Bursaries

A small number of bursaries towards flight and visa costs will be available for students that meet one or more of the following criteria:

			Free School Meals
			Special Education Needs
			Travellers’ Children
			Looked after Children

Please indicate on the application form how many bursaries you will be applying for.

The SSAT, British Council and Hanban encourage teachers to consider applying for a bursary for students who may otherwise not have the chance to visit China.  If you would like to apply for a bursary, we ask that you send a supporting letter to explain how many you are applying for and why.  The contact details for where supporting letters should be sent are below.  All applications will be considered carefully and fairly and we will do our best to accommodate all requests.

Special Educational Needs

The SSAT and the British Council are keen for all students to benefit from this opportunity.  It should be noted, however, that the approach of people in China to special needs may at times be very different from our own.  Students with special needs should be made aware that they may experience some unwanted attention as a result of their special need and may have problems with accessibility. Whilst this should not affect the students’ application, we would ask that the accompanying teachers explain this to the applicants and, if necessary, ensure that any accompanying staff and the student agree to work closely together during the trip.

Eligibility

Students from all secondary and special schools, sixth-form and further education colleges in England are eligible to apply. School based participants must be from years 8 -12 (i.e. going into Year 13 the following September) and FE applicants must be no older than 18 years old at the time of the trip.

Priority for the British Council Language Immersion Course will be given to schools that can show how participation in the immersion course fits into and supports a wider strategy of work with China and the teaching of Chinese (e.g. working in partnership with a Chinese school or students working towards an accredited qualification in Chinese).  All participants for this course must have taken a minimum of 10 hours of Mandarin classes prior to arrival at the course.

The SSAT summer camps visit is open to schools which currently teach Chinese on or off the curriculum but also schools looking to introduce it. Priority will be given to schools in this situation which can demonstrate how participation will positively impact on their school’s engagement with Chinese teaching and teaching about China across other areas of the curriculum.

Risk Assessments

A comprehensive risk assessment of the Beijing and province host institutions will be carried out by British Council or SSAT staff in China. Once schools have been accepted onto the programme they will be sent the appropriate risk assessment for the locations that they will be going to. As schools know, risk assessments are an ongoing process and British Council and SSAT colleagues in China will be in close contact with the host institutions in the run up to the trip to ensure they are up to date.

Contacts

For further information on the Language Immersion course please contact the Kate Elders or Kit Byford on 020 7389 4247/4431, or alternatively please email world.links@britishcouncil.org

Please send supporting letters for students requesting bursaries to:

Kate Elders
Project Officer - World Links
British Council
10 Spring Gardens
London SW1A 2BN

For further information on the Summer Camps please contact Alex Strugnell or Naomi Li at Specialist Schools and Academies Trust on 020 7802 0769 or at chinesenetworks@ssatrust.org.uk

Please send supporting letters for students requesting bursaries to:

Naomi Li
Project Officer - Chinese Networks
Specialism and Curriculum Networks
Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
17th Floor, Millbank Tower
21-24 Millbank
London SW1P 4QP