One of the key aims of the three-year Mandarin Upskilling Course delivered by IOE’s Centre for Chinese Language Education (CCLE) is to equip language teachers with the confidence and proficiency to support the teaching of Mandarin at KS3 in their schools.
Level 1 update:
Six months into their Mandarin ab initio journey, participants in the Level 1 course recently gathered for their second in-person training session at CCLE’s London office.
The atmosphere was vibrant throughout the day as teachers reviewed content from previous online sessions and independent study, supported by Master of Arts (MA) Chinese students from UCL. We’re proud to share that all participants passed their reading and listening assessments with flying colours (equivalent to the MEP Year 7 Hurdle Tests).
Teachers were also introduced to new language and cultural content, while continuing to build confidence in Mandarin pronunciation and character writing with the support of our dedicated volunteer MA students from China.
This face-to-face session offered a valuable opportunity for teachers to connect with fellow learners in a relaxed yet purposeful setting. Many left feeling encouraged by their progress and inspired to return to their schools equipped with new ideas and resources to begin introducing Mandarin to their students.
The Level 1 teacher-learners said:
I’m really happy I enrolled in the Mandarin upskilling course! It’s incredible how much progress I’ve made since September. The way the lessons are delivered makes it very easy to follow, and the mix of online and face-to-face sessions really helps me feel confident not only in listening and reading but also with speaking and writing. We are also lucky to have some amazing MA student volunteers who are helping us with pronunciation and character acquisition. It’s truly wonderful to be a student again and to feel this well-supported throughout the journey!” – Clara Trallero, Fullham Cross School
I’m really enjoying the Upskilling course and I like being given specific directed work to do which is set on Padlet. The textbooks and workbook are also very helpful resources and I’m able to use these easily independently. I also really liked the in-person course and found having lots of native speaker assistants was really useful as I could practice pronunciation with them and ask them about how to develop my answers further.” – Hannah Wells, Dartford Grammar School
I have really enjoyed the Mandarin upskilling course so far and the recent face to face session in London made me realise just how far we have progressed in our learning, in all skills. The online sessions are great for learning new material particularly pronunciation and are always fun. For the independent learning part of the course you provide us with a wide range of quality materials that make learning enjoyable. I feel I can learn at my own pace and set my own level of challenge. At the face-to-face sessions I have enjoyed meeting the Chinese MA students. It is interesting to hear their different accents and hear about Chinese culture from different perspectives. With them there I think I try harder to get things right! All in all, it has been a very positive experience and I hope to be able to continue on to the next level in the new academic year.” – Amanda (Mandy) Gordon – The Mountbatten School
I’ve really enjoyed the course so far—the pace is engaging without being overwhelming, and the support from both course leaders and MA students has been invaluable. These students have been especially helpful, always willing to share insights and clarify pronunciation. The course has reinforced my prior knowledge while also introducing new content, which has been incredibly beneficial for my teaching practice. It’s been a great experience learning in such a collaborative environment!” – Abigail Hyde, The Piggott School
Level 2 update:
Teachers learning Mandarin at Level 2 also caught up with us and their fellow Mandarin enthusiasts during the recent face-to face workshop at the CCLE. The morning sessions included reviewing language content from JinBu 1 and JinBu 2 textbooks, followed by assessments in Mandarin reading and listening. In the afternoon, teachers had the opportunity to review new content using a range of learning materials and styles with support from more Chinese MA student volunteers.
One of our Level 3 teacher-learners, Richard Scott from Watling Academy, made the following comments about the Upskilling course:
Learning Mandarin is something I have wanted to do since a young age. I regret not studying it alongside Spanish at University. When I heard about the course, I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn the language with the support of subject specialists. You are well supported via online learning, independent tasks and face-to-face sessions. As a Head of Department launching Mandarin without any previous subject knowledge, it has helped me to work alongside our subject specialists to support them in creating an engaging curriculum for our students. I have also started teaching Mandarin myself, which further helps consolidate your knowledge. If you are willing to commit some time each week to studying, I would recommend this course to others.
We are very much enjoying teaching the Mandarin Upskilling Courses this year. For more information about the courses and to apply to join the 2025-2026 cohort, please visit our website.
Course leaders: Victor Wu, Michelle Tate and Catherine Li