Animated favourites Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Time to bring English to Singapore

• British Council and Aardman Animations partnership to encourage preschool children in Singapore to learn the English language
• Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Time to become faces of new Singapore-based learner centre to open in January 2015
• President Tony Tan Keng Yam visited Aardman Animations studio in the UK this week to welcome the announcement

The stars of the globally successful animated TV shows Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Time will soon be encouraging flocks of children in Singapore to learn English – thanks to a partnership between the British Council and Aardman Animations.

Welcoming the announcement this week, President Tony Tan Keng Yam visited the Aardman Animations studio in the UK, to hear how the new partnership will see an English learner centre for pre-school children opening in Singapore in January 2015.

Combining the British Council’s expertise in English Language Teaching with Aardman’s creative flair, children at the learner centre will be transported into Shaun and Timmy’s world with themed classrooms and learning based on the popular TV series.

As the first of the new learner centres to be based in Asia, the offer is an exciting initiative and will draw on the British Council’s years of experience in English Language Teaching to provide sound pedagogical curricula addressing the needs of younger learners.

The well-loved characters will also be part of a new range of unique language learning products including stories, activity booklets and digital resources designed to get preschool children engaged and excited about taking their first steps into the English language.

Commenting on the announcement, British Council Director English, Anna Searle, said: “The British Council is delighted to be working with Aardman Animations to bring a unique learning experience to early years or younger English learners in Singapore.”

“As such a well-loved and well-respected British institution, Aardman’s creativity and innovation combined with our expertise in English language teaching is certain to help children in Singapore engage with the English language in a whole new way. We have been teaching English in Singapore since 1957 and now look forward to helping Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Time make their mark in the world of English language learning here too!”

Sean Clarke, Head of Rights and Brand Development, Aardman Animations, added: “We have worked hard over the last five years to build Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Time into global brands entertaining children in over 150 countries around the globe. This is a great foundation to build a partnership with the British Council to create a package of fun and entertaining English Language learning experiences for early years or younger learners all over the world.”

Also read 8 Reasons why you should sign up child up for Learning Time with Shaun and Timmy.

To sign up, visit www.britishcouncil.sg/timmy1