LAMDA Exams Classes for Parents

LAMDA Exams is a truly global awarding organisation. Now taught in over 48 countries internationally, our qualifications aim to equip learners with skills for life, boost confidence and oracy, and encourage a love for performing – unrestricted by country or age.

While schools across the world teach the LAMDA Exams syllabi to their students, several centres have broadened their offering – expanding their teaching to not only include school-age children, but also their parents.

One example is Harrow Beijing, an independent school in China for children aged 2 to 18, where LAMDA Exams is used to support an all-round education: empowering students, inspiring creativity, and encouraging a comprehensive learning of English language and speaking skills. 

Since introducing LAMDA Exams to their lessons in 2014, they have entered over 3,570 students for examinations – spanning qualifications in Shakespeare for Performance, Acting, Musical Theatre, Speaking in Public, and Speaking Verse and Prose.

But utilising LAMDA Exams goes beyond the school’s students. Recognising the wider opportunities offered by the Communication syllabus, Harrow Beijing have significantly expanded their LAMDA Exams teaching – establishing weekly evening classes for parents, centred around the Speaking in Public qualification.

Their course contains two groups, at a pre-intermediate and intermediate level, with 15 parents in each group. Classes are structured with the aim of building parents’ confidence, supporting them as they further develop their skills in English as a second language, while also ensuring the journey is inspiring and rewarding: currently, parents are looking at May 2025 to take their first Speaking in Public examination.
 

The idea to implement LAMDA Exams on a larger-scale emerged as a way for parents to better connect with their children. With LAMDA Exams already embedded into Harrow’s teaching for students, holding lessons specifically for parents helps them to better understand what their child studies at school, as they experience a version of it themselves. 

The classes also aim to support each parent’s ability to communicate with their child. The Speaking in Public qualification was chosen as a suitable starting point, with its focus on building a foundational understanding of English and English language skills. 

On top of this, Harrow Beijing consider these classes a positive opportunity to bring parents closer to the school itself and to connect them with other parents. With each session followed by a coffee and catch up, the classes help to nurture the school’s community feeling, as they share parental tips and discuss ways to support homework. 

Rachel Yan, Drama Teacher at Harrow Beijing, noted, “Weekly gatherings focus on various topics to improve conversational English and have resulted in strengthened connection between school and home.”

So far, their sessions have explored themes such as non-verbal communication, the importance of articulation, and ‘the art of the pause’. Throughout each lesson, they practice together, fostering friendships between parents, with wide-ranging conversations touching upon culture, yoga and art. For Rachel, one of the highlights of the lessons has been learning more about China, helping her to uncover new areas to visit and explore.

Most of all, the participating parents are enjoying the chance to share experiences and develop new skills. Rachel continued, “Combining LAMDA classes with a coffee and a chat afterwards is an excellent chance to learn and share a mutual love of Chinese and British culture, while enhancing conversational English skills… We look forward to the classes continuing.”