Chinatown Visit

Year 9 Mandarin students explored Chinatown, putting their language to use in real-life contexts.

More than 20 Mandarin students ventured into central London this term to learn more about Chinese/Taiwanese culture – a memorable and engaging day out to help reinforce their classroom learning.  Using their Mandarin, pupils ordered food and drink, enjoying delicacies such as dim sum dishes, egg fried rice, and beef noodle soup. Pupils also worked in small teams to undertake a treasure hunt and language challenges, identifying Chinese characters and traditional cultural features such as the Chinese arched gateway, 牌坊 (paifang). Our students enjoyed the opportunity to practise their Mandarin skills, interact with native speakers, and build their confidence in communication.

All pupils in Year 7 study either French, German, Mandarin and Spanish. Pupils add a second language in Year 8 and 9, and continue with at least one Modern Language to GCSE. This September, we are introducing a new post-GCSE qualification for Mandarin students: HSK level 3 and 4.