The Mandarin Department was awarded Confucius Classroom status in 2014. It has confirmed Benenden School as a global centre of excellence for Mandarin and co-curriculum China studies, together with annual funding and Chinese teaching assistant support. Mandarin is now firmly embedded in our curriculum and we can give advice, support and taster classes to other schools and communities in our region.
As part of the activities we are running, we aim to offer a free after school Mandarin Club to young linguists in Year 5 and Year 6 in our local primary schools. This is a weekly one-hour after-school session during term time, held at Benenden School. We will welcome the pupils to be dropped off at the school reception by their parents/guardians in time for the session to start at 4.15pm. The pupils will have snacks, fruit and drinks before they start their activities. If the parents have difficulty taking their children to Benenden School, we may be able to help with the transport.
We aim to provide a rich and exciting programme of language and cultural experience for our local primary pupils throughout the year. The pupils will learn the basics of the Mandarin language through the theme of A Trip to China with fun activities, games and songs. Other highlights include traditional Chinese handicraft and martial arts, festivals and Chinese food tasting.
We also run a variety of one-off workshops in the local area.
Find out more
If you wish to find out more information about any of our outreach, please contact Alice Webb, Head of Mandarin or Liz Warburton, Confucius Classroom Administrator on confuciusclassroom@benenden.school
