A project to help early years language skills, developed with the help of parents at Westlea School is being considered for a prestigious international prize for cross cultural innovation in education at the end of November.

Former Westlea headteacher Neil Griffiths and parent Judith Blake are opening up a selection of Storysacks and explaining their simple aim to an international jury over the weekend of 26 to 28 November in Weimar in Germany.

The Department for Education and Employment put forward the project to be judged by the prestigious Alcuin Award made by the European Parents Association.

Neil's inspiration for Storysacks started in 1993 and was developed with the help of a team of parents at Westlea School. Each sack is hand made and is based on a book and contains soft toys of the main characters, scenary, simple games and audio tapes to illustrate the story.

Using the guidance provided and the sack contents, parents help children improve their language, reading and writing skills and develop confidence.

With funding from the Basic Skills Agency Neil left Westlea School to promote Storysacks which are now established in every local education authority in Britain. They are also used in hospitals and as parent training aids in prisons.

"I am constantly amazed by the interest in Storysacks," said Neil. "Princess Anne, the patron of the Basic Skills Agency, has taken the Storysack given to her at Westlea to many countries and we receive dozens of calls from all over the world."