UCL-led Mandarin programme putting thousands of pupils ’on path to fluency’

Nearly 7,000 pupils are now benefitting from a national Mandarin learning initiative delivered by UCL Institute of Education, in partnership with the British Council, according to a new Department for Education report. The Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP) gives participating secondary schools the chance to offer an intensive language learning option alongside the traditional staples of French, Spanish and German. It offers secondary state school pupils across England the opportunity to study Mandarin Chinese for eight hours a week, starting in Year 7. An evaluation report published today (Thursday 21 January) shows the programme, which began in 2016, has exceeded its target of seeing at least 5,000 pupils in England on track towards fluency in the language by 2020. It also reveals the positive impact the MEP has had on the supply of Mandarin teachers, by increasing the number of opportunities for teaching practice. Mandarin is the most-spoken language in the world and British Council research has identified it as the second most important language for the UK's future prosperity, security and influence globally. The MEP aims to be a catalyst and accelerator for the uptake of Mandarin in the state sector, with the financial and teaching support it offers enabling schools to quickly set up an intensive, high-quality language programme.