THEY take registration in French, have story time in French and even sing en francais but some of these linguists are only four years old.

In fact, oui' was the resounding cheer when budding Francophiles at Whitley Village School showed their appreciation for the newest addition to their school timetable.

Salut. Je m' appelleCa va?' is one of the first phrases children learn at secondary school aged 11. Yet youngsters in Whitley already use it to greet each other.

I went back to school and the pupils put me through my paces - in French naturellement.

Having studied the language to A-level, I was surprised at how much they knew and how much I had forgotten.

Max, aged seven, said: "When I go on holiday to France, I can speak to people and understand what they say."

While the reception class pupils can say their name, where they live and their age at .just four years old, the children I met spent the afternoon learning the days of the week and can count to 20 - easy as un, deux, trois.

Fast forward a few years and the juniors are spoken to for the whole lesson in French and can write in French too!

Lorraine Bourke said: "They all seem to love learning the language and are making great progress.

"We decided to bring it into the curriculum because we knew the Government was planning to do so a few years down the line, but this way we are ahead of the game."

The school started French lessons in September. Now teachers say some pupils are beginning to catch them out with their flair for the language.

Julie Morrison, head teacher, said: "I'm a firm believer that starting children early will make them flourish.

"Look at European students, they learn foreign languages from day one and most are fluent and speak at least two or three languages by their teens."