South Yorkshire Schoolkids Learn Mandarin

Pupils at a primary school in South Yorkshire have been showing a group of Chinese dignitaries what they can say in Mandarin.

Hatfield Academy in Sheffield Lane Top is one of only a handful in the country to offer is as a second language to students.

It's as the Chancellor has announced a £10 million boost to Mandarin teaching in English schools, with the aim of 5,000 more pupils learning the language by 2020.

George Osborne has suggested that Mandarin could be more use to young people than traditional options like French or German.

And staff at Hatfield Academy agree - they say allowing children as young as five to learn one of the world’s fastest growing languages is helping to get them ready for the future.

Headteacher Charlie Blencowe said:

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"China is already a huge economic driver in the world today and there is no doubt this will grow even more in years to come. The next generation need to be prepared for this and there is no better way than being able to speak the most widely spoken Chinese language in order to be able to make the most of trade opportunities in the future. What we are doing here at Hatfield is future proofing our children’s job opportunities for years to come."

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Modern Foreign Language Teacher, Tracy Keenan, used to live in Beijing.

She said:

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"Initially it is hard for the children to understand there is no alphabet to learn but after they get their heads round this their language learning really takes off. We are actually finding the younger they are the easier it is for them to comprehend. And parents have been really positive about this too, with many saying they already do business with China and see this as a huge benefit for their children "

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The delegation which has visited the school was led by Shanghai based Xiehe Education Group, providers of forward thinking bi-lingual international education.

The school has also teamed up with the University of Sheffield’s Confucius Institute which has been providing Chinese teachers to help with the school’s extra-curricular Mandarin language programme and cultural workshops.

Deputy Director Li Xiao said:

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"Hatfield Academy’s grasp of the potential to a student's future employability is hugely forward thinking. This programme will benefit such young children so that they have a clearer vision for the better understanding of the world."

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Only about 2% of primary schools and 5% of state secondaries were offering Chinese as a curriculum subject last year.

In a speech to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, George Osborne revealed his own daughter Liberty is one of the growing number taking a Mandarin course:

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"In Britain, there is a hunger to learn more and understand more about this great civilisation. I see it at home in Downing Street every night as my 12-year-old daughter does her Mandarin homework.''

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