Local schoolchildren will have the chance to sample traditional Korean games and activities at a special event organised by the Centre for English Language Teaching (CELT) at the University of York .

A group of 30 teachers, from the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education in South Korea, are on a four-week programme at the centre to improve their English and their English language teaching skills.

Maxine Squire, principal sdviser (Secondary) at City of York Council , arranged a series of school visits for the teachers.

The programme is linked to the city’s events to mark Playday – the United Nations-backed celebration of children’s right to play.

Event organiser, Senior Tutor Sally Jenkins, said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the South Korean teachers to be part of a community event and for the children to learn something first-hand about a different culture.”

Sue Young Kim, one of the teachers, said: “We were very nervous, but after talking about it we decided to do some traditional games.

“Visiting the summer clubs, we saw the children were so cute and kind so we have much more confidence. It’s a new and exciting experience for us. We are looking forward to meeting the schoolchildren and it is a great chance to introduce our culture to them.

“Overall, the course is very professional with theory and practice to encourage teachers to speak English and help them have better teaching. Thanks to CELT and the University of York for giving us this wonderful opportunity.”

Programme director, Matt Smelt-Webb, said: “Overall, we hope the South Koreans will gain an insight into educational practices in the UK so that they add some of this knowledge to their own teaching practices when they return home.”