OOH La La! That was the verdict of children at a Whitefield primary school when they sampled a taste of the French way of life.

Youngsters at St Bernadette's RC Primary School, in Abingdon Avenue, dressed in red, white and blue and took part in a variety of French-themed activities.

They played French bingo, known as Lotto, tried out their language skills and tasted French food such as baguettes, croissants and camembert cheese.

Headteacher Mr Des Burns said: "I don't think they thought much of the cheese, but the pain au chocolate was extremely popular! The day went really well, it was a lot of fun and the children practised their language skills."

The school is working hard to prepare pupils for foreign language classes in high school and is closely linked with St Monicas RC High School, which is a specialist language college.

The pupils in years three to six all take French lessons once a week and there is an after-school Spanish club.

Mr Burns said: "The more we can do at this stage, the quicker they will settle into high school life where languages are a significant part."

The French day was held to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11 and as Saint Bernadette was from Lourdes, the school decided to join in the traditional French celebrations.