What is it?

• Bilingual Education is an enriched model of education where two languages and two cultures meet to create a unique quality school experience. Children who have been educated following such a model will be able to function in two languages and in two or more cultures, and therefore be better prepared to meet up to the demands, the new millennium places upon them.
• Bilingual Education strives not only for bilingual proficiency but also for high academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding.
• Bilingual Education strives for Additive Bilingualism.
• Bilingual Education is developmental and child-centred.
• Bilingual Education is inclusive structured programme, languages are not taught in isolation by segregating pupils on an E/ISL withdrawal classes. All curriculum areas are taught in the classroom by both the Italian and English teachers.
• In Bilingual Education parents and teachers work as partners and share common objectives.
• Bilingual Education fulfils the requirements of both national and international curricula and provides its learners with life-long knowledge and skills.

In our Bilingual programme, the instruction is carried out through the medium of two languages taught by native qualified and committed teachers who plan their lessons together, keep the two languages distinct by adopting the “one person one language” approach.

Why opt for Bilingual Education?

More than 150 studies conducted during the past  50 years consistently confirm the following advantages of Bilingual Education; (J. Cummins 1997, 2000, C. Baker 1996, 1998,  F. Genesee 1997, 2000)

• More creative and flexible thinking
• Greater problem-solving and analytical skills
• Increased academic achievement
• Superior academic and linguistic performance when compared to monolingual counterparts
• Ease in learning a third or fourth language
• Twice the enjoyment of reading and writing
• Advanced interpreting and translation skills
• Access to two or more cultures and worlds of experience
• Increased intercultural understanding, appreciation and respect for differences
• Raised self-esteem and confidence in social interactions
• Greater interpersonal skills
• Increased flexibility and adaptability to new situations and contexts
• Enhanced economic and employment benefits
• Easier population mobility from one country to another

In addition, there are great advantages in learning a second language from very young; during the pre-school years, a second language is learned through play and enjoyment just as the first language is learned in a natural way. There are no pressures on performance and children’s innate curiosity and strong desire to communicate facilitate the language development process.