China's most famous philosopher could hold the answer to our education problems.

Jim Knight, the schools minister, wants to import the teachings of the ancient Chinese philosopher into English classrooms in the hope that they might boost exam results.

He has declared that every pupil should have access to a school where they can learn Mandarin and is drawing up plans to spread the wisdom of China's most famous sage throughout comprehensives.

"There is a lot we can learn from the Chinese culture and Confucius," he said. "Confucius said that, alongside knowledge, you should have time to think. It is not just about acquisition of knowledge, but about respect for the importance of education and the family, and that is something I would love to see engendered in our culture as well as it is in China."

Knight announced the unusual new initiative as he returned from a fact-finding trip to China to investigate how schools in England might benefit from Chinese teaching methods.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families wants to know why children from Chinese backgrounds outperform every other ethnic group in Britain.

During the trip, Knight visited the Confucius institute in Beijing, where he discussed setting up a network of "Confucian classrooms" — centres of excellence in teaching Mandarin and Chinese culture — in English state schools.

"I want to develop Confucius classrooms and further develop Mandarin in comprehensives. There should be an opportunity for everyone to access Mandarin at a local school," he said. Chinese pupils have the best results of all ethnic groups in national curriculum tests at 11, with 86% reaching the required standard compared with 80% of white British children. The figures include recent immigrants who do not have English as a first language.

Their success is carried through to GCSE level where 65.8% of Chinese-origin pupils obtain five A* to C-grade passes including maths and English, compared with 44.3% for white British pupils.

"These are cultures that strongly respect and value the family and very strongly respect education," Knight said.

Confucius, who was born in 551BC, championed the importance of study and respect for elders and claimed that strong family relationships were the key to a good society. He also criticised learning by rote, warning of the "great dangers" of acquiring knowledge without thinking.

In a wide ranging interview with The Sunday Times, Knight also announced he wants more links between private and state schools. He claimed pupils who are privately educated could be at a disadvantage in later life if they do not learn how to mix with people from less privileged backgrounds.

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