Alumni creates a global school club

Old Truronian Alex Bell attended Truro School from 1973-1983 and since then has gained many years’ experience in education himself. Alex is now a Director of Portland Education, a company helping schools, school leaders, charities, museums and governments with all things education, from big picture strategy to fine-tuning effective working relationships.

Living in Lewisham with his family, he explained how his experience in education helped him create an international after school club during the Coronavirus pandemic.

“My children and I have literally only set foot outside twice in the last month. We are all sociable creatures and so, with the help of teacher friends around the world, we had the idea to set up a global after school youth club.”

After a month of virtual meetings, the club has pupils from 34 countries and growing, who connect each week with sessions running every six hours to suit different time zones around the world.

Alex added: “We’ve shared quirky local snacks, explained local customs, sung happy birthday in different languages, shown pets and also news of lockdown from our own countries. Kids in isolation love the live connections with real people from countries they’ve never been to, and they lead many of the sessions with topics they choose themselves.”

Alex’s children now practice their trumpet, piano and saxophone in front of a global audience of friends and have even seen one teenager in Louisiana demonstrate his 3D printing of PPE for his local hospital.