King Edward VI Shakespeare's School | Stratford-upon-Avon

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The Mandarin Department aims to teach students how to speak in Mandarin and to introduce them to Chinese culture.

Studying Mandarin will allow students to understand the language and culture of China- the world’s second largest economy and a country with 1.3 billion inhabitants. It is a widely-known fact that the ability to speak another language not only greatly increases future employability prospects, but it also gives students an insight into a unique and fascinating culture. These are just some of the reasons why K.E.S. has introduced Mandarin to its curriculum. At K.E.S. all students learn Mandarin in Years 7 and 8, after which they then have the option to continue to GCSE and A Level. Mandarin lessons are taught in a specialist classroom, equipped with a wide-screen computer projector. The latest resources are used in the classroom and are also available for students to access at home, including online resources. Mandarin is taught by a full-time Head of Department and uses the JinBu series of textbooks at Key Stage Three. An important part of learning Mandarin is the ability to experience the language first-hand by travelling to China. K.E.S. will be taking students who study Mandarin on trips to China that will include both sightseeing in world-famous locations such as the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City in Beijing, and a school exchange with a leading Chinese school.