First English-Mandarin bilingual free school to open

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.”