Banbridge Academy is delighted to welcome Yuerong (Yvonne) Zhang to our staff this academic year.  We are participating in a pilot scheme to help develop the teaching of Mandarin and a cultural understanding of China in UK schools.  We have been successful in obtaining funding for the programme from the British Council in conjunction with HSBC and Hanban, a public institute in China that is affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Pupils will be given the opportunity to study Mandarin and develop a greater understanding of the Chinese culture.  In addition, our Chinese Language Assistant will also be teaching in a number of our partner Primary Schools.

Mr McLoughlin, Headmaster, said this is a very exciting programme for the pupils of Banbridge Academy and we welcome Yvonne to our community.  She comes from Xi’an City and is a graduate of Xi’an International Studies University with a Masters in teaching Chinese to the speakers of other languages.  She has been teaching oral Chinese to beginners since 2012 and has spent time in different parts of China as well as an academic year in a cluster of local high schools in Serbia.