As a core subject of both the Junior and Senior school curriculum, Mandarin Chinese is taught to every pupil from pre-nursery to year 9 and is available as an optional subject in years 10-13 for IGCSE and A level.

We believe that children thrive in language acquisition as a result of their aptitude being duly recognised and encouraged by their teachers. Therefore, an early start in learning Mandarin as with all the other languages will give children the best possible start.

Mandarin in the Nest is geared at immersing children in a learning experience that is both entertaining and inspiring. Children gain an overall perception of the language in a fully bilingual environment.

As an international school, we cater for the inevitable difference in learners’ competence in Mandarin by arranging separate lessons for native and non-native speakers. The latter is further differentiated into foundation, intermediate and advanced level. A placement test at the beginning of each school year determines the most suitable set for individual pupils. At the same time, we use the Wellington Mandarin Proficiency Grade Description system to assess and track the developing language level of pupils. As a child's language level changes, her/his set may be changed accordingly. When setting targets, we make sure that we allow for the different needs of our learners. All pupils from year 2 are streamed into appropriate sets and levels, according to their prior Mandarin learning background or placement test results .

In years 10-11, CAIE IGCSE Foreign Chinese, Second Language and First Language Chinese examination courses are provided. In years 12 and 13, pupils will be advised to take appropriate courses in Mandarin according to CAIE A level or Edexcel A level options, teacher recommendations and the College’s provision.

Chinese culture is taught within the programme with elements integrated into other areas of the curriculum. In addition, in order to deepen a child’s understanding of local culture and practise independent learning skills, we also provide our year 7-9 pupils with a weekly Chinese culture lesson. Pupils can also use Chinese culture weeks, trips, and drama, as well as the Chinese magazine, Chinese debate competition, Mandarin After School Activities and other opportunities, to improve their understanding of language and culture more widely.