Shanghai has one of the highest number of international schools than any other city in China due to its sizeable expatriate population, many whom are executives on all-expense-paid packages. Traditionally most foreign schools have had policies against admitting Chinese students in concert with local laws that force them to only admit students with overseas passports.

However, due to the flight of expats in China that has occurred in recent years as well as a growing trend among middle-class Chinese families to send their children abroad for an education, many international schools in Shanghai are now attempting to diversify into joint-venture schools between local and foreign education brands.

One of Shanghai's latest international school arrivals will cater to both Chinese and foreign students by offering a dual-language curriculum. "Our vision is to create a genuinely ambitious, multilingual school community," said Robert Graves, Executive Principal of Nord Anglia Chinese International School (NACIS), which will open its doors to locals starting in September.

Strength in Shanghai

Unlike other international schools in Shanghai that focus specifically on either British or American values, NACIS's bespoke curriculum will be built on the foundations of Chinese values and the core elements of the Shanghai National Curriculum taught through the medium of Putonghua and standard English.

Sarah Graves, NACIS Director of Studies, said, "We have combined the best learning objectives from international curriculums with the Shanghai National Curriculum."

Speaking of the difference between Chinese curriculums and international curriculums, Graves said that though she personally doesn't think it fair to say one is weak and one is stronger, she sees strength in Shanghai's national curriculum.

"Perhaps Chinese students work a little bit harder after school and at school during lessons and therefore perform better in exams. But I definitely think the Chinese mentality of being able to perform arithmetic without having to calculate, for example, is a strength. So I believe that we have a lot to learn from Shanghai National Curriculum mathematics."

The school will also offer a multilingual environment for Chinese students to take pride in their culture, tradition and heritage while at the same time get a solid grasp on English for their future success in the international world.

"English and Chinese language and literature are placed at the heart of our academic program. What we are planning is to make sure to teach languages with the same methodology so that student can make the link between the Chinese and English learning.

Chinese and international teachers will collaborate over the delivery of other key subjects, such as mathematics and science, drawing upon the best of Eastern and Western teaching methodologies to build these valuable skills," Graves said. 

To help students quickly develop fluency in both Putonghua and English, all NACIS teachers will be trained in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), a leading methodology which enables students of all ages and proficiencies to develop their language skills throughout their lessons.  

"CLIL means when teachers are preparing their lessons to deliver to their students they are not only looking at the knowledge needed to learn science or geography or history but also at the opportunity to learn a language," Graves explained.

Meet the parents

Unlike Chinese public "key schools" which select students strictly on their scores and certifications, NACIS will focus primarily on parent interviews during its selection process.

"The most important thing for us to do is to interview the parents. Because having great parents in our school means that everybody has the same mind-set," said Graves. "We are not a selective school. We select to make sure their family have the same international mind-set but that they are proud of being Chinese."

Having already interviewed many Chinese parents, Graves noticed that most want to give their children a balanced education both in and outside the classroom.

"International schooling offers more balance between the classroom and outside of the classroom and therefore students can benefit from both. There is a time and place for study and there is a time and place for playing, exploring and developing their talents," she said.



 

 

(From top) Robert Graves and Sarah Graves discuss the dual-language curriculum at Nord Anglia Chinese International School. Photos: Courtesy of the school

 

 
Newspaper headline: Dual curriculum