A NEWPORT primary school is one of only 12 in Wales to be awarded for its Chinese language teaching.

Millbrook Primary School has been awarded official Confucius Classroom status by the Hanban and Confucius Institute for its role in teaching Mandarin to learners.

The Confucius Institute is a non-profit public educational organisation affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, whose aim is to promote Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally and facilitate cultural exchange.

The school is now able to access funding through the Confucius Institute to support the development of their Mandarin and Chinese teaching programme.

Lindsey Watkins, head teacher at the school, said: “We very much believe in creating opportunities for our pupils to be citizens of the future. They could have jobs that might not exist now.

“It’s all about opportunity. Mandarin has been one of those things that we hear about in the private sector. Why shouldn’t our students have that opportunity?

“It’s been a huge journey. I’m just so delighted for the pupils, community, parents and staff. It’s a real recognition of everyone’s hard work. We are ecstatic.”

Councillor Debbie Wilcox, Newport City Council cabinet member for education and young people, added: “It is excellent to see Newport pupils being given the opportunity to learn Mandarin from such an early age.

“China has become a global superpower and being able to speak Mandarin will really give them an advantage for the future.”