PRIVATE school pupils will learn Urdu while helping their state school counterparts brush up on European languages.

The government is spending £50,000 over two years so that pupils from Beardwood High and Westholme, Blackburn, can team up.

From September, 25 year 10 pupils at Beardwood, where 93 per cent of pupils are Asian, will work with their peers from girls' school Westholme, 90 per cent of whom are white.

It will mean pupils from the state sector have a rare chance to use the latest technology and facilities available in private schools.

Sixth-formers from Westholme already act as mentors to pupils at Beardwood, where 60 per cent of pupils take GCSE Urdu. Beardwood head Ruby Hussain said: "Pupils and bilingual teachers will help Westholme pupils to learn Urdu.

"Many students considering work in the caring professions find a knowledge of Urdu useful, while some want to build on their use of the language in the community or learn it as a completely new language.

"In return, sixth-formers and teachers from Westholme will help our younger pupils studying modern foreign languages, such as Spanish or French."

The schools also plan to recruit adult language ambassadors to raise the profile of language learning among their pupils along with organised master classes for gifted and talented pupils.

Westholme principal Lillian Croston said: "Working together will also mean we can offer access to specialist facilities and technology, such as an internet caf with interactive languages software.

"It is a fantastic opportunity to really broaden pupils' horizons while helping them achieve even better results. We are already linked to a school in France and will extend that link to Beardwood pupils. They are working towards linking to an Urdu speaking school in India and we will join in that."

Peter Morgan, Blackburn with Darwen Council's education director, said: "This project will help bring together young people who might otherwise not meet, let alone share learning with each other. It's a fantastic chance for them and for other schools nationally to learn from this unique partnership."

The Department for Education and Skills has given £270,000 in total to the North West to boost links between state and independent schools.