ALMOST 30 primary school pupils with an aptitude for languages have certainly forged a French connection.

And they were given a real flavour of France when they took part in a special "French Bath" event held at Broad Oak High School, Bury.

Bath was the appropriate word as it allowed the youngsters to undergo a total immersion in French and all things French for a day.

Wearing striped T-shirts and berets, the 28 pupils were drawn from Chesham, East Ward, Fairfield, St Chad's, St John's, St Paul's and St Thomas's primaries. Each was welcomed by a year seven pupil from the host high school.

Their young charges made and ate a French breakfast, found out all about the geography and culture of the country, sang French songs and played French games. The youngsters also learned basic French language and even learned to express their opinions in preparation for their GCSE exams in forthcoming years.

At the same time, the children had the opportunity to use their information technology skills to type up the work they learned. The event was sponsored by Asda.

Broad Oak deputy headteacher Mrs Vivien Sharples, who organised the French Bath, said: "This was a wonderful opportunity to give the pupils a taste of secondary school while they are still at primary school. It helps to ease the transition.

"At Broad Oak, we work closely with our partner primary schools to make the move as smooth as possible, both academically and socially.

"Many of the teachers from Broad Oak work closely with primary school teachers to ensure continuity of pupils' learning as they move to secondary school."