Derby & Derbyshire Council
True Education Partnerships support Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council and their close links with the Anhui and Shanxi Provinces in China.
Council & Education Partnerships
True Education Partnership’s programmes make a substantial economic impact on communities and improve school profiles, which is why government entities partner with us in both the UK and China.
An influx of international visitors stimulates growth in local businesses; we use local providers for accommodation, travel, restaurants and tourist services. Chinese students who return to a region to study at universities following their UK student exchange experience bring further economic boosts through the purchase of goods and services throughout their UK tenure.
TEP create and support Sister City Partnerships like Liverpool-Shanghai — for which we championed the 20th anniversary celebrations. These links raise a region’s international awareness levels, driving business, tourism and its desirability levels as a destination for higher education studies.
Derby & Derbyshire Council China Sister Cities
Derby is linked with the Anuhai Province & Derbyshire is linked with the Shanxi Province.
Derby City Hefei
Chesterfield Yangquan
Derbyshire Yangpu District, Shanghai
We help create Sister City Partnerships through our close ties with the Chinese government. If you’d like help with creating a partnership with China, contact us. TEP manage Council Delegation’s trips to China to further diplomatic ties between regions.

Want to know more about how TEP can support your region’s Sister City Partnerships?
Derbyshire Sister School School Partnerships
International school partnerships create global citizens who can become valuable assets to UK businesses at a vital time in developing foreign trade and inward investment with countries outside of Europe.
University studies and research from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development uncovered how an increase in a country’s student exchanges correlates with a boost to GDP. Furthermore, the studies discuss how the exposure of students to international study at a young age improves employability in the contemporary marketplace. Participating students have a greater potential for the acquisition of a foreign language, increased knowledge of different cultures, develop cross-cultural skills and potential for transformational worldviews.
We have delivered life-changing experiences for several schools across Derbyshire including: Chellaston Academy, Dovedale Primary School and Shardlow Primary School. You can find out more about the Sister School Partnership programme with True Education Partnerships.

Sister City Partnership Process
Partnership Initiation
We plan and launch Council Delegation visits to establish Sister City Partnerships between councils in the UK and China.
Economic Impact
A Sister City Partnership can encourage inward investment and has many bilateral benefits that make a significant economic impact.
Partnership Support
We support existing Sister City Partnerships between the UK and China through business, education and sport.
Education Opportunity
We invite schools to be part of rewarding Sister School Partnerships, which have mutual student benefits for both the UK & China.
Derby-Hefei Partnership Past Activity
- Two Chinese calligraphy artists participated in the Derby Feste programme in September 2017.
- Derby hosted 24 senior business and Council delegates from Hefei in October 2017 – included in their itinerary was a B2B event introducing them to various companies from across the East Midlands.
- Derby and Derbyshire tourism delegation visited Anhui, including the Yellow Mountain National Park in November 2017.
- Derby County Football Club commenced football coaching programme for Hefei FA in 2018.
- Developed tourism itineraries and hosted Chinese tour operators for a familiarisation visit – March/April.
- Five Derby school heads visited Hefei in April to establish partnerships with counter-part schools.
- The Leader of Derbyshire County Council attended an investment event in Hefei in April 2019. The Anhui government is investing in a new school campus which will be run by Repton School, Derbyshire.
- Derby City Council attended the first World Manufacturing Convention in Hefei in May.
- University of Derby hosted circa 95 Chinese students for an International Summer school in July/August.
- A delegation from Huangshan will visit High Peak Borough Council and the Peak District National Park in September. Huangshan City has a ‘sister agreement’ with High Peak Borough Council and Huangshan National park has a ‘sister agreement’ with the Peak District National Park; this visit will help to develop shared plans for these agreements.
- Programme of Derby school student visits to and from Hefei commences in October.
- Participation by Marketing Derby in a Department for International Trade/Midlands Engine