Since September 2017 at Didcot Girls' School and September 2018 at St Birinus School, we have participated in the government-funded Mandarin Excellence Programme, which aims to create fluent Chinese speakers. Students who choose this route study an intensive 4 hours per week of Chinese (plus homework) and make rapid progress.

Students on the MEP also enjoy a heavily subsidised trip to China in Year 8 and a rich range of Chinese cultural activities throughout the programme.

Additionally, from September 2018, Didcot Girls' School has been formally working as a Linked Teaching School with the Confucius Institute at Oxford Brookes University.  This allows us access to many extra-curricular cultural events happening locally, as well as having access to a Foreign Language Assistant.

Confucius Institute at Oxford Brookes University (CIOBU) was established in September 2015 by the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) in partnership with the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP) in China. In April 2016, CIOBU officially opened its doors and began working towards promoting Chinese language and culture, offering China-themed activities and events and developing publications on Chinese language and culture in cooperation with presses worldwide. CIOBU provides regular courses in Chinese language and culture for all learners. For more information please visit the website

Studying Mandarin Chinese at university is an increasingly popular choice and leads to some very interesting and rewarding careers.