CHINESE pupils are teaching their British counterparts Mandarin as part of their summer term stay.

Hanley Castle High School, near Upton, is hosting 19 Chinese year seven pupils and two teachers.

Pupils are benefiting from a lunchtime club where the Chinese contingent teach them Mandarin, while students from Suzhou Foreign Language School in eastern China immerse themselves in county culture with a series of trips.

The students and teachers will stay for more than three months – the whole of the summer term.

The Chinese children are aged 12 and 13 and are members of the international class of Suzhou Foreign Language School, a private school in the city of Suzhou, near Shanghai.

The purpose of the visit is to help educate Hanley Castle schoolchildren about different cultures and improve the English-speaking skills of the Chinese delegation.

Hanley Castle headteacher Lindsey Cooke said: “The Chinese students have already made a huge impact.

“We hope this will be the first of many links between Worcestershire and Suzhou.”

The students paid a visit to County Hall for a special presentation by Worcestershire County Council chairman Mary Drinkwater. She was joined by councillor Liz Eyre, cabinet member with the lead responsibility for children’s services, and the council’s head of learning and achievement John Edwards.

They took part in a question and answer session with the pupils and discussed the similarities and differences between education in the UK and China.

Mr Edwards said: “Delegations of this nature can be beneficial to children’s learning and development as they open their eyes to how people in different parts of the world live.

“We really hope the Suzhou foreign language pupils will take away some lasting memories of their time in Worcestershire.”

PICTURE CAPTION: SPECIAL VISITORS: Worcestershire County Council chairman Mary Drinkwater at County Hall with some of the Chinese pupils. Back, Bill, Dion and Robert and, front, Anny and Monica.