The most recent inspectors’ report for The RJ Mitchell Primary School in Essex, northeast of London, says it has slightly more pupils on free school meals – a measure of poverty – than average and that the students’ knowledge of other cultures is “under-developed”.
But the six and seven year olds sitting on the classroom carpet look scrubbed, neat and healthy – and are engrossed in a Mandarin lesson.
As they rush through personal pronouns and numbers from one to five, I have difficulty keeping up. The children then stand up to ask each other’s names in Mandarin. Two boys get permission to show off and also say: “Hello, how are you?”
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