On 18 April 2025, Sherry Fu, Founding Director of the University of Manchester (UoM) China Centre, alongside Senior Counsellor Crystal Cheng, visited ISA Liwan International School in Guangzhou. The delegation engaged in discussions with senior leaders of ISA International Education Group, including Chief Academic Officer David Mansfield, ISA Liwan International School Principal David Griffiths, and Mike Jones, ISAIEG Academic Centre Manager. The visit was initiated and coordinated by Stephen Speers, EAL Coordinator and Subject Lead at ISA Liwan, who is also a current student of UoM’s part-time Master’s programme in Educational Leadership in Practice.

Group Photo of ISA Liwan’s Leadership Team and UoM China Delegation

The visit commenced with a welcome ceremony at the school gate, followed by a guided tour led by ISA’s Marketing Manager Windy Wen. The UoM delegation explored the campus’s interconnected learning corridors, multifunctional facilities, and innovation laboratories, gaining insights into the school’s learner-centred educational ecosystem. As one of ISA’s flagship campuses, ISA Liwan serves students from 30+ countries and regions, offering a multi-track curriculum framework designed to nurture globally minded learners.

Sherry Fu (Left) and David Mansfield (Right) discussed the challenges and solutions of leadership team building.

During the leadership meeting, the ISA team outlined the group’s mission and vision, operational strategy, and organisational structure. Sherry Fu presented UoM China Centre’s partnership resources, emphasising the Educational Leadership in Practice Master’s programme and bespoke training modules tailored to enhance cross-cultural leadership competencies in international schools. Discussions focused on localising international curriculum, applying digital education solutions, and establishing academic collaboration mechanisms.

David Mansfield remarked that ISA remains committed to building global educational networks, in particular with leading universities. David Griffiths and Mike Jones further shared practical challenges faced by international schools in talent recruitment, retention, and development within evolving global contexts, while exploring synergies with UoM’s executive education offerings.

The visit concluded with a detailed discussion where both parties explored potential collaborations in resource-sharing platforms and Sino-UK educator exchange opportunities. This engagement deepened UoM China Centre’s understanding of the international education landscape in the Greater Bay Area, laying groundwork for future partnerships in academic research and student-faculty mobility.