Mandarin

At Anglo European School, Chinese as core language provision started more than 10 years ago. In 2008, Anglo became a UCL IOE Confucius Classroom which enabled us to expand our teaching capacity, the provision we can offer in the classroom and in the cultural and enrichment activities. In 2016, Anglo joined the Mandarin Excellence Programme, an intensive language programme for schools delivered by the UCL IOE Confucius Institute for Schools on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE) and in partnership with the British Council.

Subject Intent

The Chinese department seeks to develop ambitious and resilient linguists who recognise their common humanity and strive to gain inter-cultural understanding and respect. Our Mandarin Excellence Programme will provide students with an intense education into the language. We aim to provide an understanding of Mandarin in a range of themes from social changes, global issues and history which enables students to communicate effectively in authentic situations on their visits and prepared for the challenges of developing the language at a higher level and with an aspiration to continue the language at University or to at least see its value in their future career paths. We intend develop our students to be inquisitive and curious about Chinese cultures, knowledgeable and understanding, open-minded and courageous as they personally develop through their learning of Chinese.

Subject Implementation

The Chinese department uses an array of strategies to engage students and tackle the five key skills of Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking and Translation. Through the different themes, students will be further exposed to language. Film and Literature also constitute a key part of our curriculum and require students to think critically. We use regular 10-point testing to build memory, flipped learning to give students ownership, and group and pair work to build team-work and communication skills. Our implementation goes beyond the classroom walls and is enriched through a wealth of extracurricular activities both in school through clinics and enrichment days. Students work with our Chinese Han-Ban teachers to further their speaking skills. Our enrichment opportunities enable students to enhance their cultural knowledge, as well as the opportunity to experience China first-hand.