PRESS RELEASE : Schools Minister takes a lesson in Mandarin [March 2011]

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 15 March 2011.

Kingsford was one of the first schools in the country to introduce the study of Chinese into their curriculum and it now has one of the largest and most successful Chinese departments in the state sector. It was one of the first 5 Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) Confucius Classrooms in England. There are now 34.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

“Getting more young people to study a foreign language is vital to the social and economic future of our country. The introduction of the English Baccalaureate will encourage more pupils to take GCSEs in a broad range of academic subjects, including a language.

Schools like Kingsford are leading the way in language teaching. China is at the centre of the global economy, which is why it is important that our young people understand its culture and language.”