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Progress test results from pupils on the Department for Education's indicate that the first cohort of almost 400 pupils from 14 schools across England are excelling when it comes to learning Mandarin Chinese - the most spoken language in the world.

Delivered by the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê Institute of Education in partnership with the British Council, pupils on the programme spend an average of eight hours per week studying the language. This includes four hours in the classroom which is a significant increase on the time usually spent on a language in school with the results showing that the Year 7 pupils' skills are developing at pace.

The majority of those on the programme achieved marks of 80% or higher across specially-created tests in reading, writing, listening and speaking. This not only indicates the quick progress the pupils are making but as skills that aren't usually tested amongst this age-group, it highlights the uniqueness and rigour of the programme as a whole.

And with an additional 23 schools throughout England starting the Mandarin Excellence Programme this term, hundreds more pupils will soon be reaping the rewards of the innovative approach to language learning which gives students an unprecedented opportunity to gain advanced skills at an early stage.

Ultimately, the programme will see at least 5,000 pupils in England on track towards fluency in Mandarin Chinese by 2020.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: "Mandarin Chinese is an important language to learn in our globally competitive economy. I am pleased that this programme is continuing to grow, allowing more pupils to be taught Mandarin at an advanced level. I would like to congratulate the first cohort of students on their success. They have achieved some excellent results thanks to their hard work and dedication. This will give them a significant advantage when competing in the global jobs market, and is particularly important as we prepare to leave the European Union."

In addition to improving students' fluency in the language, the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê Institute of Education, in collaboration with other providers, aims to have trained at least 100 new qualified Chinese teachers by the end of the programme.

The Confucius Institute, based at the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê Institute of Education already has a network of 45 Confucius Classrooms across England and supports schools in starting and developing the teaching and learning of Mandarin Chinese and the study of China across other areas of the curriculum.

Katharine Carruthers, Director of the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê Institute Of Education (IOE) Confucius Institute said: "The progress that learners have made after their first year participating in the Mandarin Excellence Programme is exceptional. The test results from the end of year one of the programme demonstrate the success and the impact that it is having. This year we are delighted to welcome additional schools joining the programme which will ensure that more than 1,000 new learners across the country are given the opportunity to learn Chinese to such an advanced level."

Mark Herbert, Head of Schools Programmes at the British Council said: "Mandarin Chinese is one of the languages that matters most to the UK's prosperity - and its importance is only likely to increase as the UK repositions itself on the world stage.

"If the UK is to remain globally competitive, we need far more young people leaving school with a good grasp of Mandarin in order to successfully work abroad or for businesses here in the UK. More than that, learning Mandarin is a fascinating process which creates a connection to the amazing Chinese culture and over a billion Chinese speakers globally."Ìý

State schools in England can apply to join the Mandarin Excellence Programme from 2018 with funding available to support successful delivery. As part of the programme, some pupils will have the chance to go to China from summer 2018.Ìý

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• Source: Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê IOE Confucius InstituteÌý

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• British CouncilÌý