English as an Additional Language
BISS is a truly international school representing over fifty nationalities and languages.
Many of our students are not native English speakers and have varying experience and prior exposure to the English language.
The school prides itself in integrating non-English speakers quickly, supporting the child’s mother tongue and helping students to access the curriculum.
Our success in this area speaks for itself - the school regularly scores test results well above the UK average. This is achieved through the pedagogic methods of our experienced teachers, who differentiate work according to ability. Specialist additional teaching from English as an Additional Language learning support assistants is also provided.
Many of our staff are also from different international backgrounds and we can access a wide variety of languages to support children in their mother tongue when they first start attending the school. These languages include Chinese, French, German, Norwegian, Polish, Italian, Russian and Spanish.
We love the many many different cultures, languages and backgrounds at the school.
The acquisition of English also depends upon the commitment each familiy makes in supporting their child and the encouragement the child receives at home. Most children with no English will be speaking and communicating confidently within six months. Comprehension of the language and reading and writing skills usually take a little longer to acquire.
All students continue to be supported appropriately for up to five years, in order to ensure that they become proficient in all aspects of the language.