Children as Young as Seven Learn Mandarin In New Break Time Club

Pupils as young as 7 are being given the opportunity to learn Mandarin during their break time, as part of a new initiative by the Modern & Foreign Languages team. The club is in its second week and has 12 enthusiastic children aged between 7 to 13, who spend time learning sounds and characters. Staff at the Lower School hope the club will expand from small beginnings.

Christina Westwood, Head of Modern & Foreign Languages said: "Mandarin is one of the languages we are all going to need in the future. The world we live in is changing and we can't just rely on being able to speak English any more. The younger children start a new language the easier it will be for them to learn, although, it is possible to learn a new language at any age".

The sessions are designed and led by Lucy Luo, an Ellesmere Sixth Form student originally from Shenyang in mainland China. Pupils have been starting with numbers and simple greetings, learning to write the unfamiliar characters as well as say the new words. Lucy said: "'I like working with younger children and planning short language lessons for them, it's interesting and challenging for me, too."

15th February 2016  Back to News