English as an Additional Language (EAL)

BISS Sentrum is a truly international school representing over thirty nationalities and languages.

The majority of our students are not native English speakers, and between them they know 40 different languages. When they join us they have varying levels of proficiency in English.

The school strives to integrate non-native speakers quickly, supporting them with the transition to English-medium instruction, and a new culture. Specialist EAL teachers are on hand to ensure that those who are still in the process of acquiring English can access the curriculum to the best of their ability. Most students who arrive with no English will be able to follow lessons and speak confidently within a year. Academic language skills (particularly reading and writing) take longer to acquire, and appropriate support is offered until students are proficient in all aspects of the language.

We love the many many different cultures, languages and backgrounds at the school.

Success in becoming fully bilingual (or multilingual) also depends on the commitment each family makes to support their child at home, and to encourage their linguistic development. Maintaining spoken fluency and literacy in your child’s mother tongue is important in order for them to be able to benefit from all the life-long advantages that bilingualism has to offer.

Many of our staff are also from different international backgrounds. As well as being role-models for emerging bilinguals, they can support children in their mother tongue when they first start attending BISS. The languages of the staff include French, German, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish and Russian.