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Language Learning

ISB is a multicultural and multilingual community, and our curriculum also mirrors the richness of our international identity. While English is our primary teaching language, we aim to provide our students with numerous opportunities and incentives to learn the languages of our host nation and to maintain a strong connection to their native languages. 

English Language Development

ISB’s English Language Development (ELD) programme supports students who are still developing their English skills, helping them access the curriculum as quickly and independently as possible.

Specialist ELD teachers, who are experienced in working with multilingual learners, provide tailored support both in and out of the classroom, focusing on academic vocabulary, grammar, and language structures aligned with the curriculum.

Home Language Programme

Maintaining a strong connection to one’s home language is essential for students’ personal and cultural identities. 

ISB’s Home Language Programme offers seven languages in the Lower School – Dutch, French, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Swedish – integrated into students’ weekly timetables. In the Upper School five languages are offered. The programme focuses on language for learning, reading skills, and supporting our students’ growth as multilingual learners.

Across the school, ISB teachers foster environments where students’ multilingual identities are celebrated, promoted, and meaningfully applied.

Bilingual Learning

ISB offers multiple pathways to bilingualism. Students begin learning French at 2.5 years old. From Grade 5, students who have reached an appropriate level of French proficiency (as well native speakers) can choose to study some of their core curriculum subjects in French. Building understanding of subject area content in two languages supports those students to become true academic bilinguals.

In High School, a significant number of our students graduate with a bilingual diploma. This  involves them studying language and literature in either their Home Language and English or French and English. Our bilingual learning opportunities up to Grade 10 and our Home Language Programme help make the bilingual diploma an option for as many students as possible.

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