Article | September 24, 2026

Building a Global Learning Community

Peninsula Grammar’s Transnational Operations extend learning beyond Australia, creating meaningful opportunities for students to connect with different cultures, perspectives and communities. These experiences build the global awareness and confidence students need to navigate an increasingly connected world.

The value of these partnerships can be seen throughout our School, here and abroad. For many years, we have understood that the value of these partnerships extends well beyond cultural exchange. Australian and international research continue to highlight how important global competence is, and the necessity of Asia capability for young people in our interconnected world. Australia’s recent Parliamentary report Security and Prosperity in Asia: Building Australia’s Asia Capability (1) emphasises the lasting value of meaningful connections between young people across the region.

We became the first school to offer the VCE curriculum offshore, working with TEDA International School in the Tianjin Economic Development Area, China in 2002. This official partnership started what is now nearly 25 years of offering global opportunities and shared learning in a broader Peninsula community.

In 2027 our new Commerce Tour of China will provide Year 10 and 11 students with first-hand exposure to one of Australia’s most significant economic partners while allowing them to connect with peers at our partner school in Shanghai. Students will spend time in VCE classrooms at Pudong Foreign Languages School, building friendships and experiencing first-hand the global nature of their education. Through the connections we have developed in China, they will also engage with AFL China in Guangzhou, the Victorian Trade and Investment Office in Shanghai, experience drone food delivery in Shenzhen and climb the Great Wall in Beijing. Together, these experiences help students better understand the global nature of business, education and contemporary life.

Our annual Malaysia Experience enables Year 8 students to attend classes at Peninsula International School Australia in Malaysia. In 2027, the program will celebrate its fifth year, offering Middle School students the opportunity to experience the same curriculum through a different cultural lens.

Our transnational program grows thoughtfully and sustainably, guided by a clear principle: every partnership must be mutually beneficial and contribute to outstanding outcomes for students. Quality, accountability and academic rigour remain at the centre of decision making and as a result, we now teach the VCE in schools in Heze, Shanghai, Taixing and Zhengzhou in China, and Setia Alam in Malaysia; allowing students and staff to become part of a global Peninsula Grammar.

Annually, students from our schools abroad join Peninsula Grammar classes, enriching learning through academic engagement and cultural immersion. International educational and political trends in China particularly, continue to align with our transnational vision; one that started over 20 years ago. The Australian Government’s summary of China’s National Education Plan 2025 (2) highlights the nation’s ambition to build a world-leading education system by 2035 reinforcing a shared commitment to educational excellence.

These insights affirm what we see all the time in Transnational operations; when students learn alongside peers from different cultural contexts, they develop broader perspectives, stronger critical thinking skills for their futures and a deeper appreciation of the world around them. Students collaborate with peers studying the same curriculum in different countries, sharing perspectives and approaches to learning.

A critical element in improving classroom practice is Peninsula Grammar’s VCE Offshore Conference. Hosted by our partner school in Malaysia in 2026 and designed by our team of transnational VCE Mentors, the conference once again brought together an international community of teachers, students, education leaders, university providers and government representatives. By bringing educators together to share practice, strengthen curriculum delivery and build professional connections, the conference supports high-quality learning across our transnational community.

For Peninsula Grammar students, these partnerships create meaningful opportunities to learn beyond the classroom and experience the world from different perspectives. They develop confidence communicating across cultures and learn to navigate unfamiliar environments with curiosity and good judgement. These experiences broaden who they are today, while building the capability and perspective to meet what comes next.

Melissa Wolsley-Findlay
Director of Transnational Operations

Author: Melissa Wolsley-Findlay is Director of Transnational Operations at Peninsula Grammar and an experienced educator and School leader. With more than two decades in education, Melissa has held teaching and leadership roles across Peninsula Grammar and its international programs. Her work focuses on global learning, curriculum leadership and strengthening educational partnerships between Peninsula Grammar and its partner schools