There is no such thing as a language barrier at one Oxfordshire school where Polish students have been teaching their native tongue to English classmates.

With an increasing number of Polish students at Gosford Hill School, in Kidlington, teacher Alan Slater was keen to ensure they were all integrated and involved in school life.

Mr Slater runs the school's breakfast club, which plays host to a number of activities before lessons begin each day, and decided the best way to get his Polish pupils involved was to get them to give fellow students a crash course in their own language.

The breakfast club, which features activities such as table football, computer games and pool, has been run in Polish, with students such as Marta Grabowska finding herself on the other side of the desk.

The 13-year-old, who lives in Kidlington after moving from Poland two years ago, said: "It's been working well and has been really good fun, although I'm not sure how much people will have remembered."

Mr Slater, a maths teacher, said: "Students such as Marta have been helping us all understand more of the Polish language and getting everyone to learn some basic phrases.

"There are a lot of pupils at Gosford Hill who don't speak English as their first language and we have at least 15 different languages spoken, from Swahili through to Spanish, so I thought this might be a good way of getting people involved.

"Everyone has been really enjoying it. It's something a bit different and the Polish students have enjoyed sharing their language and culture."

Another pupil involved in the breakfast club's Polish lessons was Manuela Podobinska, 12, from Bladon, who moved from Poland 18 months ago. She said: "My English is not as good as Marta's, but it is improving and these types of activities are all helping."

Curtis Geddes, 12, from Bicester, said: "I have managed to pick up a few Polish phrases. It's been really good and is a good chance to start learning a new language. I'll go home and try to teach my family what I've learned."

Sue Eglinton, one of the modern foreign languages teachers at Gosford Hill School, said: "I think what Mr Slater and these students have been doing is great."