TECHNOLOGY improvements at John Hampden Grammar School mean pupils will not have to cross the English Channel to immerse themselves in a foreign environment.

A state-of-the-art new language centre was opened yesterday by Dr Victoria Harrison of the Wolfson Foundation which contributed £50,000 to the latest development.

The new facility has transformed an existing classroom into a latest generation digital language centre which provides each student with access to a computer that gives interactive language lessons, monitors individual progress and uses digital technology to record a pupil's speech.

A mast console enables the teacher to control each computer and to speak directly through the system to individuals or the whole class. The system can be automatically adjust assignments to suit a pupil's ability.

Tapes and videos can be fed into the mast console and converted to a digital signal and cutting edge resources can be downloaded from the internet.

Russell Barr, head of modern foreign languages, said: "This is the most modern language centre in the county. Pupils particularly like the interactive way they can learn a language and the way lessons are personalised for them."

The funding also helped pay for a new science laboratory, opened this week by John Anderson, chairman of the governors of the school in Marlow Hill.

Stephen Nokes, headteacher, added: "At a time when schools are desperate for funds it is tremendously motivating for staff and pupils to receive such positive support from an educational charity and our own parents.

"As a technology college we are enthusiastic about using the latest technology in all subject areas. In addition to the language centre we have also been able to provide digital equipment to the music department."