Mandarin teaching at Hazlegrove has come a long way since it was introduced in autumn 2012, first as a club option and then later that year as a post Academic Scholarship crash course. Keen to expand the language offering, the school decided that Mandarin might by its nature be attractive to children who had not found the Romance languages quite so easy, and that they would pick up very new ideas from the different culture to which they would be introduced. “The character writing, for example, really appeals to artistic children” says Deborah Mahony, Head of Languages at Hazlegrove.
Mandarin was introduced formally into the curriculum for Year 5 in 2013 and extended to Year 6 in 2014. The Year 6 pupils who have now completed the two year course were among the first in the country to sit the new Mandarin Level 1 Common Entrance, an exam which involved all four strands of language – reading, writing, speaking and listening, including reading and writing the Mandarin characters. The examination itself was taken online which was also a first for Hazlegrove.
The success of this two year course at Hazlegrove has been evident, not just by the children gaining their CE Level 1 qualification, but also judging by the number of children who are planning to continue their learning with private lessons or planning to take it up at Senior School. Well done Hazlegrove Year 6!