TODDLERS had the opportunity to learn Spanish at the opening of a new nursery.

Gosfield School in Halstead Road has just opened their new nursery with a difference- where children are encouraged to learn languages and creative subjects through play.

Spanish classes are offered to pupils from the age of two through simple games and rhymes, but many of them have quickly picked up phrases and sentences since the nursery opened.

Debra Strong said her daughter Bella, 3, is able to carry out a simple conversation in Spanish with her teacher.

She said: “We go to Spain regularly on holiday and she is looking forward to being able to talk to the children there next time we go.

"She is absorbing information all the time, without realising it.”

Chairman of governors at the school, Peter Sakal, has a two-year-old daughter Betty who has also started at the nursery.

He said: "We first discussed the idea of a nursery in 2002 and had the necessary funding by 2006, but then the recession struck and it had to be put on hold.

"I am immensely proud that it is now completed and that the £1.2 million block for the early years education was completed on budget and on time.”

Head teacher Dr Sarah Welch is proud of the latest innovation where the children can continue their education on the same campus until they are 18. She said: "“Children that young are not self-conscious about speaking in the correct accent, or using the right word, like teenagers are. They simply copy what they hear.”

The nursery, which is teacher-led, is open from 7.30am to 6.30pm.

Every morning in the nursery is spent in 'forest school', where the children are taken out for nature walks within the park, taught how to make a simple shelter, learn about wildlife and enjoy exploring.

The rest of the day follows the Early Years curriculum.

At the official opening of the nursery on Friday, April 29, Braintree MP James Cleverly welcomed the school’s foresight in teaching Spanish.

Specialist language adviser Penny Taylor said providing language at the earliest opportunity ensures open minds.