"We are looking to work with the local Confucius Institute, Hanban and our partner school Weishanlu High School in Tianjin to address this issue," Thomson says.

"I have already made contact with Fan Li, the coordinator at the Confucius Institute, to explore the feasibility of establishing a Confucius Classroom at Jordanhill School. If this option seems feasible, we would apply to Hanban and also to the British Council for support."

According to the British Council, head teachers at UK schools where Mandarin is taught are convinced that offering Chinese classes is an important contribution to a student's broader educational attainment and to their understanding of the world.

Research into Chinese-language learning in the UK from 2013 to this year, conducted by the British Council and Hanban, shows that 3 percent of primary schools, 6 percent of state secondary schools and 10 percent of independent schools currently offer Mandarin in their curriculums. The annual average growth over the next five to 10 years is forecasted to be between 4 and 8 percent, according to the report by the consulate's cultural and education section.

"I want Britain linked up to the world's fast-growing economies, and that includes our young people learning the languages to seal tomorrow's business deals," said UK Prime Minister David Cameron in December 2013.

"By the time the children born today leave school, China is set to be the world's largest economy. So it's time to look beyond the traditional focus on French and German and get many more children learning Mandarin."

The government has set out plans to double its number of Chinese learners by 2020.

Opportunities should be created to enable more UK young people to develop an international outlook and utilize languages in combination with learning professional, business and technical skills, says the British Council.

Officials at the cultural and education section of the consulate say they applaud the UK government's aspiration to double the number of Chinese learners by 2020 and vow to continue to advocate for a wider recognition of the benefits of understanding Mandarin.

The section said it will increase the number of Chinese language assistants in UK schools, support more UK school head teachers and language heads to visit and develop partnerships in China to gain firsthand understanding of the country, and encourage more UK youths to come study and work in China.

According to the previously mentioned report, Mandarin is the fourth most significant language for British society, after Spanish, Arabic and French. The report suggests opening more channels for British youths to gain access to the language for broader cultural comprehension.

"We are committed to supporting the UK in achieving this ambition," says Wang from the cultural and education section.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn