Launching the 3rd Confucius Classroom in Greater Manchester

5 September 2015

Tracing back to the year 1516, Bolton School Junior Boys has a long established tradition of studying languages; The Confucius Institute has been teaching Chinese at the Bolton School for the past seven years.

Tracing back to the year 1516, Bolton School Junior Boys has a long-established tradition of studying languages; The Confucius Institute has been teaching Chinese at the Bolton School for the past seven years.
Mandarin Teacher Colin Hough says:

‘It all began with a conversation about language provision in our school between the headteacher and myself. Further discussion and research led us to the Confucius Institute at Manchester University and I enrolled on a 16-week twilight course for teachers as an introduction to Chinese culture and language. The course was thoroughly enjoyable and we all had great fun. It was an excellent introduction to the language and gave us the confidence to apply what we had done back in our own schools. Our school adopted Mandarin Chinese as our foreign language and we had excellent support from the Confucius Institute with resources and teachers. As we continued along the road of adoption we were invited to apply for Confucius Classroom status. Our application has been supported along the way with help from the Confucius Institute in an advisory capacity and as we continue to develop we look forward to their continued support.’

Thanks to the joint efforts of the school and the Institute, pupils from Year3 up to Year6 have all taken part in Chinese lessons, with the total number of students reaching 200.

This year Bolton School for boys has made history by appointing Mrs Susan Faulkner, the first female headteacher at the all-boys institute. We hope that the school will continue to flourish under the new management and with its new Confucius Classroom status.

If you want your school to become a hub for Chinese Language learning and teaching or cultural events, contact the Confucius Institute, who can support your school on its own Chinese Mandarin journey.

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