Mandarin Chinese Programme
22nd June 2026
Mandarin Chinese Programme — Frequently Asked Questions
As an international community of more than 70 nationalities and over 40 mother tongues, language is central to who we are, and this year we are giving renewed focus to language learning at every level of the school.
Mandarin Chinese enters our Early Years and Lower Key Stage 2 curriculum in September 2026, as the first step in a broader review of our modern foreign languages provision, where our aim is that each language is taught in a way that is engaging, interactive and genuinely useful in daily life.
The questions below address how the programme is structured, what your child will gain from it, and how it fits within the school day.
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“How much time per week will Mandarin take, and what does it sit alongside?”
Mandarin is timetabled for two lessons a week, taught alongside Kiswahili and French. We have made room for it by using existing time more purposefully rather than removing any subject: our aim is to keep everything currently in the timetable while using those times in a more focused way.
“Is there an additional fee for the Mandarin programme?”
Mandarin classes will be offered as part of the school curriculum and therefore, there will be no additional fee. Where holiday camps are established, this will take place at an additional cost.
“Will Mandarin continue into Upper Key Stage 2 and beyond?”
Yes. The programme is designed as a progression rather than a single year. In the first year we begin with Years 3 and 4, alongside play-based foundations in the Early Years and Years 1 and 2, and we have mapped a roadmap that extends upward through Key Stage 2 into Years 7 to 9, towards IGCSE (where Chinese can be taken as a foreign language option) and A-level. The Youth Chinese Test (YCT) for younger learners and the HSK for older pupils provide benchmarks to measure progress along the way. From Year 5, pupils may choose whether to continue with Mandarin or to focus on French and Kiswahili; they can also decide to return to Mandarin at a later stage. A separate pathway runs from primary to A-level for heritage and native speakers. These qualifications also support university applications in Kenya and abroad, including the UK, US, Canada and China, and we are in discussion with people who have connections to universities in China for pupils who wish to study there.
“Why are you starting with these year groups?”
Cognitive science and child development tell us that young children have highly receptive brains, uniquely wired to absorb new languages in much the same way they acquire their mother tongue, and that they tend to be less self-conscious about experimenting. This stage is also ideal for ear training: young learners hear fine distinctions easily, which matters for a tonal language like Mandarin, and that listening practice can sharpen wider auditory processing, rhythm and musicality.
Starting early also lets us lay these foundations without exam pressure or added academic load, with the focus on sounds, listening and playful experimentation.
“Who is teaching our children?”
Ting Ting Du comes to Braeburn School from Harrow International School in Japan. Ting Ting began her career teaching in public schools in China, followed by 20 years of experience in international schools. The wider programme is led by Sonia Magnus, a language consultant with extensive international and UK experience who has previously established Mandarin and dual-language curricula in China and Singapore, and who taught at Braeburn in Kenya for eight years. She supports and guides our Mandarin lead teacher and works with the whole modern foreign languages department to raise the profile of all language learning.
“Why Mandarin? Shouldn’t we focus on our local context here in Kenya?”
Our commitment to the local context is unchanged. Kiswahili remains the heart of our daily community life and English our academic foundation, neither shifts with this addition. Mandarin sits alongside them as a third strand, not in place of either. Our pupils will continue to grow up rooted in Kenya, fluent in the languages of their daily lives, while gaining access to a global language they would otherwise have no school-based exposure to.
“My child already navigates multiple languages at home and school. Won’t adding another one simply overwhelm them?”
Mandarin sits well alongside other languages precisely because it works so differently. It has no alphabet, relies on tones and visual patterns, and is taught through speaking and listening rather than reading drills. Instead of feeling like “more of the same vocabulary homework,” it acts more like a puzzle or an interactive activity that engages their brain in a separate way, avoiding that sense of language burnout.
“Shouldn’t they focus on English first, especially if it’s their second or third language?”
English remains our top academic priority and that does not change. As explained above, Mandarin works so differently from English that it does not compete with English literacy for the same cognitive space, so children can build confidence as communicators without adding to any reading or writing stress they may feel while learning English.
However, if your child needs additional support in English language, this will be prioritised following the same system already in place for other modern foreign languages. Please reach out to your child’s class teacher, Head of Year or Headteacher if you have this concern.
“How does Mandarin connect to other subjects?”
Mandarin acts as a wonderful cross-curricular bridge. Our lessons will be highly interactive, using role play, lively discussion, and visual representations to get children communicating confidently. At the same time, Mandarin naturally loops back to core subjects: for example, exploring how Chinese characters are built mirrors the logical thinking used in early coding and pattern recognition. It isn’t an “extra” burden; it is a fresh, engaging space where children can practise their analytical and creative skills.
“Will they actually learn to speak Mandarin, or is this just an ‘exposure’ programme?”
Our primary goal in the first year of the programme is practical, conversational exchange. We will focus heavily on authentic speaking and listening skills so that the language pupils learn at school is immediately useful: phrases they can try at home, on a trip, or with a friend. Written characters are introduced gradually and visually to support this verbal foundation. By building strong oral confidence first, we give our students an active communication base they can build on in later years.
Early spoken work will centre on practical, relatable language: greetings, numbers, family, shopping, eating out, giving directions in a taxi and ordering food. As pupils progress, this is supported by the internationally recognised YCT and HSK benchmarks described earlier, so the programme leads towards recognised certification rather than exposure alone.
“Since the children already learn French, why introduce Mandarin instead of expanding the languages they already study?”
French and Mandarin do quite different things for a learner, and they’re more useful together than either is alone. French extends the alphabetic and grammatical patterns children already use in English. Mandarin, as noted earlier, works differently, building skills through tones and characters rather than an alphabet. There are also practical benefits: Mandarin is spoken by roughly 1.1 billion people worldwide, and China is Kenya’s largest trading partner. French is spoken by around 320 million people, more than half of them in Africa. A child who leaves Braeburn comfortable in English, Kiswahili, French and Mandarin will be able to communicate across most of the African continent, much of Europe, and the world’s second-largest economy. That is, over half the global population.
“How can I help my child if I don’t speak Mandarin myself?”
There is no expectation for parents to be translators. Your role is to be an engaged audience. We encourage you to let your child “teach” you: asking them to share a song, teach you words and phrases they are learning, explain a character’s logic or perform a tone all reinforce their learning and build their confidence as independent learners. We will host a parent workshop in Term 1 and are exploring lessons for parents too, based on demand.
We will also invite you into school for interactive “stay and play” sessions, where your child becomes the little teacher (lǎoshī) and takes you through what they have been learning with their peers. These are a relaxed way to pick up a few survival phrases yourself, so that when your child tries them at home you can respond and share the moment.
“What if my child is already a heritage speaker or has prior experience?”
We welcome and celebrate the diverse backgrounds of our pupils and want to assure you that your child will feel both supported and appropriately challenged. For first language and heritage speakers, who have already developed their tones and listening, the focus shifts towards stroke order, more complex vocabulary and the analytical skills needed to access Chinese textbooks and follow that rigour through to HSK, IGCSE and A-level. We also plan dedicated lunchtime and after-school clubs for these pupils, concentrating on advanced vocabulary, the mechanics of writing, debating and presenting. Beyond school there are opportunities in Nairobi to practise and compete, including competitions organised by the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi and at Kenyatta University, and we are exploring Saturday morning lessons and language holiday camps for fuller immersion.
“What does success look like at the end of the first year of the programme?”
Success will be evaluated through a mix of outcomes and observations:
- Engagement and confidence: how readily children participate, ask questions, and use Mandarin in lessons and beyond.
- Spoken progress: tonal recognition, ear training, and confidence in simple conversational exchanges.
- Early character work: familiarity with basic written forms, introduced gradually to support spoken learning.
- Parent and staff feedback: to ensure the programme remains an enriching complement to the school day.
This document will be updated as the programme develops and as further questions arise. For anything not covered here, please contact your Headteacher. We will also share progress updates through our regular parent communications.
