With a view to promoting Japanese language education at primary schools in Britain, the Ready Steady NihonGO! Project was launched on October 19 at the Embassy of Japan.

In 2002, the Department of Education and Skills announced its commitment to provide foreign language education to all pupils at Key Stage 2 (7-11 year olds) by 2010. Bearing this in mind, the Japan Foundation London Language Centre and Japan 21, in cooperation with the University of Nottingham's School of Education, have devised a 10-lesson course in Japanese, tailor-made for the UK classroom.

The main aims of Ready Steady NihonGO! are to provide pupils with a valuable cultural insight into Japan which will allow them to develop sensitivity towards other less familiar cultures whilst encouraging them to view their own way of life from a different perspective. Also, it is hoped that the early introduction of Japanese language will form a sound basis for any future study of the language.

Intensely practical, the course is designed to be team-taught: it recognises that, while few class teachers speak Japanese, many schools have Japanese nationals living nearby and enables schools to tap into this valuable human resource.

Ready Steady NihonGO! is a complete resource, including detailed lesson plans, background notes, worksheets. flashcards and sound files. Depending on their class situation, teachers may either print out these materials or use them direct from source on interactive whiteboards.

The syllabus and teaching materials will be available on CD and via the internet from the end of 2005. For further information on the Ready Steady NihonGO! project, please visit: www.japan21.org.uk