There’s a new Mandarin teacher at Melbourn Village College.

Jiajing Shi, from Yixing in China, will work alongside their current Mandarin teacher Frank Fan as there are now three year groups learning the language at the school as part of the curriculum.

Miss Shi is the first Hanban teacher in Cambridgeshire – at the first school in the county to start teaching Mandarin within timetabled lessons.

Hanban is a Chinese organisation which sends teachers worldwide to introduce the Chinese culture and language.

There are 160 in the UK this year.

She is already learning first-hand the value of Melbourn’s ethos of ‘Everybody is Somebody’ and said: “I have been getting a general picture of the secondary school education system in the UK and it has inspired me a lot.

“The impressive thing is that every single student will get a tremendous amount of attention and care from teachers.

“It’s truly student-centred.”

Miss Shi will be at Melbourn for the current academic year for what she wants to be “a precious and unforgettable experience.”

She added: “As a language teacher, I believe language has great power.

“Foreign languages not only equip learners with the ability to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds, but also offer them chances to become an even better version of themselves.

“Due to the stronger than ever ties between China and the UK, Mandarin is beyond doubt a bright choice for students with such expectations.”