brief rest, the teachers and students from Dartford Grammar School were led to the underground canteen with the Ambassador Club and IB Program students. During the meal, BNDS students enthusiastically introduced the school to British students, and they quickly got familiar during this process. The British students also practiced the Chinese language they’ve learned. They tried to taste Chinese food with chopsticks. The students had a wonderful lunchtime.

2. Attend classes with BNDSer

At the end of lunchtime, thirty British and thirty Chinese students paired up to form study groups and entered the IB classrooms for learning. They experienced various types of IB courses such as Chinese, English, physics, and chemistry. They listened attentively, practiced actively, and interacted with the students and teachers of the BNDS. Both sides learned a lot in the classrooms.

3. Visiting the campus together

After the courses, the students from the BNDS ambassador club led the students from Dartford School to visit the campus in groups. Each group had its focus and led the British students to visit freely on the campus, introducing their favorite campus corners. During the students’ detailed introductions, they visited many of the classrooms and facilities together, British students and teachers praised the richness of BNDS’ curriculum and the completeness of activities and facilities. BNDSers have also learned about the unique culture of the UK through their conversations.

4. Physical activity

The half-day visit came to an end. Despite the fatigue of the journey, the students of Dartford Grammar School still didn’t feel tired after the enriched classes. They participated in sports activities such as football and frisbee with the students of BNDS and sweated on the field. A group of students also participated in the after-class activity, listened to the stories of Olympic table tennis champion Ding Ning, and used photos to record the precious moments of meeting the Olympic champion. The remarkable half day passed quickly, and the students had forgotten their fatigue and lingered on.

5. Departure is for a better reunion.

Before leaving, representatives from Dartford Grammar School in the UK expressed their gratitude to our teachers and students and sent a handwritten letter to BNDS. In addition, every British student prepared a small gift for his Chinese partner. The BNDS students were pleasantly surprised and moved, and we believe this experience will become an unforgettable and valuable memory in all their lives. We are looking forward to seeing each other again!

Introduction of Dartford Grammar School

Founded in 1576, Dartford Grammar School is one of the top public grammar schools in the UK. It is located in Dartford Town, Kent, England, with students coming from Dartford Town and nearby towns, as well as the suburbs of London. In 2008, Dartford Grammar School was recognized as an “outstanding” achievement by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED) under the UK Department of Education and is exempt from lifelong assessment. It has always been a benchmark and model in secondary education in the UK. Language and science are two dominant subjects in schools, and it is a core school of language and science in the UK. At the same time, Dartford Grammar School is also a core IB school, with compulsory IB courses for the high school department. The 2018 IB exam results were very impressive, with an average GPA of 36.2 for the entire school. Three percent of the global GPA 45 high school students come from Dartford Grammar School.

By Huixuan Yu