Liz Kelly: "Fantastic" response from schools

"There is a big demand these days for bilingual employees and this must boost the resurgence of Liverpool by creating a more skilled workforce," said the city's education director, Colin Hilton.

The aim is to make extensive use of new technology to introduce lessons in French, Spanish or German from this September.

The senior education officer running the scheme, Liz Kelly, said the city had already introduced foreign languages for children aged nine to 11 in 28 primary schools, to be expanded to 50 this autumn.

All staff will learn the language

"Already the government has recognised the work undertaken in Liverpool as an example of outstanding practice and we have had visitors from around the country coming to study the work we are doing," she said.

The enthusiasm and expertise coming from the primary schools has made me feel very humble

Liz Kelly, project director

The scheme for children from nursery age upwards will follow the model established on that scheme of having all the teachers and assistants in the schools involved learning the language to be taught, rather than bringing in specialist teachers.

A similar scheme began in Scotland in the late 1980s and was extended across the country during the mid-90s - but the quality of languages teaching in secondary schools there has been denounced by inspectors.

Ms Kelly said that so far 34 schools had approached her to be one of the first three "centres of excellence" in Liverpool. Choosing between them would be very difficult.

"The enthusiasm and expertise coming from the primary schools has made me feel very humble," she said.

It had emerged that some head teachers were bilingual, perhaps with French or German parents.

One school had a Spanish national on the staff and another teacher with a degree in Spanish - and every other member of staff had volunteered to devote one evening a week to learning the language.

New technology

"At first when I saw the commitment schools would have to make to this I didn't think we would get any teachers - but so many are willing to put in all of that time and energy."

It will cost �180,000 a year over the three years, with three schools joining each year. But she said the council was promising to keep the expansion going.

An important aspect of the initiative is to capitalise on the already strong use of new technology in Liverpool's schools.

Children will all have "e-pals" to communicate with by e-mail in partner schools in other countries, and will be able to have conversations with them using video-conferencing.

"As a modern languages inspector it's been a dream of mine but I have never had this level of support," Ms Kelly said.

Culture bid

"It's absolutely wonderful. I'm dashing around like a headless chicken visiting all the schools that want to take part but it's fantastic."

Studying a modern foreign language is not a requirement of the national curriculum in England until children are 11 - although the government says a quarter of primary schools do offer a language.

Liverpool is bidding to be the European Capital of Culture in 2008. The city council leader, Mike Storey, said it was important for pupils to have a good command of European languages.

"I believe if we start teaching them early - from the day they start infant school - by the end of their primary days they could be well on the way to becoming fluent.

"It will give schools in Liverpool a cosmopolitan dimension."