PUPILS at Cransley School in Great Budworth are celebrating Chinese New Year next month with an authentic celebration as its pupils studying Mandarin demonstrate their Chinese language skills with traditional Chinese songs and poems.

The school is twinned with Wenzhou No.2 Foreign Language School in China, and students have been developing their Chinese language skills during the past year as the school gears up for an exchange visit with students from Wenzhou.

Head teacher Simon Leyshon visited Wenzhou recently to meet pupils and senior staff to develop the exchange programme and international relationship.

He said: “Eleven thousand miles, several meetings with bureau chiefs, senior educators, teachers and students and a lot of goodwill later, Cransley School is now twinned with Wenzhou No.2 Foreign Language School.

“We’ll be using our partnership to further develop our teaching of Mandarin throughout the school so students feel competent and are able to communicate with students from Wenzhou when the exchange visits take place later this year.”

The school will also be celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Sheep with a number of wool-related crafts and activities before half term.