A POOLE-born teacher has been recognised and honoured with a 20-year service award for her contribution towards teaching languages.

Languages teacher Joy Jermy teaches French and Spanish at the award-winning La Jolie Ronde Languages for Children Network.

Currently, they teach 484 nursery and primary-aged children in and around West London including nurseries that received outstanding Ofsted reports.

General manager for La Jolie Ronde Steve Baker said: “Joy is truly inspirational and her incredible commitment, dedication and drive has meant so many children over the years have benefited.

“Joy’s passion and professionalism, together with her enthusiasm about languages, shines through making her such a great ambassador.

“We are so happy to share this fantastic achievement with Joy and hope to share many more years with her.”

Joy, a mum-of-two, began conducting French classes every week, teaching her two young sons and a handful of children in her living room in Twickenham, in south west London, in 1994.

She taught these classes alongside working as a primary schoolteacher.

The popularity of her classes grew so she began running classes in local schools and formed her own learning company ‘Joy for Languages’.

Joy says that her two sons were what inspired her to start teaching French said: “My real passion for languages started when I was at school where I was fortunate enough to study French, German and Latin.

“That, together with a decade overseas teaching in international schools made me really want to offer that to my own children who could share and experience different languages and cultures of the world.”

In 2001, Joy became the regional co-ordinator at La Jolie Ronde Languages for Children Network.