The vision of Mawson Primary School is to be an exemplary bilingual school where everyone is inspired and empowered to do their best. To achieve this goal, the school reviewed the Mandarin Immersion Program (MIP) in 2018 and decided to restructure the MIP program to implement an authentic bilingual model. In this model, 50% of the Australian curriculum is taught in Mandarin by a qualified teacher who is a native Mandarin speaker and the other 50% of the curriculum is taught in English. This bilingual model was launched in 2019 and will be phased in across the school. Not all students are in the bilingual classes. We also have a mainstream class in every year level.
In Mawson Mandarin bilingual model, Mandarin teachers adopt research based pedagogical approaches, such as a content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach and a balanced literacy/numeracy approach to plan differentiated teaching programs and learning activities to ensure the success of all learners in the learning of subjects through using the target language - Mandarin.
Enrolment criteria
Out of area enrolments into the MIP program are only considered if there are places available. Entry into the Mandarin Immersion Program for out of area students is based on the following criteria:
- Students who are native Mandarin speakers
- Students who have a Mandarin speaking parent or family member
- Students with prior knowledge of Mandarin, e.g. those enrolled in the Chinese Australian Early Childhood Centre
- Students who can demonstrate suitability to a bilingual Mandarin/English program through prior knowledge of the language
- Parental commitment to the school’s Mandarin/English bilingual program
- Active support of current siblings in the bilingual program and/or any other relevant supporting evidence.
Supporting documentation addressing these criteria will be required for all out of area enrolments and an interview may also be required. Also, all applications must provide proof of residency in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Mawson Primary School no longer accepts students from NSW. Enrolment into mainstream classes remains unchanged. Student resides in the PEA (Priority Enrolment Area) and/or is a sibling of student(s) who have already enrolled.