Mandarin Excellence Programme

Rising Year 7 - September 2025 

Applications to join our Mandarin Excellence Programme open in March 2025 - please check back then. 

We are delighted to offer students at St Birinus School the opportunity to study Mandarin Chinese through the Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP). Students enrol on the Programme in Year 7, selecting Mandarin as their foreign language of choice for Years 7 and 8. Many students then opt to continue their studies of Mandarin into KS4 and sit a GCSE in Mandarin Chinese in Year 11. 

There is no ‘typical’ student who studies Mandarin at St Birinus, and students who learn Mandarin come from a diverse range of backgrounds, all with differing past language learning experiences. Most important is that they have an open mind and willingness to try something new.  

Why Mandarin?

Underpinned by the school’s motto – Inspiring Excellence through care, courtesy, and commitment, the Mandarin department seeks to develop the following skills in all learners:

  • CREATIVITY - you will learn new ways to overcome challenges creatively. You will be able to join the dots between seemingly unrelated topics - something others cannot do – which will help develop your skills in other subjects, from STEM to the humanities.
  • COLLABORATION - you will develop an understanding of China. As one of the world’s major political and economic powers, studying Mandarin will open up an enviable array of opportunities, whilst also improving your inter-cultural awareness, collaboration and communication skills.
  • COURAGE - studying Mandarin will develop your capacity to adapt to new, challenging situations. This will enable you to approach experiences with a positive, resilient and proactive mindset.
  • CONFIDENCE - you will develop the confidence to put across your point of view, whilst considering and understanding a range of differing personal and cultural perspectives.

Opportunity

  • Gain internationally recognised qualifications, including HSK3 in Year 10 and GCSE Chinese in Year 11. Studying on the MEP also gives students an excellent foundation for further study of Mandarin in the Sixth Form
  • Regular cultural trips, events, and excursions
  • 1:1 and small group sessions and interventions with our subject specialists

Curriculum Offer

  • Four hours of class curriculum time per week
  • Out-of-class activities including some independent study, enrichment events, cultural trips and excursions
  • A part-funded trip to China in Year 9
  • Regular cultural events in school
  • Rapid progress - students benefit from an enhanced cultural understanding and highly developed communication and language skills.

 

What our students say...

"I love my Mandarin lessons – we not only learn how to write and speak Chinese, but we also learn about Chinese culture which is fascinating."  - Theo, Year 8

"Mandarin has enabled me to challenge myself, confidently convey my thoughts in a different language, broaden my cultural understanding, and open many doors to future opportunities’"- Charlie, Year 11


Virtual taster lesson

Supporting Success

We are committed to the school’s ethos of inclusive teaching. When planning our lessons, we consider the needs and aspirations of all our students, including those with SEND, those entitled to Pupil Premium, as well as ensuring that higher attainers are constantly stretched and challenged. Through strategic and targeted questioning, we regularly check students’ understanding and frequently provide verbal feedback. 

To support all learners:

  • Knowledge organisers, vocabulary lists (using Quizlet), and sentence builders are provided for each module. These resources are also posted on the class’s virtual learning environment. 
  • Retrieval activities at the start of each lesson ensure students are taught to remember what they learn. 
  • Students are taught strategies for decoding language when listening and reading. They are taught how to revise characters using a range of engaging and innovative techniques.
  • Higher attainers are stretched with ‘Challenge’ activities that encourage them to think about activities from different perspectives and in creative ways to further deepen their understanding.

https://issuu.com/sbs_mandarin/docs/mandarin_-_support_and_stretch - Mandarin - Support and Stretch > 

Assessment

  • Students are assessed at the end of each module 
  • In Years 7, 8, and 9 students sit the standardised MEP hurdle test in the summer term.
  • Feedforward lessons follow assessments so that all students understand how they must improve. 
  • Regular, in-class vocabulary tests and dictations help students memorise new vocabulary and structures throughout each module. These are peer assessed to draw students’ attention to common mistakes and misconceptions. 

 

How to Apply

  • Students must opt for Mandarin as their foreign language of choice before they join Year 7
  • After the application window closes, we will communicate next steps during the summer term before students join the school in September.

Rising Year 7 Prospectus

MEP - Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any questions, please contact Mr Mahoney, Head of Mandarin: pmahoney@st-birinus.oxon.sch.uk

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