30 students from Carisbrooke College went on a cultural and linguistic journey into the heart of Asia, travelling across China and taking STO mascot Teacher Ted with them for the experience.
The students - all studying Mandarin Chinese at Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight - spent 11 days in October travelling overland to four Chinese cities via key cultural and historical sites for a once in a lifetime Modern Foreign Languages trip with Travelbound.
After arriving in the modern, bustling city of Shanghai, they went to visit the Terracotta Warriors in the ancient city of Xi’an, headed off the beaten track to the old communist stronghold of Yan’an and scaled the dizzying heights of Mount Hua in Shaanxi province before finally ending up in the capital Beijing, exploring sites including The Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.
While in the country, they travelled on by coach and overnight sleeper trains to increase exposure to the language.
Mandarin teacher, educational visits coordinator and trip leader, Joe Briscoe said: “This was very much an educational experience and gave learners as many opportunities as possible to use their language skills, experience the culture up close and develop their confidence and independence.
“Watching the students grow on a trip like this can be a really satisfying experience for a teacher, and although the scale and scope of it can be incredibly daunting for them, once again every single person grabbed the opportunity with both hands, pushed themselves to the limit and were hopefully rewarded by a truly life changing experience.
“I think the students were surprised by how much they used their language skills - especially in the markets - and the extent of the interactions they were able to have with the locals. It made all their hard work in the classroom over the years worth it.”
Although the trip was primarily designed to ensure learners used their Mandarin skills to communicate, it was also carefully constructed to offer a range of life experiences and provide first-hand knowledge to complement topics in history, geography and RE.
“I’m really proud of every single young person and incredibly grateful for the awesome team of Carisbrooke staff that made the trip a reality.”
Teacher Joe Briscoe.
Popular locations such as Shanghai and Beijing offered their own culture and experiences, but it was the decision to take students to less well-known areas such as Yan’an that really made this trip stand out, according to Joe. Known around China as a key revolutionary location, visits to the bases of Yangjialing and Qingliang gave students an opportunity to see a completely different side to China - one of conflicting historical narratives and reverence to the past.
Joe added: “Yan’an is not like Shanghai - it’s a fifth-tier city which means the comforts and familiarity of home were well and truly left behind. Students didn’t see a single other western face the whole time they were there - something which contrasted hugely with the bright lights and energy of Shanghai and Xi’an only a few days earlier.”
While in Beijing, Carisbrooke College staff arranged for two of their previous Chinese language classroom assistants to meet up with them to help students with their language and accompany them on some of their excursions.
Joe said: “I think those reunions with their old teachers were really important to show the students that the world isn’t such a big place, friendships can last and that you can sometimes find a friendly, familiar face in the most surprising of places”.
Carisbrooke College won the ‘My Best School Trip’ Award at the 2024 School Travel Awards for their Year 10/11 visit to Vietnam, linking to their GCSE history curriculum. Highlights included visits to two tunnel networks and American bases used during the conflict here.
Tthe award recognises educational visits that have been well planned and really stood out for the impact they have had on the children and staff involved.
For more information, visit www.schooltravelorganiser.com/school-travel-awards.
What did the pupils think?
Tali Jones, who is currently in year 11 and studying for a GCSE in Mandarin at Carisbrooke College said: “This trip has only boosted my desire to see the world even more. I think that after coming back from seeing a new place like this I feel better educated, more aware, more understanding and a lot more mature.”
Leo Clack said: “While the culture was very different from ours at times, it was easy to adjust to and I was made to feel part of something very inclusive and friendly . Now that I have visited China, I am far more open to travelling to other places across the world - something that I was more reluctant to do before this trip. ”
Student Sophie Sanders said: “From this once-in-a-lifetime trip I have gained so much; the confidence to speak to people (especially in the Chinese markets and to the locals) as well as an eagerness to travel the world.
“China was so eye opening for me and just highlighted that there is so much more of the world to see - I can’t wait to travel some more”.
Student Sophie Sanders.
VI Form student Molly-Nora Harwood said: “I loved being surprised by myself. I really hope that I can continue travelling as this has been one of the best weeks of my life.”
Where have you been with your students? We’d love to hear about your experiences - get in touch by emailing editorial@schooltravelorganiser.com.
