A shortage of schools offering Mandarin lessons has been criticised (Picture: PA)

Not enough UK schools are offering lessons in Mandarin Chinese, putting the country’s economic recovery at risk, it has been claimed.

Research conducted by the British Council and HSBC said the number of schools offering the language was ‘stagnant at best’.

Interviews with 800 teachers conducted last year found that just three per cent of primary schools and nine per cent of secondary schools taught Mandarin lessons.

Last year 2,541 pupils sat Mandarin exams, a rise of 400 on 2011, but 72,606 Spanish exams were taken, a rise of 5,000 over the same period.


British Council chief executive Martin Davidson said: ‘The UK’s future prosperity depends in no small part on our ability to communicate and build relationships with people from around the world, and there are few more important partners for us than China.



‘But, despite perceptions that more and more UK schools are teaching Mandarin, all the evidence suggests that the real number is stagnant at best and far too small.’

Mr Davidson added: ‘Without a workforce that can understand and communicate effectively with one of the world’s biggest economies, there’s a real risk that the UK will struggle to compete and fall behind as a result.’

The government announced plans last year for foreign language lessons to be compulsory for children from the age of seven.

A big drop-off in the number of French and German exams taken was recorded last year, although Spanish exams have risen slightly since 2007.

AQA exam board chief executive Andrew Hall said fewer pupils learning foreign languages was a ‘real worry’.