Our international partnerships inspire and empower students to become global citizens, with a broader perspective of the world, acceptance, tolerance and understanding. Joint international expeditions with the Royal Grammar School, Guildford to Cambodia, Nepal, and Vietnam give students the opportunity to help and work alongside people from different cultures, building resilience for life beyond Tormead and encouraging pupils to challenge themselves at a personal level.

Hear from some of our students that have enjoyed these once-in-a-lifetime experiences below:

To help our students and those in our partnership schools become global citizens, we have developed, in collaboration with the Royal Grammar School, meaningful links with two schools in Besisahar in the Lamjung District of Nepal. Our students fundraise to improve facilities in the Besisahar schools and to support Nepali pupils visiting Guildford. A joint team of Tormead and RGS students participate in a biennial expedition to Nepal which involves project work in Besisahar alongside their Nepali peers. These reciprocal visits promote a growth in cultural understanding and learning for all the students involved.

“Over the course of our time in Besisahar, all of us created very strong friendships with the girls from Bhu Pu school, especially in our group outings, such as weaving through the streets to find bubble tea...During our farewell dinner, we heard from the Principal and the students performed a cultural dance for us which we all enjoyed watching. We got to give a speech to say thank you and to reflect on the amazing experience we had.” – Ava & Eilidh

You can read more about this expedition here

“Over the course of our three-week trip to Vietnam we realised that you can travel as much as you want, but truly discovering things is not in the places you go, but the people you meet. From the friendly women who sold us our first servings of Phó, to the local villagers working alongside us who offered us baguettes and cool drinks throughout the day, or the local children who we lost embarrassingly to in frequent football games. We learnt to connect to the Vietnamese locals through a communication that transcended language or technology. Through the simple acts of working together and mixing concrete, laughing with each other, enjoying traditional dance or even simply hugging or waving. After our Vietnam experience, we would recommend any student or person to travel: to cross the boundaries of their hometown, of their comfort zone and their capacity to connect to others.”  – Mia & Rina

You can read more about this expedition here

“One of the most rewarding parts of the trip was when we visited a small village close to Siem Reap and spent some time teaching the children at the local school English and sports. It was heart-warming to walk to the school every day with children running up to hold our hands to walk with us, even learning our names.…The connection that was forged between everyone goes deeper than just a friendship, and it’s safe to say getting to make memories of this brilliant experience together made the whole trip even more unforgettable.” – Bethany

You can read more about this expedition here

Tormead was instrumental in the formation of the West Surrey Partnership, a cross-sector organisation of schools established in 2022. This alliance works for the mutual benefit of all students and staff in the area, fostering respect, collaboration and citizenship. The Partnership’s themes are in Literacy, Sustainability, Leadership and STEAM with students benefitting from events such as the Literally Brilliant Book Awards for KS2 and the WSP Student Council for KS5. Tormead hosted WSP’s inaugural Model United Nations conference in Summer 2025 to allow both Year 10 and Year 12 to help students learn about the principles of the United Nations. In 2026, we are taking part in their Reading together scheme, which sees our Secondary students act as reading mentors in local primary schools from across the partnership.

Tormead is an active member of the Guildford 11 – 19 Partnership, an organisation of independent and state schools plus Guildford College and the University of Surrey. The group endeavours to ensure that vulnerable pupils in the area receive appropriate education. The partnership also provides networking opportunities for staff and an enrichment programme, IMAG, for pupils.

The IMAG (Interested, Motivated and Able) programme provides opportunities for young people in the area to enrich their education through a variety of workshops and lectures. Tormead hosts a series of IMAG events each academic year.