To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers with a language specialism in Mandarin Chinese qualified in the last 12-month period for which figures are available. (174290)

Data relating to the language specialisms of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) trainees are not collected centrally.

In 2005/06 there were two postgraduate ITT trainees who gained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and had an undergraduate UK degree in a subject related to Mandarin. One trainee had an undergraduate degree in applied languages and the other in Chinese (modern).

There are currently no ITT courses which specialise in Mandarin only.