Japanese VIPs visit Islington
On Friday 6 May CEA@Islington played host to nine members of the House of
Representatives from Japan. The House of Representatives is the Japanese
equivalent of British Parliament and these distinguished visitors were
accompanied by senior ‘civil servants’ and the Education Attache from the
Japanese Embassy. The delegation included Mr. Shionoya (Senior Vice-Minister)
and Mr. Shimomura (Junior Minister for Education).
The guests were first greeted by Year 7 students from Islington Green
Secondary School in the morning, and then settled into a probing question and
answer session to a panel. The panel, comprising both school and CEA@Islington
staff, discussed both national and local issues, including school finance, the
relationship of CEA@Islington with schools, the impact of OfSTED and the role
of school governors.
Afterwards, the delegates were taken on a tour of the school at ‘work and
play’ by staff and students, viewing dance, drama and music lessons and
chatting to a Year 11 class working with computers.
News of Jamie Oliver’s school meals campaign had reached the Japanese House of
Representatives and they were particularly keen to try a ‘school lunch’. At
the invitation of the school, they mingled with Year 7 students at the school
cafeteria and were pleasantly surprised by the excellent quality and the range
of food on offer.
After lunch the party was driven to North Islington Nursery School and shown
around the premises by Ian Senior, the Headteacher. Further discussions were
had about early years education in Islington.
Mr. Asano, the Japanese Education Attache, remarked that the visitors had
‘learned a lot’ from the visit and had been made to feel ‘very welcome at both
schools’. The word is certainly getting round about the successes of Islington
schools and of CEA@Islington. This visit follows other similar visits in
recent months from Hong Kong, China, South Africa and Norway.
For further information please contact:
Caroline Rowe, Communications, CEA@Islington
T: 020 7527 5545
E:
caroline.rowe.cea@islington.gov.uk
For more information, please contact CEA@Islington's Communications Department: