A NEW project to teach French to four-year-olds has been launched in County Durham.

St Bede's RC School in Lanchester, a specialist language college, is working with its partner primary schools to bring modern foreign languages to children during their earliest days at school.

More than 100 children from 13 primary schools were at St Bede's to help to launch the project which will see all reception children learning French from January 2004 and continuing throughout their primary school years. Headteacher Maureen Bates said: "St Bede's is acknowledged nationally as one of the leading schools for teaching modern foreign languages.

"We've been working for several years with our partner primary schools by providing a teacher either to teach French to Year 6 pupils or to support schools that want to deliver French classes themselves.

"The success of the scheme has encouraged us to embark on this ambitious new project to introduce reception class children to French. The hope is that children from their earliest days will understand the importance of learning a foreign language."

The Teacher Training Agency has acknowledged the good practice at St Bede's by setting up a partnership with the University of Durham to develop a course for primary teachers to teach French.

Mrs Bates said: "With the support of the TTA, we are one of the first schools in the country to appoint a primary modern foreign languages lead teacher."