CHILDREN across South Somerset are being invited to take part in the world’s largest film festival for schools which is running in October.

National Schools Film Week takes place from Monday, October 15, to Friday, October 26, with a chance for young people to go to Yeovil Cineworld free-of-charge. The festival’s goal is to support classroom teaching by providing schools with a powerful experience for their students that links directly to elements of the curriculum.

The event is supported by an on-line library of resources related to individual films and more general topics. 470,000 students and their teachers attended the Festival in 2011 and this year there will be 2,500 screenings at 570 cinemas across the UK.

Festival Director Nick Walker said: “The Festival seeks to create a greater awareness and understanding of cinema based on the concept of relationships and dialogues in a variety of films, address issues of cultural exchange and raise awareness amongst teaching professionals of the use of film across the school curriculum.”

Class Teacher at Merriott First School William Pearse added: “National Schools Film Week is a great treat for the children, which we can enjoy together, plus we linked the film to our environment project. We could build up to the film and then pupils could look out for parts we studied, such as what causes pollution.”

The 2012 programme at Yeovil Cineworld starts with Brave (PG) screened for the sensory impaired on Tuesday, October 16, and Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (PG) on Wednesday, October 17.

Next up is Hugo (U) on Thursday, October 18, and The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn on Friday, October 19. Puss in Boots (U) will be shown on Monday, October 22, Monster in Paris (U) on Tuesday, October 23, and The Woman in Black (12A) on Wednesday, October 24.

Bringing proceedings to a close are The Artist (PG) on Thursday, October 25, and Dr Seuss’ The Lorax (U) for the sensory impaired on Friday, October 26, introduced by storyteller Adrian Beckingham.

Teachers can book their free tickets on-line at www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org