Children as young as four are to be taught Polish in primary schools in Northern Ireland from this term.

Northern Ireland Education Minister Caitríona Ruane said the decision to offer Polish in schools was due to there being so many Polish children in the country. With an estimated 1,700 Polish children in schools, the language has been added to the Spanish and Irish already on offer.

Until now primary school children in the country had been offered the choice of Spanish and Irish as a second language.

Ms Ruane said, “Irish is our native tongue and in recent years there has been a welcome increase in the number of people choosing to learn it. Spanish is the second most widely spoken language and is the first language in many countries around the world.

“Due to the increase in newcomer children from Poland in our schools we will be offering Polish lessons to primary schools from September. There is clear evidence that the earlier in life children begin to learn a second language the easier it is for them to become fluent.”

Since the Northern Irish Government began the £1.5m languages programme last year, 323 schools and around 13,000 children have taken part in the initiative.