Mairi Rice, Scotland representative to EFPTA, reports on a European collaborative project in psychology teacher education

Following Clifton Hall School’s successful hosting of the European Federation of Psychology Teachers’ Associations (EFPTA) Board meeting in November 2023, the school were delighted to welcome a visiting trainee teacher from Belgium.

During the EFPTA meeting, the Belgian representative had been hugely impressed by Clifton Hall School situated just outside Edinburgh. When one of her trainee teachers expressed an interest in undertaking a placement abroad, she immediately recommended Scotland and Clifton Hall School in particular. EFPTA are very grateful to Mrs Drummond, the school’s head teacher, for supporting the idea and helping to bring the placement to life.

As a result, the school were pleased to host Klaas Becuwe for a few weeks in March 2026. Klaas is currently completing his training to become a Psychology teacher at KU Leuven, one of Belgium’s leading universities. Before beginning his teacher education, he also completed an internship in the field of clinical psychology, bringing a wealth of real‑world experience to the school.

Klaas worked closely with S3 and S4 Psychology students (aged 14-16).  He also spent time with the school’s French classes and was interviewed by the French Club for their next magazine edition.  The students have really enjoyed speaking with another French speaker.  In addition, he collaborated with the Modern Foreign Languages faculty, actively participating in their Languages and Culture lessons with J4 and J5 (aged 8-10). The younger pupils thoroughly enjoyed meeting our European visitor and learning all about Belgium.

After spending several weeks working closely with staff and pupils, Klaas shared the following reflections – “From my very first day, I was warmly welcomed by all teachers and members of staff. This made it easy to ask questions and helped me quickly gain a first impression of the school. I was impressed by the wide variety of subjects and extracurricular activities available to pupils, such as Lego League, science club and dissection club. I also had the opportunity to observe several classes with different teachers. Each had their own unique teaching style, but all were clearly professional and dedicated. What stood out most to me is how the school manages to inspire every pupil, even the youngest, to learn and grow.”

Clifton Hall School also welcomes a number of international students who join the school for part of their studies. At present, there are 13 students from Norway spending a year in Scotland, learning alongside Scottish pupils as they work towards their qualifications. If this is something you would like to find out more about, you are very welcome to contact the school.

If you are a psychology teacher, or trainee psychology teacher, or teacher-trainer, and you are interested in collaboration across different European countries, please take a look at the EFPTA website and get in touch.