Star School for Children: Mandarin, Arts, Maths | 谢大孔院星星学校

 Chinese (Mandarin), Arts and Maths Courses for Children aged 3.5-18 

Mandarin Language Courses: 

All levels, ages and language backgrounds are welcome! We offer two distinct streams of Mandarin courses:  one for English-speakers and another for Chinese heritage-speakers. Children are grouped according to their Mandarin language level. 

• Foundation Mandarin (Nursery setting): For children as young as 3.5 years old.. 
• Beginners Mandarin Courses: Open every September.
• Ongoing Enrolment: Children with prior study of Chinese can join at any time throughout the year.
• Mandarin Levels: From Pre-Beginners and Beginners to Advanced.
• Specialised Chinese (Mandarin) Preparation Courses:
  • GCSE Chinese
  • A-Level Chinese

Maths Extracurricular Courses:

Aligned with the Mathematics Curriculum in England and delivered in English Language, our Maths Enrichment Courses are crafted to captivate children with supplementary learning opportunities, providing an extended, in-depth understanding of advanced topics and challenges. Our goal is to cultivate a genuine love for mathematics while reinforcing essential Math skills, such as critical thinking, reasoning and problem-solving.

• Course Offerings: From Year 1 to Year 13, encompassing primary maths, secondary maths, GCSE Maths, and A-Level Maths.
• Specialised Courses: GCSE Maths and A-Level Maths (including Further Maths) to boost confidence and excel in exams.

Drawing for Young Children and Sketching for Older Children:  

• Drawing for Young Children (ages 5-7): Introduces young children to the basics of drawing. Through fun and interactive lessons, children will learn fundamental techniques, explore various drawing tools, and develop their creativity in a nurturing environment.
• Sketching for Older Children (ages 8+): Focuses on enhancing sketching skills. Children will delve into in-depth and advanced techniques to refine their ability to observe and draw with precision and creativity.

Two modes of teaching and learning: 

• Face-to-face
• Online

      Hybrid teaching mode is only for Advanced Mandarin and Secondary Maths. 

Please refer to our Timetable below to check availability and choose your preferred mode of attendance.

星星中文学校提供 线上和线下教学模式。课程包括：中文读写班，3.5岁-5岁幼儿班，学前班，从初级到高级的中文课程，一年级到 13 年级的数学，儿童绘画，素描课程，还有特设的 GCSE中文辅导，GCSE数学辅导，A Level 中文辅导，A-Level 数学辅导。

Timetables / Calendar / Fees / Online Guidelines 

Timetable- Foundation, Reading and Writing, Mandarin, Arts an Maths 2024-2025. - PDF, 865 KB. 

Star School Calendar 2024-2025.  - PDF, 218K. 

Fees at the Star Mandarin School. - PDF, 318KB.

Online Teaching and Learning Guidelines. - PDF, 313KB. 

Time:

•  All Face-to-Face deliveries held on Saturdays, 2h/session.
•  All Online Provisions held on Saturdays, Sundays and other evenings, 1.5-2h/session.

Dates:  14th Sept 2024 - 13th July 2025. School Calendar can be downloaded above.

Class size: Typically  8 - 20 students. A class can be opened if there are > 8 students.

Online Platform: University approved platforms include Google Meet or Zoom. The link will be sent by the class teacher. 

In-Person Venue: Bartolome House, School of Law, University of Sheffield, Winter Street, Sheffield S3 7ND

Parking information: Parking for learners/ parents/ cares is available while the lessons are in session at Bartolome House.

• FREE Parking with Permit: 1). Dam House, 2). Dart Square, 3). Geography Department, 4). Bartolome House, 5) Bolsover Street (rear of Dainton Building).
• Please adhere to car park management and travel options operated by the University Parking Services.
• Use Q-Park on Durham Street if parking is full.

Fees and Registration:   

The fees for our courses are heavily subsidised by the Confucius Institute and cover the entire school year. If your child joins midway through the year, fees will be prorated accordingly (paid for the rest of the school year) .

All fees must be paid through the University Online Shop: https://onlineshop.shef.ac.uk/  Search for “Star”.

When registering:

* Use ONLY English to register (Chinese writing can NOT be recognised).    请使用英文填写（网站不能识别中文）。

* Only One Order at a time is allowed.   每次只能为一位孩子注册。

* You must select a correct Course (Note: only the Course is selected, not the Course Time). Need to refer to the Timetable or seek assistance from your child’s teacher. 请一定选取正确的课程。注意：缴费链接里只有课程选项，没有课程时间选项。

* For any class, we require at least eight enrolments to open a new class. 需要8个以上学生开班。

WeChat:  Please make sure to join a Class email and WeChat Group. 为保证老师的直接管理，请加入到相应班级微信群里。

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Exam Preparation Class for GCSE Chinese (Mandarin)

Open to secondary school children, who have already achieved at least the foundation level of GCSE Chinese.

The Class is to go over the exam syllabus, polish the exam skills and aims to achieve better exam results. 

The GCSE class is not aimed to replace the systematic Mandarin study. The children are strongly advised to continue taking the study of "Zhongwen", "Jin Bu", "GCSE Chinese 9-1" or "Happy Chinese", alongside with this GCSE class.

Please note: We are not Edexcel or AQA test centre, therefore will not be able to enrol a child for GCSE Chinese exam. Our students go back to their English mainstream schools for the exam registration.

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Exam Preparation Class for A Level Chinese 

Open to secondary school children and above, who have normally passed GCSE Chinese and already achieved the foundation level of GCE.

The Class is to go over the exam syllabus, polish the exam skills and aims to achieve a higher exam results. 

Please note: We are not Edexcel or AQA test centre, therefore will not be able to enrol you for A-Level Chinese exam. Our students go back to their English mainstream schools for the exam registration.

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One-to-one Private Tuition for Children

Open to children at primary school or secondary school, and designed to meet personal learning objectives, private Mandarin and  Maths tuition, is offered all year round. Prior to the first session, a meeting is required to assess the prior knowledge and develop a learning programme. This meeting can take up to one hour and is free of charge.

Fees paid for a minimum 10-hourly-sessions, is at £300 (Fee rate is £30/h).

Fees paid for 33-hourly-sessions, is at £900 (Fee rate is equivalent to £27.3/h)

Fees payment is via the University Online Shop. 

The delivery mode can be discussed as either F2F or Online. Normally the Office at the Confucius Institute can be used for F2F delivery. 

Contact Dr. Hu for more information at 07593502130 or email: starschool@sheffield.ac.uk

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Quality Framework Awards, NRCSE

The Star Mandarin School has been awarded with Quality Framework, Bronze Award, Silver Award, Gold Award and Distinction Award, over the years, endorsed by National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education, NRCSE.

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Contact

For more information, contact Dr. Xinqun Hu:

Email: starschool@sheffield.ac.uk

Telephone:  +44 (0)114 2228447 / (0)7593 502130