SECONDARY school students are busy teaching local primary pupils lessons in french, cheer dance, reading, and energy efficiency as part of an innovative new scheme.

Plymstock School young leaders are inspiring children at Elburton Primary School with after-school clubs based on the Olympic and Paralympic values – friendship, respect, excellence, determination, inspiration, courage and equality.

The brainchild of Plymstock physical education teacher, Theresa Honeywill, the extra-curricular classes started at the beginning of January and run until the February school half-term.

Ms Honeywill said: "What we've done is to extend the leadership opportunities in the school to other departments other than PE too, such as French and English.

"The older students teach the younger pupils things we have trained them in – the primary pupils really respond to the older role models and it's working brilliantly.

"The staff benefit, the children enjoy themselves and it also helps the students transition from primary to secondary better.

"We really value the links with our partnership primaries and out students have so much to offer, so this is a great way of maintaining close connections.

"To have continuity in the leadership opportunities available to Plymstock students is so important to the school.

"The classes incorporate all those great things like organisation, responsibility, confidence, commitment and communication they are so valuable across all subject areas as well as providing excellent preparation for life."

Staff at Plymstock School plan to run the leadership classes at Pomphlett Primary School during the next half term.

Ms Honeywill said: "Hopefully we will train more and more Plymstock students to become leaders as well as incorporating more subject areas.

"The plan is to continue moving the classes around each of our partnership schools providing all the children involved with fantastic opportunities."