Impington Village School and International College

More than 800 pupils from a Cambridgeshire secondary school and sixth form will be heading to countries as diverse as Botswana, Peru, India, and Italy after it was awarded £1 million of funding for overseas placements.

Impington Village and International College successfully applied for the grant from the Turing Scheme, the UK Government’s programme to support learning and work experiences abroad for students, learners and pupils at United Kingdom schools, colleges and universities.

The funding will give students from years 7 to 13 at Impington the opportunity to participate in life-changing trips to a host of countries during the 2021 to 2022 academic year.

“The whole premise behind our bid was that we wanted all of our students to go somewhere amazing and begin to explore the world,” said Johanna Sale, Vice Principal of Impington Village and International College.

“As an International Baccalaureate World School, international-mindedness underpins all that we do to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

“We are thrilled that the substantial grant from the Turing Scheme will enable us to offer students the chance to develop their foreign language skills, immerse themselves in other cultures and proactively support the international community through volunteering efforts.”

“These visits also form part of our COVID recovery. We’ve got some fantastic destinations on offer and we’re giving kids something to look forward to.”

With nine percent of Impington pupils eligible for the pupil premium and six percent having special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), there will be a focus on supporting those whose circumstances would not otherwise allow them to travel.

India and Botswana trips among planned visits for students

Forty students from year 7 will visit India and support fundraising efforts to provide equipment for Sucheta Kriplani Shiksha Niketan, a co-educational senior secondary residential school in Jodhpur which caters for over 550 physically challenged young people.

Impington students will have the opportunity to study alongside their Indian peers as well as touring Delhi to experience the rich cultural heritage of India.

“Our school has high numbers of students with special educational needs and disabilities. Our students will be studying the issues around the educational engagement of physically challenged people. For students to meet people affected by these issues, and for whom it’s not just theory, is so powerful,” Johanna said.

Sixty Impington students are set to visit a senior school in Botswana where they will experience African-style lessons, take part in a football-focused sporting tournament with the host school, help local teachers with basic sports coaching and take part in a safari-style experience.

The Peruvian cities of Lima and Arequipa will feature in the travel itineraries of 10, sixth form students. The visit will see them volunteer with a charity as teaching aides for local students, before immersing themselves in the culture and tradition of the country through activities including bike riding, horseback trekking, and camping.

Sharing cultural perspectives in Japan

Language learning is important for an international school like Impington. In addition to placements in France, Spain, Italy, and Germany, 50 students will benefit from links developed with a school in Morioka, Japan.

COVID permitting, the funding from the Turing Scheme will allow all students studying Japanese in years 9 and 10 to attend a week-long international conference there in August 2022 and share cultural perspectives.

“We have been running this trip for a while, but previously it was only for a very small number of students as Japan is massively expensive,” said Johanna. “We really wanted to widen the participation. We now have students travelling to Japan who would never have been able to afford to go.

“There is a big gap in attainment between our pupil premium and non-pupil premium students. These experiences will give them something extra and help them to see the world in a different way,” said Johanna.

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