I have had the good fortune during my teaching career to participate in exchange visits to Slovakia, Denmark and Uganda. The experience of seeing first hand both similarities and striking differences between children's experiences of schooling is professionally transformative. When you welcome staff from other countries into your own school you are prompted to reflect on what you do and why you do it that way. Dialogue with colleagues working in different political and environmental landscapes almost inevitably results in improved teaching practice.

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Partnering with schools in other countries provides real-life contexts for learning about other societies and cultures. It brings the humanities curriculum to life and enriches the arts subjects. It provides exciting contexts for developing spoken and written language. It plays a significant role in developing personal qualities such as empathy, tolerance and respect.

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Children enjoy learning about the lives of their peers in other countries. They are passionately interested in the quest for equality of access to education, clean water and clean energy, food and health care. They are also rightly anxious about the challenges that they see on TV, online and in the world outside their door. An international school link can bring these issues to life, dispel misconceptions and give young people a sense of agency.

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Participation in exchange programmes has become more challenging in recent years, not least because the EU Comenius grant and British Council Connecting Classrooms grant are no longer available. However, the need for making global connections and uniting people from different countries is greater now than ever before. School communities are remarkably resourceful when it comes to fundraising for things that make a difference to young people's lives. Once a connection is made, schools develop a sense of commitment to the perpetuation of the project.