CENTURIES old fairy tales are breaking down language barriers in south Durham schools.

Children as young as four are learning French through 200-year-old stories and music from storyteller Jean Paul Mortagne and flautist Anne Pannet, who started a short tour of five schools in Escomb Primary School yesterday.

Their visit was arranged by Durham County Council's international relations office, to give children already studying French the chance to hear it spoken and use it in conversation.

The artists, who are from Durham's partner area in France, the Department of the Somme, tell the stories of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears and the Ugly Duckling, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen.

International officer Brian Stobie said: "Children are already doing tremendously well in French but they have very little opportunity to use it in a real life situation.

"The artists speak to them only in French but tell them stories that they already know well and are very easy to understand."

The schools included in the project, which are in Crook, Willington, Barnard Castle and St Mary's RC at Blackhill, will pool ideas and share them with pupils in France.

At Escomb, children are taught French and Spanish right through the school and are also learning Czech this term.

The project will also see North-East storyteller Chris Bostock going into French classrooms to support English language teaching, while ten primary teachers are due to spend five days in Brit- tany looking at how French children are being taught English.