Tytherington School hosted 18 teachers from China last Wednesday as part of an initiative to exchange ideas about education. The teachers were part of the Nantong Education Leaders delegation who are in the UK to find out about education in top-performing comprehensives.

Hot on the heels of the visit, Tytherington School learned from the Department for Education that they have been selected to participate in the Mandarin Excellence Programme from September 2018. This is an intensive language programme funded by the Department for Education.

The funding will enable youngsters to learn up to 8 hours a week of Mandarin with selected groups beginning from Year 7 in September 2018.

Headteacher, Manny Botwe said, “In being the most widely spoken language in the world, Mandarin Chinese is recognised as an important language for the UK’s future. The programme will provide a fantastic opportunity for youngsters to acquire vital language skills at an early age. We will be at the forefront of delivering the programme and we are delighted to be working alongside the UCL Institute of Education and the British Council. We are proud of our rich tradition of delivering several languages.”