Shenzhen forms partnership with school in Britain

Children from both schools share ideas as part of collaboration between Shenzhen and Norfolk. (CHINA DAILY)

A new education program means Chinese schoolchildren are learning alongside British students at a school in the heart of the Norfolk countryside.

After scouring the UK for candidates, the Shenzhen Education Bureau selected the East Anglian state-funded academy Reepham High School and College as its partner for an educational exchange.

Thirty-two students, aged between 10 and 14, from Qiaoxiang Foreign Language School in Shenzhen recently completed a two-week visit to Reepham, where they were partnered with local students and attended daily lessons. The latest group was the second to travel from China to the school. In September, students and teachers from Guangming School also attended Reepham.

Teachers from Reepham have also visited schools in Shenzhen, where they have learned about the Chinese education system. The Shenzhen Education Bureau has also supplied Reepham with a full-time Mandarin teacher.

Reepham's principal, Mark Farrar, told China Daily: "It's giving our children wonderful opportunities that they would not have had. It's much more than a regular exchange. Financially, this is worth thousands of pounds, because we are getting an excellent teacher paid for by Shenzhen."

Farrar said Chinese teachers were particularly interested in the emphasis on practical skills at Reepham, where food technology, woodwork and metalwork classes are taught weekly. He said British teachers also picked up new techniques, especially in the teaching of mathematics.

"After their visit last year, the Guangming School has now built a kitchen for cooking lessons," Farrar said. "They are interested in moving beyond textbook-based learning. And we are learning from them. They do interesting activities at the start of lessons that reduce the fear of making mistakes. One of the things that impinges on children in this country is the fear of making a mistake. They seem to have got over that a bit more in China, allowing them to develop their expertise without the fear of getting things wrong."

Thea Li has taught Mandarin to Reepham students aged 14 to 17 for the past year and hopes to prepare them for their GCSE exam in the language and for visits to Shenzhen schools.

"Originally, they knew nothing about Chinese language or culture," Li said. "Now, they are doing very well. They can master around 200 characters and express themselves through key sentences. We also teach them about Chinese food and culture."

Wendy Young, whose 16-year-old daughter Alannah has been studying Mandarin at Reepham since September, says the program will provide the students with opportunities that are rare in British schools.

"My daughter is finding it challenging, but she likes a challenge. They have moved on to Chinese characters from pinyin, and, every night, she comes home and practices," Young said. "It's a fantastic opportunity, I'm really pleased it's been taken on. It will open so many doors for them."