The English School is a trilingual English-Basque-Castilian centre that guarantees its pupils a good command of Castilian and English, as well as a basic knowledge of Basque, enabling them to establish both written and spoken communication.
The three languages are used to teach different subjects and have a greater or lesser presence depending on the educative stage in question:
| English Hours per week |
Basque Hours per week |
Castilian Hours per week |
|
| Infant Education First course From 1 to 3 years |
30 | - | - |
| Infant Education Second course From 3 to 5 years |
25 | 5 | - |
| Infant Education Second course 5 years |
23 | 5 | 2 |
| Primary Education From 6 to 12 years |
17 | 8 | 5 |
| Secondary Education First course From 12 to 14 years |
9 | 10 | 11 |
| Secondary Education Second course From 14 to 16 years |
7 | 10 | 13 |
Our aim is for the pupils to achieve a good command of the English language, both on a spoken and written level. We promote the practice of this language in teaching, extracurricular and complementary activities, as well as in the day-to-day communication within the centre.
The English Department also runs an adaptation and language reinforcement programme for pupils who enter the centre without the necessary level.
Throughout their schooling our pupils take English tests that are compatible with the requirements of external exams (Trinity College) and complete their studies by taking the official Cambridge University exams (First Certificate and Advanced).
We believe that learning Basque is a fundamental right and that knowledge of this language is increasingly necessary in our society. For this reason we encourage our pupils, from the moment they enter the centre, with a view to making their progression in this language both satisfying and enriching. We make sure that the pupils acquire sufficient knowledge to enable them to establish communication in Basque, both on a spoken and written level.
The use of Basque is promoted in school hours and is the language used for several subjects including Physical Education, Technology and Art. Basque is also present in extracurricular and complementary activities.
At the age of 4 or 5, the children begin the interesting task of learning to read and write in Castilian using a constructivist methodology. We work from the basis that children already know a lot about reading when they start school. They recognise some logos and words that they are used to seeing everyday, such as their name, their parents’ names, etc., thanks to their interaction with their day-to-day surroundings.
From there we help the child to gradually begin playing with words and comparing them until they are able to understand them, and, according to their development, begin introducing the rules that govern reading and writing. The main objective of the constructivist system is to adapt the teaching of reading and writing to the psychological development of children who are growing up in an environment surrounded by written language.
The principle premise of this focus lies in the ability to read and write texts before obtaining a full command of the alphabet. The children learn from reaching different conclusions about writing that increasing become more correct in a process that is completed by the incorporation of our current alphabetic system.
In short, we consider that this focus motivates and stimulates the pupils when entering into the world of written language, taking into account their individual development and affording a stronger connection with school tasks.
We believe that physical activity is one of the basic elements of learning and for this reason, we destine a lot of resources, both in terms of personnel and materials, as well as a substantial amount of time to its practice.
Within Physical Education as a subject, our pupils practice relational psychomotricity, swimming, gymnastics and formalised games and sports. Complementary activities include climbing, skiing, skating, canoeing, trekking, etc.
Our extracurricular timetable also enables the pupils to practice rhythmic gymnastics, judo, basketball, football, handball, athletics, etc.
The social function provided by prevention (sex education, anti-drug dependency, road safety, etc.) is an indispensable framework for the promotion of the integral health of a human being. For this reason, at The English School this project is integrated into the teaching with the fundamental objective of achieving a solid comprehension of the child’s development, to enable a better understanding of their emotional needs through assessment of their conduct and emotional reactions.
In our centre we believe a complete preventative focus is essential from a very young age and favour school-family integration strategies.
We understand health as a means of overcoming illness and conflicts, considering it from a bio-psycho-social point of view, rather than just a physical standpoint. Through our knowledge of young children, we hope to move towards a fuller understanding of the development period that takes place from 0 to 6 years, a period that we believe to be crucial for the development and preservation of the emotional health of the human being.
Within this atmosphere of sensitisation towards prevention in childhood, we develop different activities that form part of our project:
We know that a musical education helps the pupil to develop appreciation and sensibility for music and strengthens the harmonious development of their personality.
Our Music School offers the opportunity for children of three years upwards to have contact with the world of music through games and sound-based experiences in order to prepare them for the future study of music and learn an instrument. At the same time, musical training is open to all adults wishing to participate.
Levels available:
To complete their musical education, the pupils have the opportunity of attending different pedagogical concerts, both within and outside of the school.
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