Sister School Partnerships

Policy

This policy sets out the requirements for schools regarding sister school partnerships, including visits by overseas students to Victorian schools and visits by Victorian students to sister schools overseas.

Details

A sister school partnership is a meaningful, reciprocal and sustainable long-term partnership between 2 schools, aimed at fulfilling a range of purposes as determined by the school communities. Sister school partnerships are a great way for schools to deepen their global learning and engagement, expose their students to different countries and cultures and build the global citizenship, intercultural capabilities and critical and creative thinking of their students, teachers and communities.

Sister school partnerships can be intrastate, interstate or international and are based on the principles of mutual educational benefit and reciprocity.

Refer to the Guidance tab for a description of the differences between sister school partnerships and other types of overseas student arrangements.

Key requirements:

Participation in a sister school partnership is open to any school. Schools can identify and establish sister school partnerships on their own, or seek assistance from the department’s International Education Division (refer to contact details on this page).

Schools entering into sister school partnerships must ensure they follow the advice provided on the Guidance tab and meet the following key requirements:

• If a school wishes to enter into a written arrangement or vary a written arrangement with an overseas school, such as a memorandum of understanding, or emails setting out an arrangement or understanding, schools must follow the approval process as detailed in the arrangements with overseas partners chapter of the Sister School Partnerships – Guidelines for Victorian Government Schools.
• Schools must not enter into any commercial arrangements with their sister schools. Costs involved in sister school activities such as student visits should be negotiated between schools based on the principles of mutual benefit and reciprocity. It is reasonable to ask for sister schools to cover costs associated with the visits (and vice versa), but if fees are charged, they must only be to recover actual costs incurred.
• Schools have a duty of care to take steps to prevent reasonably foreseeable harm to all students when visiting their sister school as well as when hosting visitors from their sister schools.
• Schools must consider and apply relevant department policies when managing sister school activities and visits, including:
  • privacy and consent when sharing student work and information about students between sister schools
  • student safety and wellbeing when using social media or other online communication methods to communicate with sister schools.

For further guidance on implementing the above requirements for sister school partnerships, refer to the Guidance tab.

Related policies

• Decision Making Responsibilities for Students
• Duty of Care
• Excursions
• International Student Program (ISP)
• Languages Education
• Privacy and Information Sharing
• Student Exchange Programs
• Study Tours

Relevant legislation

• Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020 (Cth)
• Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic)
• Ministerial Order 819

Sister School Partnerships – Guidelines for Victorian government schools

These Guidelines contain the following chapters:

• Arrangements with overseas partners
• Victorian students and staff travelling to sister schools
• Sister schools travelling to Victoria
• Exchange of school information and student work
• Types of overseas arrangements

Arrangements with overseas partners

Engagement with international counterparts is a valuable way of ensuring our education system remains connected and relevant in an increasingly complex world.

Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020 (Cth) (the Foreign Relations Act) establishes a framework for the Australian Government to ensure that arrangements between Australian state and territory governments and foreign governments (and their associated entities) are consistent with Australia’s foreign relations policy.

This framework applies to relationships between government schools and foreign entities. This includes, but is not limited to:

• relationships with overseas governments, their departments and agencies
• universities that do not have institutional autonomy
• schools which form part of or are operated and controlled by overseas governments.

The Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) coordinates and liaises with the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for the approval process for all Victorian foreign arrangements.

The Foreign Relations Act establishes 2 types of foreign arrangements:

• non-core foreign arrangements
• core foreign arrangements.

Prior to varying existing, or negotiating and/or entering into new written arrangements with foreign entities, including sister school arrangements, schools must follow the below steps to ensure the arrangements obtain appropriate approval. This policy relates to changes to existing arrangements, or new foreign arrangements.

Non-core foreign arrangements

Non-core foreign arrangements are arrangements between Victorian government schools and overseas sub-national government departments, agencies or government schools (for example, at provincial/prefectural/state, municipal or county level).

The Australian Government has implemented a notification process that schools must undertake before signing a non-core written arrangement with a foreign entity.

• Step 1: Schools wishing to vary or enter into a written arrangement with a non-core foreign entity must complete the school foreign arrangements form (DOCX) and a draft sister school memorandum of understanding (DOCX), and email both to the International Education Division (IED) at ied.stakeholder.engagement@education.vic.gov.au
• Step 2: IED will submit both documents to the Department’s Secretary and DPC for approval. DPC will notify the Australian Government of the school’s intention to enter into a written agreement with a foreign entity.
• Step 3: If approved, IED will advise the school to sign the written arrangement.
• Step 4: School can proceed to sign the written arrangement and provide a copy to IED. A final copy of the signed written arrangement must be provided to DFAT, via IED, for inclusion on DFAT’s online public register within 14 days of its execution.

Core foreign arrangements

Core foreign arrangements are those arranged between Victorian government schools and an overseas national-level government department or agency (for example, a national Ministry or Department of Education).

The Australian Government has implemented a 2-stage approval process that schools must undertake before negotiating and entering into a core written arrangement with a foreign entity.

Stage 1 of the approval process – prior to negotiation

• Step 1: Schools wishing to vary or enter into a written arrangement with a core foreign entity must seek approval before commencing negotiation of the arrangement or variation. Schools must complete the school foreign arrangements form (DOCX) and email it to IED at ied.stakeholder.engagement@education.vic.gov.au
• Step 2: IED will submit the form to the Australian Government via the Department’s Secretary and DPC to seek approval for the school to begin negotiations with the core foreign entity.
• Step 3:
  • If the Australian Government grants initial approval, IED will advise schools to begin negotiations with the core foreign entity.
  • If the Australian Government does not grant initial approval, schools must advise the core foreign entity that the proposed negotiations cannot proceed.

Stage 2 of the approval process – during negotiation/drafting written arrangement

• Step 4: Schools must provide IED with a copy of the draft unsigned written arrangement following the conclusion of negotiations.
• Step 5: IED will provide the draft unsigned written arrangement to the Australian Government via the Department’s Secretary and DPC to seek secondary approval for schools to formalise the partnership with the core foreign entity.
• Step 6:
  • If the Australian Government approves the draft written arrangement, the school can proceed to sign the written arrangement and provide a copy to IED. A final copy of the signed written arrangement must be provided to DFAT, via IED, for inclusion on DFAT’s online public register within 14 days of its execution.
  • If the Australian Government does not grant secondary approval, schools must advise the core foreign entity that the proposed partnership or variation to an arrangement cannot proceed.

Online public register

The Australian Government has established an online public register of foreign arrangements established by state and territory government departments and their agencies, Australian public universities and local governments. Details of school foreign arrangements will be published online and include the title and parties of the foreign arrangement, date it was entered into and any decision made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The online register is available at: Foreign Arrangements Public Register.

Victorian students and staff travelling to sister schools

Visits to sister schools, including overseas sister schools, must comply with Department policies relating to excursions including the following.

Excursions and activities

• Venue selection – schools must take steps to ensure that all venues that are to be used by the students during a visit to a sister school are suitable and appropriate. This includes homestay families’ place of residence (the Sister School Resource Kit (PDF) has further advice on how to assess the suitability of homestay).
• Safety, emergency and risk management – schools must conduct a risk assessment for overseas travel and develop a risk management plan.
• Staffing and supervision – schools must ensure excursions to sister schools are appropriately staffed in line with the outlined staff ratios and requirements.
• Parent or carer consent – schools must ensure that parents/guardians have provided informed consent for their children to participate in an excursion to a sister school.
  • Note: If there is a parenting order or a pending application for a parenting order, it is an offence for a person to take or send a child outside Australia unless it is with the written consent of each person with parental responsibility. If schools are aware that a family is subject to family law orders or there are family law proceedings in place or pending, then it must obtain the written consent of both parents in order for the student to participate in the overseas excursion, refer to Decision Making Responsibilities for Students.
• Student medical information – schools must obtain and hold all up-to-date and relevant information about the student’s medical conditions, medication and other medical requirements, refer to Excursions.

Medical insurance

The cost of medical and hospital treatment is high in some countries. Consequently, all staff and students must obtain travel and medical insurance for the entire overseas excursion.

Immunisations

School staff must take reasonable steps to inform students and their parents that immunisations might be required, including advising the student and their parents to seek medical advice from their doctor as well as directing them to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Smartraveller website for travel advice.

Emergency management plan

Schools must also develop a plan that is specific for an overseas excursion, including:

• procedures in the event of:
  • an emergency at the different venues in which the students will be located
  • a medical emergency including the details of emergency services, the local doctors, and the local hospitals that are located at the different venues in which the students will be located
• procedures for students to report any problem at the sister school, including staff members and/or at their homestay – such procedures should be communicated to staff and students prior to departing
• nominating a person to be responsible for responding to critical incidents – students and staff should be made aware of the responsible persons prior to departing, refer to Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning.

International and Domestic Travel Policy and Guidelines for School-Based Staff

School staff visiting overseas sister schools must comply with the Travel Policy and Rules of Use.

Sister schools travelling to Victoria

Victorian schools must take reasonable steps to discharge their duty of care to students who they are hosting from their sister school. The following policies apply:

• Risk management – schools must carefully consider all of the risks associated with hosting sister school students and prepare a risk management plan. The responsibility for risk management lies with the principal and the school council, refer to Risk Management – Schools.
• Emergency management – schools must extend their emergency management plan to include the sister school students. This should include procedures:
  • in the event of an emergency involving the sister school students
  • for sister school students to report any problems at school
  • for students to report any problems in relation to their homestay.
• The plan must also include the nominated person/s responsible for responding to critical incidents. Information about emergency procedures and contacts must be communicated to sister school staff and students, refer to Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning.
• Student information – schools must ensure that they collect adequate information from the sister school students and retain such information on the schools’ file in case it is required, for instance, in an emergency situation. Information should include:
  • student’s name and date of birth and their identification, for example, copy of passport and visas
  • parents/guardians’ names and contact details
  • emergency contacts
  • information on medical conditions and consent to provide this information to the student’s homestay family.
• Suitability of host families and homestays – schools must give careful consideration to the suitability of any homestay residences where sister school students will stay, in accordance with the Homestay Guidelines for Hosting Sister School Students, in the Sister School Resource Kit (PDF).

Exchange of school information and student work

Privacy – the exchange of information that could identify a student, such as names, addresses and photos, may have privacy implications as such exchanges may be governed by the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic). If schools are considering exchanging a student’s personal information they must refer to the Privacy and Information Sharing Policy.

Use of digital technologies and social media – the exchange of information between staff and students with their sister schools may involve the use of digital technologies and social media. Schools must consider the guidelines and resources on the Cybersafety and Bully Stoppers webpages, refer to Bully Stoppers.

Types of overseas arrangements

Key features of different visits or exchange programs

In addition to visits under sister school partnerships, overseas students visit Victorian schools through other types of programs, including short term study programs, secondary student exchange programs and the International Student Program. The differences between these types of visits are outlined below.

Sister school partnerships

• Definition: Reciprocal visits negotiated between sister schools where visits include a school experience combined with a cultural tour
• Visa category: Visitors visa
• Cost/tuition fee arrangements: Cost negotiated between sister schools on a cost recovery basis
• Further information: School to school arrangement, visiting students are not required to be enrolled on CASES21

Short term study tour programs

• Definition: Non-reciprocal program where students undertake a mix of structured classroom learning, interaction with local students and excursions
• Visa category: Visitors visa
• Cost/tuition fee arrangements: Fee structure is set out in Ministerial Order 819
• Further information: Overseas students need to apply to the Department through accredited study tour operators. Visiting students are not required to be enrolled on CASES21. For more information, refer to Study Tours.

International Student Program

• Definition: Non-reciprocal program where international students are enrolled at Victorian schools to undertake full-time study as an international student for a single term through to number of years. Student categories include standard students (who study for greater than 12 months), study abroad students (who study for 1 to 4 terms), dependent students (who are children of parents studying at university) or temporary students (who study for 8 to 12 weeks)
• Visa category: Various visa categories, however, most students hold a subclass 500 Student – Schools visa
• Cost/tuition fee arrangements: Fees are set out in Ministerial Order 819
• Further information: International students are required to apply through the Department. For more information, refer to International Student Program

Student exchange

• Definition: Reciprocal program where an overseas student is enrolled in a school and undertakes full time study
• Visa category: subclass 500 Student – Schools visa for exchanges longer than 29 days and up to 12 months
• Cost/tuition fee arrangements: Reciprocal program – no tuition fees
• Further information: Schools must operate student exchanges within the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority's requirements for registration as an exchange organisation, refer to Student Exchange Programs

Resources

• School foreign arrangements form (DOCX)
• Sister School Resource Kit (PDF)
• Sister school memorandum of understanding template (DOCX)
• Foreign Relations Act 2020 – FAQs for schools (DOCX)

Useful links

• Global learning programs
• Online public register of foreign arrangements