Pupils at a Derbyshire school have been given an authentic taste of Chinese New Year with the help of local parents and a dancing dragon.
Children at Sale & Davys CE Primary School in Barrow-upon-Trent – part of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust – spent a day finding out all about Chinese traditions at New Year which will this year fall today (February 17).
Joshua and Jane Tse, who have come to this country from Hong Kong and whose daughters Sofie and Alyssum attend the school, were on hand for the day to tell children about how the Chinese celebrate the lunar new year.
The couple helped pupils make traditional “laughing” biscuits, a popular New Year treat in South China, while teachers and children got stuck into crafting delicious spring rolls stuffed with vegetables and noodles.
Primary Workshops came along to the school to teach children all about Chinese dancing with fans, parasols and a traditional dragon too.
Pupils swapped classrooms for the day and enjoyed a wide range of activities including crafts such as lantern making.
With the help of Jane and her daughters they even learned to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Cantonese!
Head teacher Sarah Briggs said: “At Sale & Davys we like to teach children about Chinese New Year but this year we have taken things a bit further with the help of Joshua and Jane Tse, two of our parents, who kindly gave their time to help tell pupils all about this important celebration as well as hand making hundreds of amazingly delicious laughing biscuits with us.
“We think it is very important to celebrate different traditions and create a really inclusive environment in which we recognise ceremonies from all faiths and countries of the world.
“Children really enjoyed learning all about Chinese New Year at Sale & Davys this year. We encouraged all the teachers to wear red and it’s been brilliant to see everyone enjoying the dancing, the food and the brilliant crafts we’ve had on offer.”
Dr Sarah Clark, chief executive officer of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, said: “At all our schools in the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust we really enjoy helping our pupils learn about different cultures and traditions. It’s great to see how much the children at Sale & Davys enjoyed their day-long celebrations to mark Chinese New Year. My thanks to everyone who helped make the day so special.”
