MORE than 200 schoolchildren witnessed the theft of the Mona Lisa during a day of learning languages.

The theft of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting was part of a play performed by pupils at Woodlands School, in Basildon.

The multi-lingual play was the main event of a week-long celebration of all things European.

It was called Getaway and chronicled the exploits of children as they travelled across Europe. It was conducted in six different languages by the pupils, with a rolling translation displayed on a big screen for the benefit of the audience.

Afterwards, Year 7 pupils enjoyed hunting for souvenirs in country-themed stalls run by older students.

In order to collect all the items they needed, children had to ask for them in the language of the country they were “shopping” in.

Alan Morgan, director of performing arts at the school, said the day helped raise awareness of different cultures.

He said: “It is great to introduce children to languages at such a young age.

“It really made them think about what they were saying. They even wrote postcards back to us after the event in a language of their choice.

“It was a fantastic day, the children really enjoyed it and we’ll definitely be doing something like this again.”