Britain’s first English-Mandarin bilingual primary school has been approved.
The Marco Polo Academy will open as a free school in the north London borough of Barnet. At first, it will offer places to 52 children in two reception classes and then gradually build up to become a fully-fledged primary school. The proposal was put to the Department for Education by a group of racially diverse parents who include Chinese families.
The school’s website says: “Our aim is that each child will have a strong foundation for secondary education and a high level of competence in the two languages.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies