To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families

(1) whether he plans to take steps to encourage schools to continue to provide teaching in Mandarin for pupils in years 10 and 11;

(2) whether he plans to take steps to encourage students to take up opportunities to learn Mandarin in schools;

(3) what his policy is on the provision of teaching of Mandarin in schools in years 10 and 11.

Mandarin language skills are becoming increasingly important for the future of our economy and we wish to encourage schools to offer the language where possible. Languages will become compulsory for 7 to 11-year-olds from September 2011. The choice of which languages to teach is for schools to make. We are funding the development of the primary schools workforce to prepare for compulsory language learning, including beginning in 2010/11 a primary initial teacher training programme with a Mandarin specialism.

Languages remain compulsory for 11 to 14-year-olds. Since 2008 we have widened the range of languages secondary schools can offer by lifting the requirement that schools must teach first a working language of the European Union. Research shows that 16 per cent. of secondary schools are now offering Mandarin Chinese either within or outside curriculum time, up from 9 per cent in 2007.

Languages have not been compulsory for 14 to 16-year-olds since 2004. Since then, languages have been an entitlement subject and schools must offer the opportunity to learn a language to all pupils who wish to do so. While the overall numbers of entries by pupils for a GCSE in a language have declined, the number of pupils in England entered for a GCSE in Mandarin has increased by some 70 per cent. from 1,444 in 2002 to 2,448 in 2009.

Finally, we will shortly be beginning a project to capture good practice in teaching Mandarin and about China, including bringing together in one place existing resources and considering what more might be done to promote further teaching of the language and culture of China.