ENGLISH children are like "quiet little soldiers" compared with their rowdier French counterparts, research has revealed.

A survey of trainee French teachers who visited the North-East on an exchange trip showed that 85 per cent felt that English pupils were quieter than their pupils.

Marion Murray, of Newcastle University, said the French trainees felt that English pupils worked in a much more controlled environment, which was probably down to Britain's packed curriculum.

Mrs Murray, who is course leader of an initiative to train primary teachers wanting to specialise in languages, said: "There is such a lot for teachers to get through and I think the curriculum is very narrow.

"I do not think children should be like soldiers, they should be allowed freedom to be children."

Newcastle University was one of five institutions to pilot the Teacher Training Agency Primary French Initiative.

As part of the course, the university carries out exchange visits with the University of Amiens, in France.

The 20 French students who came last year took part in Mrs Murray's survey about the educational differences between the two countries.

The survey also found that more than half of the teachers felt English pupils were given more rewards.

Mrs Murray said: "The French find our common use of rewards and praise given by our teachers surprising.

"In France, they say that the attitude of teachers is that pupils should behave and work hard.

"But after spending more time in our schools, they became more of the opinion that the reward systems are quite worthwhile."