HOST A CHINESE PUPIL
INTERESTING OPPORTUNITY TO HOST A CHINESE PUPIL THIS SUMMER
(AND TO EARN A LITTLE FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY)
Beechen Cliff is an enthusiastic member of the thriving partnership between 8 primary and secondary schools in Bath and schools in the city of Suzhou in China.
As a way of helping our pupils to meet and mix with Chinese students the partnership will once again host 40 Year 7 Chinese pupils for the coming Summer Term. Last year’s visit was a great success.
We are still looking for a few families who would enjoy this interesting opportunity to host a Chinese visitor on a homestay for the term
Obviously you would be remunerated for your hospitality – at £120 per week.
To find out more please contact Mr McGee on brianmcgee@beechencliff.org.uk as soon as possible.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
What is the Bath-Suzhou Educational Partnership?
This a pioneering partnership between 8 primary and secondary schools in Bath and 16 schools in the Chinese city of Suzhou. For the second year we have invited a group of Chinese pupils and their teachers to come and spend the Summer Term in Bath. The Chinese visit was such a success last summer that we would like to repeat it this year as it gives our pupils a unique opportunity to meet and mix with Chinese children.
Which schools are involved?
During their stay the Chinese children will be spending much of their time in 2 schools – St Gregory’s and Writhlington. However, the Chinese will also be visiting all the schools in our Partnership, including ours, thus giving our pupils the chance to meet and take part in activities with children from a very different culture.
How can our school help with the visit?
During their visit the Chinese children will be hosted by Bath families. We can help particularly by some of our families volunteering to be homestay hosts. If you can help with hosting a Chinese visitor that would be a huge help. The payment to cover all your costs for hosting is explained below.
Why are the Chinese children coming?
Two reasons – they want to experience our different way of life in England, and they want the chance to improve their spoken English. More than 2 Chinese pupils have applied for every one place on this visit, and so they really do want to come and experience life in England and in our schools!
When are they coming?
The children will be arriving the day before term starts – Sunday April 15. They will leave on Saturday July 14, just before the last week of term.
How old are the pupils?
They are equivalent to our Year 7 – so aged about 11/12
Isn’t it a long time for them to be away from home?
All the Chinese pupils have been boarders at their school since the age of 6! They all live in school during the week, and so they are used to be away from home. Our experience is that home-sickness is just not a problem
How many children can I host?
The normal arrangement is that each host family looks after just one Chinese pupil. Chinese families want their children to practice their English as much as possible! In a few cases the pupils may be hosted in pairs – if you interested in hosting a pair of children then do please let us know
Do I have to host for the full 12 weeks?
Ideally yes. It really is better if the Chinese children have the stability of being hosted by one family throughout their visit. But we do recognise that your family commitments sometimes make this difficult, so if you want to host, but can only offer to do so for part of the time, do please tell us as you may be able to share hosting with a family in a similar position
Can I host only if I have a son or daughter in Year 7 at secondary school?
Absolutely not. Last year all sorts of families enjoyed acting as hosts – some had children in secondary school, and some had children in primary school. Some families lived in Bath, some out in the country. What all the host families had in common was that they very much enjoyed the experience and felt that they had gained as much from it as their visitor.
Can I choose to host a boy or a girl?
Yes. The visiting group will be a mix of boys and girls, and our aim is to match you with a Chinese pupil who would best fit into your family circumstances
Will we know anything about our visitor before they arrive?
Yes, we encourage host families to make email contact with their Chinese visitor before they arrive. We can also give you some information about your visitor’s particular interests – this is part of the process of matching Chinese pupils to host families
What about half term?
The Chinese group will be doing their own 7 day trip around the UK in half term week, and so you will be able to make your own plans for that week
Do I have to plan special activities for my visitor?
Not really, the aim is that the Chinese children join in with normal English family life, and join with your family in doing what you normally do. Having said that, our experience is that host families often choose to join together to do things at the weekend
If there are any problems with my Chinese visitor settling in, what can I do?
The Chinese children have 2 of their own teachers with them, and it is those Chinese teachers who have the main pastoral responsibility, so they (and us here at school of course) will help to sort out any little problems that might arise
Do the Chinese children speak English?
Yes! English is a major subject at their school in China, Suzhou Foreign Language School, and so all the pupils can communicate perfectly adequately in English when they come. In our experience their English improves very rapidly indeed while they are here
What if my Chinese visitor is ill?
For normal little illnesses you can use the normal medicines you use in your family. In the unlikely event of anything more serious – needing a visit to the doctor or hospital – all the Chinese children have full medical insurance to cover any costs. We will have prior information about any children with allergies and will let host families know
Do I need to provide special food?
No, part of their reason for coming is to experience our way of life – including our food. Young people in China are very familiar with western food – through places like McDonalds, Pizza Express and KFC, and so they usually adapt quickly to our food. One thing they enjoy is going food shopping with you (in the same way they you would find it interesting to food shop in China)
How will my visitor get to and from school?
Your Chinese visitor will go to your son or daughter’s school in the normal way he or she does. We will make arrangements for the Chinese pupils to then travel to and from St Gregory’s or Writhlington each school day. Very occasionally the Chinese children may go on a visit away from Bath which means that they arrive back after the normal end of the school day – you will know well in advance when these very few occasions will be.
What clothes will they bring?
They will bring some of their own school uniform to wear on school days, and other casual clothes for evenings and weekends
Will they want to contact home?
Yes of course. We will organise for all the Chinese children to buy their own phone cards, so that they can ring their parents without it adding to your phone bill. Many of the children will have their own mobile phones anyway which they use for contacting home. We also hope you can give your visitor some access to the internet at home to email home from time to time
Will the Chinese children bring pocket money?
Yes, they will have their own pocket money, which is looked after by the school, and issued by their own teachers. This will cover the cost of any presents or souvenirs that they want to buy
What is the payment to cover hosting costs?
We will pay each host family £120 per week for each Chinese pupil they are hosting. So if you hosting one child the total payment for the 12 weeks of hosting will be £1440
Will I have to pay tax on this?
No, as this is not income as such, the payment to you is to recompense you for the expenses of hosting
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask us