Bury St Edmunds County High School welcomes students from its Japanese partner school

A school has this week welcomed students from its Japanese partner school for the first time since before the pandemic.

Staff and students from Hyougo Kenritsu Kokusai Koutou Gakkou spent two days visiting County High School, in Bury St Edmunds.

They were paired up with local students in lessons before discussing, and displaying, their own cultures during a number of workshops for different age groups.

County High headteacher Sally Kennedy said: “The visit was very important for our school community as it marked an important return to the building of international partnerships.

“At County High School, we believe that education is about more than just the classroom. Education can and should inspire students to discover what connects us all as humans.

“Japanese is an important and popular subject at the school and, for us, cultural exchanges are about listening and learning.

“So it was a great honour to welcome the staff and students from Hyougo Kenritsu Kokusai Koutou Gakkou.”

The visit coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Japanese school which included nine years of exchange visits with County prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The school partnership has also seen a member of County High School staff visit Japan ahead of a planned student visit next year.