Guidance

Join the Mandarin Excellence Programme

This programme funds and supports schools to deliver intensive Mandarin study, and to develop teachers and help them increase the number of pupils studying Mandarin.

Applies to England

What you can get

The Mandarin Excellence Programme offers:

  • £20,000 a year for schools in the programme
  • extra payments for student retention and for yearly intensive learning
  • partnership with a hub school to help you develop the programme
  • specially designed teacher meetings for professional development and to share ideas and resources
  • an online professional network
  • online teaching materials and resources
  • support and guidance from the programme coordinator

Who can join the programme

The programme is open to:

  • all state-funded secondary schools in England with ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ Ofsted ratings
  • highly able and motivated key stage 3 pupils (pupils begin the programme in year 7)
  • schools who are committed to developing a strong curriculum presence of Mandarin Chinese
  • schools who can ensure students study Mandarin for an average of 8 hours per week, with a minimum of 4 hours’ face-to-face teaching

What it costs

The programme is free.

How to apply

Read the application process on the Mandarin Excellence Programme website and email mandarinexcellence@ucl.ac.uk if you want to start teaching in the next academic year.

Find out more

Visit the Mandarin Excellence Programme website for more information.

You can also read the Mandarin Excellence Programme independent evaluation report. This highlights the key achievements from the programme over the past 5 years.

Updates to this page

Published 21 September 2018
Last updated 21 June 2023 + show all updates
  1. Updated the application information.

  2. Added a link to the Mandarin Excellence Programme independent evaluation report.

  3. Updated the 'Who can join the programme', 'When it's available' and 'How to apply' sections.

  4. First published.

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