Thousands of children have taken part in activities to boost their linguistic abilities thanks to grant funding.
The annual European Day of Languages, celebrated on 26 September, is a time to recognise the hundreds of languages spoken across Europe and thousands spoken around the world.
Pupils across County Durham, from nursery-age children to sixth form students, enjoyed a range of activities designed to promote language learning, with lessons involving everything from French boules to singing, and from pretend phone conversations to Bake Off competitions.
The events were funded with small grants, issued by Europe Direct Durham, an information service supported by the European Commission and managed by Durham County Council.
Cllr Olwyn Gunn, cabinet member for children and young people’s services said: “Activities like these are hugely important in encouraging young people to learn languages, which can have a real impact on their future job prospects.
“In our ever increasingly interconnected world, an understanding of other cultures and an ability to speak more than one language are skills that employers really value. We often forget that only 6% of the world’s population speak English as their first language and that 75% speak no English at all. European Day of Languages reminds us that not only is learning another language fantastically useful but it can also be great fun.”
