School for Children FAQs | 常见问题解答

The language taught is Mandarin Chinese, in simplified characters. 

YES, we accept all language backgrounds!

One stream of Mandarin tuition is for Chinese-heritage children who can understand (by listening and speaking) because they have Mandarin speaking environment at home. These can include those who has Cantonese or other Chinese dialects' speaking environment.

One stream of Mandarin tuition is for English-speaking children who have no Mandarin speaking environment at home.

Therefore, our Mandarin offered is for: 

• Chinese-heritage children (PDF, 258 KB)
• English-speaking children aged 4-7 (PDF, 254 KB)
• English-speaking children aged 8 and above (PDF, 254 KB).

Mandarin courses are structured for children to acquire all language skills. Certain sets of textbooks are followed, aiming to achieve GCSE Chinese and GCE (A Level) Chinese.

Therefore, courses are structured all the way through, from beginners to advanced levels, plus special exam preparatory courses for GCSE and A Level Chinese.

If your child has learned Chinese before, enrolment can take place at any time. Your child's Mandarin level will be assessed and she/he can join an existing class. 

Please note: Children are grouped mainly according to their knowledge of Chinese, so there will be some age differences within one class.

如果孩子学过中文，需要插入到现有班级。请家长点击 下载《中文》课本，自己测试一下孩子的中文水平，再查找所开设的班级让孩子加入。 目前中文学校提供从中文第1册 到 第12 册的所有课本的学习。

Absolute beginners will be offered from the middle of September every year. Minimum 8 enrolments are required to open a class. 

These two-hours-per-week courses take place on Saturdays, at Bartolome House, School of Law, University of Sheffield, Winter Street, Sheffield S3 7ND, at the following times. Please check our Timetable of the year. 

• 09:00 – 11:00
• 11:15 – 13:15
• 13:45 – 15:45

每年九月学校招收新生，接受没有学过中文的孩子们。

  1.1. Foundation Class 接受3.5-4.5岁的孩子-  是中文幼儿班。
  1.2. Pre-Beginners 中文学前班学习《幼儿汉语》1-4册，接受5岁- 6岁华裔儿童。
  1.3. Mandarin Beginners 1 through to Advanced, a systematic studies of the language, currently using Zhongwen Textbooks volume 1 to volume 12. 《中文一》接受6岁以上华裔儿童，开始学习《中文》系列教材，一共12册。
  1.4. Beginners1 opens to English-speakers, 接受还不能够听说中文的孩子们。

请留意：From 2024-2025, 我们的中文初级班不再使用 《中文一》，我们使用《轻松学汉语》，课本需要在老师的指导下购置。

Fees are collected for a school year, from September to July, via the University Online Store, search for "star school". 

The fees are paid for a school year. If you paid in September, you would get 10% discount.

Fees Regulations at the Star School- download, pdf - 335 KB.  

Please register and enrol for the courses at the University Online Store - search for "star school". The link is open during the summer time each year.

Please check our Mandarin Timetables and check with you child's class teacher, which textbook is used, and how to get them.

For Youer Hanyu and Zhongwen books- the books used by Chinese-heritage speakers, you can get them free of charge, as part of your course, at the Confucius Institute. 

For following books- the books used new Mandarin Beginners 1 and by all the English-speakers, you can textbooks via the University Online Store, and collect them at the Confucius Institute. You could also purchase the textbooks on the market.

•  Chinese Paradise, Vol 1-3
•  Kuaile Hanyu, Vol 1-3
•  My First Chinese Reader, Vol 1-4
• HSK Standard Coursebook and workbook, Vol 1-3
• Easy Steps to Chinese, Vol 1 

Please note: as a student, you can only purchase the textbook that is taught in your class.

For other textbooks, such as Easy Steps to Chinese, GCSE Chinese 9-1, Jinbu, some HSK Standard Textbooks, please you can get them on the market by yourself. 

For each student at the Star School, you can get a blank exercise book, free of charge, at the Confucius Institute.

In principle, the fee paid will not be returned. If courses are cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances the course fee will be taken off subsequent courses.

Click to See Fees Regulations at the Star School.

Normally in July the Class Teacher will hold an end-of-year test or celebration, where a Certificate of Participation may be presented at the same time.

We accept children as young as 3.5 years old. This is to say, we accept children who have already been accepted by an Infant or primary school.

Foundation classes are recommended for younger children before they embark on a systematic study of Mandarin Chinese.

Cantonese speakers frequently join our classes. We can advise on a suitable course based on the student’s level of spoken Mandarin, ability to read characters and whether there is a Mandarin speaking environment at home.

If the student cannot read characters and has difficulty to understand spoken Mandarin, they may need to enrol on the beginners course for English-speaking children.

For students whose parents speak a little Mandarin, we suggest the beginners course for Chinese-heritage children. In this instance the student will require some help from their parents, including daily Mandarin speaking practice at home.

If your child cannot read characters, but can understand some spoken Mandarin, then the beginners course for Chinese-heritage children would be appropriate.

If they can read characters, either in the form of traditional characters or simplified characters, we suggest they study with Chinese-heritage children.

In summary, if there is any possibility that a child could follow the course for heritage-speakers, we would do our best to help them settle in.

All courses are aimed to prepare students for GCSE Chinese and A Level Chinese exams, which are qualifications recognised at the UK Schools, as part of school education.

In addition, the children’s courses are also linked to YCT and HSK examinations, although the test is not a compulsory part of the course. YCT has four levels, while HSK has six levels, each assuming a certain range of language abilities. The children at the Star School are welcome to take YCT/HSK tests held at the CI. 

What is HSK? HSK is a standard evaluation of Chinese language ability and as such can provide a reference point for employers and education institutions. HSK is also one of the requirements for Confucius Institute scholarships.

The Confucius Institute office houses a Chinese Language and Culture Resource Centre, which has a comprehensive collection of over 6000 textbooks, literature volumes, dictionaries, audio-visual materials, language learning software and periodicals.

These resources can be borrowed, and the centre also provides SCI students with study space for revision and language exchange.

Visit the Chinese Culture and Language Resource Centre page.

Our courses for English-speakers are held on Saturdays during school term times. Mandarin for Parents can be available at the same time as the children’s classes, if we have enough enrolments, minimum of 8 people.

Alternatively, the CI also provides Mandarin Chinese at weekday evenings. Please you can register at our School for Adults. 

Please contact Dr. Hu, Tel: 44 114 222 8447; Email starschool@sheffield.ac.uk