Pupil Immersion

This is a culture and language immersion course organised jointly by the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools (CISS) and the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission. Pupils from across Scotland will have a 2-week immersive language and cultural experience in Beijing and Tianjin. The course includes Mandarin and Chinese culture lessons and sightseeing. On successful completion of the course pupils will receive SQA accreditation. Pupils must complete 10 hours of Mandarin study in Scotland before going to China.

The overall aim is to demonstrate the relevance of learning Mandarin to young people and to give young people an immersive international experience allowing them to develop their global mind-set. Whilst on the trip the pupils do the SQA Chinese Bridge Award which gives them accreditation for their learning in China. It is expected that on their return to Scotland, learners continue their Mandarin journey by acting as ambassadors for the language and may contribute to the wider Chinese curriculum in their school, for example by sharing their experiences at an assembly, running a lunchtime club and continuing to learn Mandarin where possible. 

Immersion participants often go on to apply for the CISS scholarship, which offers S6 leavers the opportunity to study Mandarin in China for a year upon leaving school, a true life-changing and life-defining experience.   

This course has been run by CISS since 2011. Over 1000 learners have taken advantage of this unique opportunity since its inception, broadening their horizons, and opening the world up to young people from across Scotland.

The visit is aimed at current S4 and S5 learners at Scottish state schools in a local authority area where there is as Confucius Classroom Hub. Ordinarily, hubs would be allocated 10 learner places on the visit and should be accompanied by one member of staff. 

All in-country costs are covered by our partners including accommodation, transport, food, language lessons and all cultural activities, sightseeing and workshops. Learners will need to contribute to the cost of their flights and visas. The exact cost will be confirmed once flights are confirmed.

CISS provide ongoing support for staff and learners throughout the planning process and the duration of the visit. There will be members of CISS staff accompanying the group and there will always be Chinese speaking guides with the group. As part of the preparation process, CISS will hold at least 2 staff briefings prior to departure. 

Accompanying teachers

• The accompanying teacher should see this as a Professional Learning opportunity and be willing to take Confucius activities forward in the school/EA.
• Teachers should have previous experience of residential school trips.
• The pace can be intense at times and teachers should be able to cope with the rigours of a physically demanding programme.
• Teachers must be flexible in their approach and understand that there can be programme changes, even at the last minute.
• Teachers should understand that they are responsible for the wellbeing of their group and that they will need to carry out on-going risk assessments throughout the trip.
• Teachers should be in possession of a passport which is valid for 6 months after the date of travel and has 2 free passport pages.

Learners

• The pupils must have an interest in studying Chinese or already be studying Chinese and be able to continue their language learning on their return.
• The pupils should understand that the purpose of this visit is to learn about Chinese language and culture and much of their time will be spent in class.
• The pupils must be willing to be flexible and understand that many customs and experiences will be different from the UK, including the food.
• Pupils will need to be open to experiencing other people’s cultures as they will be taking part in a short home visit to a carefully selected family unaccompanied by their teacher.
• Pupils should be able to cope with a physically demanding programme.
• Pupils should currently be in S4 or S5. They must be no younger than 15 at the time of the trip.
• Pupils should be in possession of a passport which is valid for 6 months after the date of travel and has 2 free passport pages.

Here is the itinerary of a previous pupil immersion for an idea of what to expect: Pupil Immersion sample itinerary