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Plymouth Local Authority was invited to send 10 KS2 pupils to a Chinese Culture and Language Immersion Course during the summer holidays this year, with all expenses paid. The course was funded by the HSBC Global Education Programme and organised by the British Council. Also invited to this course were forty other upper key stage two pupils from Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and Wandsworth in London.
Mrs Wai Chee Thompson, Chinese teacher and MFL Co-ordinator at Drake Primary School, took 4 children from Drake Primary, 3 children from Hyde Park Junior and 3 children from Old Priory Junior and attended the course from 26th July to 1st August held at Frensham Heights School, Farnham, Surrey. The course consisted of very intensive, yet fun and enjoyable language lessons in the mornings and cultural activities in the afternoons and evenings, everyday from Monday to Friday of that week.
It culminated in a grand finale performance of what the children had learned in the form of songs, dance routines and dramas (mostly in Chinese, of course) on the Saturday morning, to which parents of the participants and representatives from the Local Authorities involved were invited.
Forty six children in total attended the course. The children were organised into four separate language classes, with between ten and twelve children in each class. The language teachers were all native Mandarin Chinese speakers who spoke fluent English and were very experienced in teaching Mandarin Chinese to non-native speakers in an interactive and activity based way.
The children thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the course, were highly motivated and learned what would normally take a year to learn in just one week. They came away fully enthused and are now very eager to continue learning more about the language and culture. In order to do this, and also to give their peers a similar opportunity, mandarin lessons will be offered for half a day each week at the schools involved.
Secondary Immersion Courses
Participation in the KS2 Cultural and Language Immersion course is by invitation only. However, for secondary schools either currently offering Chinese in their curriculum or considering introducing it, there is the option to participate in an immersion course in China with the British Council.
The course is open to both teachers and their students and the cost per participant is £725. This will cover the international return flight, however each school must fund any internal UK travel, visas, insurance and pocket money. All costs incurred in China (accommodation, internal travel, food, language classes and cultural activities) are covered by Hanban.
For further information, please go to: http://www.britishcouncil.org/schoolpartnerships-what-you-can-do-send-pupils-on-an-immersion-course.htm