English language project
The school is aware of the great importance and use of English, which is why it has its own English department made up of teachers from the United Kingdom and teachers with degrees in English Philology and Translation, Interpretationand Applied Languages. Together they have designed our language project, to meet the curricular goals of each year and to offer additional proposals that respond to different levels and needs.
This pathway, designed with an overview in mind, is introduced at nursery school. P3, P4 and P5 students have a year tutor and an assistant teacher who always speaks to them in English. Furthermore, two English teachers support them in their everyday school life and always speak to them in this language, both in class and during celebrations, preparing festivals, outings and excursions, etc. What is more, the teacher from Ireland teaches psychomotor skills in the gym and in the landscaped playgrounds of the school, and students also learnsongs, poems and stories from English children’s literature.
In the first year of Primary school, students start with English immersion using the co-teaching format, where one of the two teachers always talks to them in English.
To adapt to the different levels of English of all students, both English teachers during this stage split the groups into two smaller ones to provide more personalised assistance and to ensure students have greater opportunities to take part and to speak English. Oral comprehension and expression in English continue into the Secondary education stage and are improved on thanks to the incorporation of a conversation assistant from the UK, with whom students can practice individually.
As well as the two hours a week of Robotics, secondary school students take one hour a week of Social Science in English, which includes History and Geography. The co-teaching format is used to expand vocabulary and integrate grammar in a more realistic and applied manner.
American Dual Diploma and Cambridge exams
During the 2nd year of secondary education, our students have the chance to start the American Dual Diploma that will provide them with dual qualifications. This involves the assistance and support of our team of English teachers who have years of experience and are extremely familiar with the school Academica, which offers this project in the United States.
The school also likes to offer students the chance to communicate with youngsters of their own age from English-speaking countries. With this in mind, we organise an immersion trip to Wales for 6th-year primary school students, and we arrange student exchanges with a high school from the US state of Vermont for 3rd and 4th-year secondary school students.
Our school has also become a Cambridge examination centre, which means that students have the opportunity once a year to take the official A2 Key (formerly KET), B1 Preliminary (PET), B2 First (First Certificate in English) and C1 Advanced (Certificate in Advanced English) exams at the school. Because we give them this opportunity, we also want to prepare our students so that they pass with confidence. We have therefore introduced classes outside school hours that are fully focused on preparing for all areas of these official exams: reading, use of English, writing, listening and speaking.