Pupils turning Japanese at South Tyneside school

The pupils at South Shields School are turning Japanese in a project designed to boost attainment and broaden their horizons.

A specialist teacher is going along to the school to run an after-school Japanese club for the students.

The school, in Nevinson Avenue, South Shields, has been awarded a grant by the Japan Foundation to help students to learn about the country’s language, culture and history.

And the young people are throwing themselves into their new studies.

Specialist teacher Jane Lowe who lived in Japan for 30 years, has been brought into the school to work with the children.

She will be spending 13 weeks delivering the one-hour workshops after school to an enthusiastic audience of 20 Year 7-10 students, who are keen to learn about a country so far away.

Lindsay Morlock, modern foreign languages teacher at South Shields School, said everyone is buzzing about the new project.

She said: “The club is the talk of the school and has increased interest in a host of languages.

“Students are really curious to hear from Jane what it was like living in the country.

“They have been shown how to draw Japanese characters and speak common phrases. There has been a really good response, and some students have even asked about doing a GCSE.”

The club is considered an important part of the development of the school’s activities programme, which improves attainment.

Languages have been shown to have a really big impact on students’ learning and be invaluable at broadening horizons.