Mandarin-speakers from St. Joseph's College
Show Off Their X Factor

8 students showed off their linguistic skills at the regional heats of the HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition at the London School of Economics. They competed against 300 other students from schools across England and Wales on 13 December, to win a place in the final at the British Museum in March.

Our 8 contestents were:

D. Sassi Galindo (Yr9)
D. Dossou (Yr9)
B. Gabato (Yr9)
Y. Javaid (Yr9)
T. Tigere (Yr9)
W. Adaken-Garjah (Yr10)
H. Modeste (Yr11)
A. Chapman (Yr12)

The competition supports and promotes the teaching of Mandarin Chinese in UK schools. St Joseph's College students have entered the competition for the past 3 years. Our best result was the 2nd place in the UK, and our student won a free trip to Beijing.

X-Factor style regional heats are taking place in London and Newcastle, with only the best being invited to attend the final at the British Museum on 10 March 2011 - where they could win a visit to China.

The result of the regional heat will be announced by the New Year.

Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council and fluent Chinese speaker, said: "Future success for the UK will in large part depend on our ability to communicate internationally - and China will be an important partner for us. Developing a real understanding of China will be key to the relationship, and learning Mandarin will help to ensure our young people have the intercultural skills to communicate effectively. This competition is a chance to reward students who are making the effort to master the Chinese language."

Ms Xiao was interviewed by Gabby and Paul on their BBC London radio breakfast show to give them an insight into the Mandarin department at St Joseph's College and how well our boys are progressing.