First Mandarin immersion school to open in the United Kingdom
English-Mandarin bilingual free school to open next year
The Marco Polo Academy will open at the beginning of the academic year for 52 pupils and will run classes in both English and Mandarin
By Josie Gurney-Read
9:25AM GMT 20 Dec 2013
The Marco Polo Academy will open in the north London borough of Barnet in September 2014, catering for 4-11 year-olds under the Government’s Free School initiative.
It’s the first English-Mandarin bilingual free school in the UK and has plans to expand year on year. Two primary schools which teach lessons in Mandarin opened this September, Abacus Primary in Camden and Tiger Primary in Maidstone.
The proposal was initially submitted to the Department for Education by a founding group, who all have an interest in bilingual education, and approval was awarded to the school in May 2013. The primary will be one of 102 new free schools planning to open in 2014.
Laura Chan, one of the founding members of the school said: “When we speak to people who have an interest in Mandarin, or other educational professionals who have an interest in bilingual education, there is a lot of support for what we are doing.”
Please read more here.
You can find the school’s web site here.
Mandarin Immersion Parents Council 
Reblogged this on Utah Mandarin Immersion Parent Council.