Boy, 10, has learned ten languages

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As well as English, Arpan Sharma speaks Hindi, picked up from his parents, and has learned Spanish, Italian, German and French at school.

The primary school pupil has also taught himself to speak Thai, Swahili, Mandarin and Polish using DVDs, as part of a programme called the Junior Language Challenge.

And for his 11th language, he is learning Lugandan - a language spoken in Uganda.

Arpan, who lives in Oldbury, West Midlands, is a pupil at the independent Blue Coat School in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

He said: "Learning these languages is my favourite part of school, along with music.

"Learning Swahili was probably one of the biggest challenges I've faced and Mandarin Chinese was hard, too."

Arpan, who hopes to work around the world as a surgeon when he is older, is also a member of the National Children's Orchestra.

His teachers believes his musical ear has helped him linguistically.

Deputy headmaster Richard Lynn said: "He has a natural talent for languages and some of that talent is twinned with his abilities as a musician."