Live streaming everything from Pandas to Kung Fu: Pupils take part in ‘virtual trip’ to China

Despite restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, local pupils who were due to visit China this year have instead been able to enjoy an amazing ‘virtual trip’ to China.

Primary-aged pupils, who attend schools that are part of LEO Academy Trust, have been taking part in a revolutionary approach to modern foreign languages. Back in 2018, Year 4 children began learning Mandarin with lessons taught online by a specialised language teacher in Beijing, well before the idea of ‘live remote lessons’ became part of a standard school day.

Over the last two years, these pupils have learnt many Mandarin phrases, including greetings, numbers, countries, food items and how to talk about their families and hobbies.

The programme goes well beyond learning the language. LEO schools hosted more than 200 children from four different sister schools in China between 2018 and 2019, and LEO pupils were due to visit China in May this year to give them the chance to practice their Mandarin vocabulary and immerse themselves in the Chinese culture. The trip would have provided 60 disadvantaged Year 6 pupils with a fully funded place on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, as well as further places for non-disadvantaged pupils.

However, due to Covid-19 and travel restrictions, the Trust was forced to rethink the plan. Undeterred, they arranged to hold a virtual week in China from the safety of the classroom. This exciting endeavour took place from 24th to 28th May.

Throughout their virtual week in the city of Chengdu, pupils toured the sister schools and practised their Mandarin by speaking with the children there. They also visited local landmarks, learned about the history of Chengdu and took part in a series of cultural activities. These included Chinese calligraphy, cooking, Kung Fu and celebrations for the Chinese New Year.

Alongside the pupils learning Mandarin, the Trust also formed strong partnerships with the sister schools and LEO Leaders visited China in 2019 to build links and better understand how to support children’s learning of Mandarin back in school. Now, leaders and teachers regularly work with their counterparts to learn more about how they teach foreign languages and how to further develop their practice.

Chris Ansell, Mandarin Language Lead, LEO Academy Trust, said:

“We believe learning languages is very important for our pupils, giving them the physical ability to communicate with many more people and the wider understanding of culture and place.

“Our approach to teaching Mandarin is revolutionary and we are pleased to see how successful it has been over the last two years. Our leaders are benefiting from fantastic partnerships with Chinese schools and our pupils’ vocabulary is growing every week thanks to our wonderful teacher in Beijing.

“I was disappointed that our children didn’t have the opportunity to visit China this year, but thanks to our brilliant team both here and in China, we were able to provide them with the next best thing! They learned so much during their virtual trip and loved finding out more about the Chinese culture.”