It is an honour for us and a reflection of the breadth, variety and quality of the channels' content

Patrick Cross, BBC World

The French Education Minister, Jack Lang, said his department had agreed to the corporation providing two channels, BBC Prime and BBC World, for use during English lessons in secondary schools.

BBC World provides 24-hour coverage of world news, but pupils may prefer BBC Prime - an international entertainment channel, showing classic drama, cult comedy, award-winning documentaries, the latest music hits, children's shows and educational programmes.

'Year of Languages'

The partnership comes as part of the European Union's "Year of Languages" and ahead of Wednesday's European Day of Languages.

Managing director of BBC World, Patrick Cross, said: "BBC Worldwide is delighted that its international channels have been selected by the Minist�re de l'Education nationale for use in French secondary schools and teacher training colleges."

"It is an honour for us and a reflection of the breadth, variety and quality of the channels' content," he said.

BBC World and BBC Prime are the only channels to be used in this way in French schools.