Why school No.92 is brilliant

There’s nothing like meeting lively young people to fuel your optimism about a country.  So I’m delighted to accept an invitation from Kyiv School No.92 to meet English language students of the 9th and 10th forms.  I come away full of confidence in the intellectual capacity, dynamism and enthusiasm of young people in Ukraine.  What made these students stand out?  I’d highlight:

•  great English language skills, demonstrated by laughing at my jokes (always welcome) and asking lots of questions.  Good language skills are central to employability in the global economy;
• those questions: idiosyncratic and interesting, covering issues from British attitudes to pets (“Are British pets preparing to invade Europe?”) through Winston Churchill on democracy to the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton;
• a programme which brought me into contact with the students within 10 seconds of my arriving and allowed a solid hour of discussion with no lengthy explanations of the school’s historic achievements or alumni – perfect;
• best of all, an enthusiastic and switched-on group of students with plenty of eye contacts and loads of spontaneity.

One question I was asked was how schools wanting to organise exchanges with British schools should go about doing so.  The answer is that they should register their school and what they are interested in on www.globalgateway.org, a web site dedicated to helping schools find school partners all over the world including UK. It is easy to register, and over 100 Ukrainian schools have found international partners this way. For general information about study in the UK check out www.educationuk.org, a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about studying in the UK.  Meanwhile, good luck to all the students and teachers of School No.92 and thanks for a stimulating and interesting visit.