China in Schools | British Council

The British Council is promoting the teaching and learning of the Chinese language and culture in Northern Ireland.

A report entitled ‘Languages for the Future’ published by the British Council, ranked Mandarin as a vital language to the UK over the next twenty years – citing that with the increasing influence China has on the world economy, we need to prepare our young people for life in a globalised, multicultural society. Knowledge of the Chinese language and culture among people in the UK will create a deeper mutual understanding between our communities and give young people the opportunity to open up their horizons for the future.

The British Council creates a number of international opportunities around China, including school partnerships, Chinese Language Assistants, language immersion courses for pupils, competitions and classroom materials.

Current opportunities in Northern Ireland include:

British Council Mandarin Speaking Competition

Give your pupils the platform to showcase their linguistic skills:

The third annual Northern Ireland heat of the British Council Mandarin Speaking competition was held on 20 November 2019 in partnership with the Confucius Institute at Ulster University.

The big winners of the day were Lumen Christi College, who saw both of their individual category entries, and their group category entry proceed to the UK-wide grand final.

The final was held in London on 5 February, with Lumen Christi's Leo Doherty pronounced overall winner in the UK-wide Intermediate category.

Find more information here or email our Education & Society Manager, Naomi McAteer

Schools Think China

On 23 October 2019, in partnership with the Confucius Institute at Ulster University, we welcomed 230 pupils from ten different schools to St. Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast for an event showcasing Chinese language and culture.

Pupils and their teachers took part in workshops on calligraphy, lantern painting, traditional Chinese dress and the dragon dance, as well as enjoying live performances of Face Changing and Peking opera while sampling Chinese dishes.

Chinese Language Assistants

Bring Chinese language and culture to life in the classroom with a qualified teacher of graduate in teaching Chinese as a language. These native speakers can help to support Mandarin provision or introduce it for the first time. Your assistant will work for between 12 and 18 hours, and these hours – and the costs – can be shared with up to three neighbouring schools.

Schools receiving an assistant will be provided with information booklets in advance of the placements, and will also receive support from the British Council with administrative matters and pastoral care throughout the year.

Connect with a partner school

Connect with a partner school in China

Use our free, online tool to find and connect with your own Chinese partner school. Search by location, pupil gender and age group, send your school a message, and let your partnership journey begin.

Resource Packs

There are a number of different resource packs available through British Council around Chinese Language and Culture.

Including the Year of the Rat resource Pack. Download now.