We encourage collaboration between our students, teachers and leaders
From sharing best practices in school leadership to co-developing teaching strategies and bringing our students together for shared experiences, our schools support one another to deliver the highest quality education.
A core goal of Orbital Education is to provide students with a truly global learning experience, helping them grow into thoughtful, connected global citizens. We celebrate internationalism in every classroom and across our entire school community.
On this page, you'll discover some of the key collaborations happening across our schools. These include structured initiatives as well as everyday connections such as Teams calls between teaching groups or students exchanging letters across continents. Together, these shared moments bring our global community to life.
We want our students to have the best possible experience during their school years. For us, this means providing unique opportunities that only Orbital can offer. From collaborating behind the scenes to enrich the curriculum, to sharing best practices among teachers, to simply offering our students the chance to build friendships and relationships with students in other continents, a collaborative approach is embedded into everything we do.
David PottingerCEO, Orbital Education Group
Multi-school event
Model United Nations
The annual Orbital Education Model United Nations (MUN) conference is a standout event in our collaborative calendar.
Each year, a growing number of our schools come together in person at one of our global campuses for this enriching experience. The event offers students a unique opportunity to explore diplomacy, international relations, and global issues in a dynamic, hands-on setting.
It also allows them to sharpen their public speaking and debate skills while connecting with peers from across the Orbital community.
You can learn more, including links to previous events via the button below.
There’s nothing quite like insider knowledge when exploring a new country, and that’s what makes residential trips between Orbital schools so special.
These experiences offer students a deeper, more authentic perspective, guided by peers and teachers from the host school. It’s a unique opportunity to go beyond typical sightseeing and truly connect with the culture, people, and everyday life of the destination.
Many Orbital schools have connected for residential trips, either hosted by a school, or getting together in a new location to take on a new skill such as sailing.
Frequent Communication
Daily collaborations
01.
Letter Writing
Letter writing is a wonderful skill for young learners to develop throughout Early Primary School. It brings language to life and makes learning both meaningful and fun. That’s why we love our cross-school ‘pen pal’ exchanges. There’s something truly special about sending a handwritten letter across the globe, and the excitement of receiving one in return is extremely memorable for our youngest students.
As well as supporting literacy, this activity is also frequently used to support language development.
02.
Shared Videos
While our students explore the world through textbooks, we love to take learning one step further by bringing it to life through video. Whether it's connecting live via video link or creating personalised recordings, our schools share stories and experiences across continents. So when our European students study far-off places like China or Mexico, just imagine their excitement when they receive a video made especially for them by their Orbital peers living in those very countries.
03.
Sports Leaderboard
The unifying power of sport is widely recognised. At Orbital, we give our schools the opportunity to take part in a group-wide sports leaderboard, where student teams from across our schools compete in a fun, engaging, and inspiring way. Managed by Head Office, the leaderboard fosters a sense of teamwork, school spirit, and healthy competition, bringing our global community together through sport.
Leadership Collaboration
Annual Senior Leaders' Conference
Each year, senior leaders from across the Orbital Education network gather in Manchester for three days of inspiration, renewal, and shared learning.
In addition to exchanging best practices, the conference features a packed agenda of high-calibre guest speakers and professional coaches, creating an enriching experience that leaves everyone feeling energised, even after long-haul flights and jet lag.
While the agenda evolves each year, a cornerstone of the event is the in-depth exploration of stakeholder feedback. These sessions provide a valuable opportunity to reflect on what matters most to our students, parents, and staff - helping us to grow and shape our schools in ways that truly align with their needs and aspirations.
