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Five teachers from the Czech Republic have been recognised for raising the standard of English amongst young learners at their schools. They took part in a visit to the historic University town of Cambridge this week. They were invited by the university of Cambridge ESOL Examinations and British Council Czech Republic as part of a prize for encouraging children in their schools to take Cambridge's Young Learners English (YLE) tests.

The visiting teachers were from two key Primary Schools in the Czech Republic that have a particular focus on the learning of foreign languages. They were: Šárka Ocelíková, Petra Tomanová and Veronika Bendová from Bakalovo Square Primary School in Brno; and Anna Levy and Blanka Voráčková from Emmy Destinove Primary School in Prague.

Andy Chamberlain, Cambridge ESOL's Regional Manager said:

"It's important to recognise the contribution these teachers are making to improving English language ability in the Czech Republic. Children who learn English early on have a big advantage over their counterparts as it can really open up their options in terms of education and work."

The Bakalovo Square teachers registered an impressive 77 YLE students in 2010 and have been working with Cambridge for a decade. The teachers from Emmy Destinove were also recognised for registering 50 YLE students in 2010.

Both of the primary schools teach some lessons through the medium of English, and the prize is the result of Cambridge ESOL teaming up with the British Council Czech Republic.

Andy Chamberlain said:

"We've teamed up with the British Council Czech Republic to support their loyalty programme for teachers and it's been a huge success. This year a number of new schools in the Czech Republic have started offering the Cambridge English tests and we have seen a particular emphasis being placed on Young Learners English Tests in state schools. This is a very encouraging trend and I look forward to seeing how these tests continue to be used in the country."

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