The Bilingual Primary School

Dear Bilingual Primary School community

¡Bienvenidos a nuestra escuela!

I have been both grateful and honoured to take on the role of headteacher at the Bilingual Primary School since September 2020. This year marks a new chapter in the school’s development with an enhanced leadership structure giving capacity to further the school’s vision.

We have a fantastic, dedicated staff team and a marvelous purpose built building full of resources. Since its opening in 2012, the school has accomplished  a great deal. A vision to create an inclusive, state funded primary school with high standards is itself a gargantuan task, but doing so while fostering bilingualism among the pupils is truly pioneering. We have a thriving school community, a broad and balanced curriculum and very good outcomes in national assessments. All of our pupils learn Spanish to a standard far higher than that set out in the national curriculum, developing increasing fluency through the use of the language as part of day to day school life.

Spanish literacy is treated as a core subject from Reception class with progress tracked and the curriculum developed to ensure an inclusive approach for pupils with a wide range of starting points.

Children with no prior knowledge build proficiency and confidence over time while those from a bilingual household develop more advanced use of written language and grammar.

Starting in 2020, we have embarked on the development of a long term bilingual strategy to solidify our vision. This will result in an increasing proportion of the broad curriculum taught and learned through Spanish leading to the development of increasing proficient language skills for all learners by the time they leave the school.

Through these developments, we aim to foster globally minded young people who are able to see the world through multiple perspectives, well prepared with the empathy and skills needed to thrive in the twenty-first century.

A little about me...

I spent a considerable amount of time in my youth travelling and working in latin America before returning to the UK to train as a primary school teacher. In my early career I took part in a funded action research project in collaboration with Cambridge university when modern foreign languages became part of the national curriculum in Key stage 2. This involved investigating ways to support teachers with varying language skills in teaching languages through other curriculum areas and routines.

I worked in several English state schools and took on a variety of leadership responsibilities. Among these I have set up international school partnerships through the British Council and was invited to take part in conferences in Europe as an e-Twinning ambassador, supporting colleagues in other schools.

My most profound experience of bilingual education was during the 5 years that I spent leading the development of the bilingual programme in a british international school in the south of Chile. During this time I also had the benefit of working with colleagues in other bilingual schools in South America and led the school in the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.

I deepened my knowledge of international education while studying for an masters degree in education with the Institute of Education (UCL, London) as a foreign student at first while in Chile, completing the course on my return to the UK in 2015.

Between 2015 and 2020 I returned to my hometown, to take on the role as headteacher in the primary school I had attended as a pupil. Another great honour. The experiences and knowledge I have gained from my previous experiences and studies have led me to taking on the leadership of the Bilingual Primary school at this most exciting of times in its history. I have followed the progress of the project since its inception from afar and would love to have had the opportunity for my children to come to the school as they have also been brought up in a bilingual household between here, Chile and Honduras, my wife and first son’s country of birth.

I look forward to the journey ahead as we build on the considerable strengths of our trail-blazing school over the coming years together with this strong community dedicated to providing the very best bilingual education for all of our children.

Simon King

Headteacher

BIENVENIDA DEL DIRECTOR

Estimada comunidad del Bilingual Primary School,

¡Welcome to our school!

Tener el puesto de Director del Bilingual Primary School desde Septiembre 2021 me llena de agradecimiento y honor. Este año marca un nuevo capítulo en el desarrollo de nuestra escuela, con una estructura de liderazgo fortalecido que brinda la capacidad de promover nuestra visión.

Tenemos un equipo de personal fantástico y dedicado, y un edificio maravilloso lleno de recursos. Desde 2012, cuando se fundó la escuela, hemos logrado muchísimo. La visión de crear una escuela estatal inclusiva con altos estándares es en sí misma una tarea gigantesca, pero hacerlo mientras se fomenta el bilingüismo entre los alumnos es verdaderamente pionero.

Tenemos una comunidad escolar próspera, un currículum amplio y equilibrado y muy buenos resultados en las evaluaciones nacionales. Todos nuestros alumnos aprenden Español a un nivel superando por lejos el nivel esperado de nuestro currículum nacional, desarrollando fluidez cada vez mayor mediante el uso del idioma como parte de la vida escolar diaria.

La alfabetización en español se trata como una asignatura central desde los primeros años. Seguimos el progreso de cada alumno y se desarrolla el plan de estudios para garantizar un enfoque inclusivo.

Los niños sin conocimientos previos desarrollan su competencia y confianza con el tiempo, mientras que los de un hogar bilingüe desarrollan un uso más avanzado del lenguaje escrito y la gramática.

Desde 2020 hemos partido con el desarrollo de una estrategia para concretar nuestra visión. Esto resultará en una proporción cada vez mayor del currículum que se aprende a través del español, resultando en el desarrollo de habilidades lingüísticas cada vez más competentes para todos los alumnos.

A través de estas mejoras, nuestro objetivo es fomentar jóvenes con mentalidad global que sean capaces de ver el mundo a través de múltiples perspectivas, bien preparados con la empatía y las habilidades necesarias para prosperar en el siglo XXI.

Un poco sobre mí...

En mi juventud pasé una cantidad considerable de tiempo viajando y trabajando en América Latina antes de regresar al Reino Unido para formarme como maestro de escuela primaria. Al principio de mi Carrera participé en un proyecto de investigación-acción en colaboración con la Universidad de Cambridge cuando las lenguas extranjeras se convirtieron en parte del currículum nacional para escuelas primarias. Esto implicó investigar formas de ayudar a los profesores con una variedad de habilidades lingüísticas en la enseñanza de idiomas a través de otras asignaturas y rutinas.

Trabajé en varias escuelas públicas en Inglaterra y asumí una variedad de puestos de liderazgo. Entre ellos, he establecido vínculos entre escuelas internacionales a través del British Council y fui invitado a participar en conferencias en Europa como embajador de e-Twinning, apoyando a colegas en otras escuelas.

Mi experiencia más profunda de educación bilingüe fue durante los 5 años que pasé liderando el desarrollo del programa bilingüe en un colegio internacional británico en el sur de Chile. Durante este tiempo también tuve el beneficio de trabajar con colegas en otras escuelas bilingües en América del Sur y lideré la escuela en la implementación del Programa de la Escuela Primaria del Bachillerato Internacional.

Profundicé mi conocimiento de la educación internacional mientras estudiaba una maestría en educación con el Institute of Education (UCL, Londres) como estudiante extranjero al principio mientras estaba en Chile, completando el curso a mi regreso al Reino Unido en 2015.

Entre 2015 y 2020 regresé a mi ciudad natal para asumir el cargo de director de la escuela primaria donde iba como alumno ¡Otro gran honor!

Las experiencias y los conocimientos que he adquirido de mis experiencias y estudios anteriores me han llevado a asumir el liderazgo de Bilingual Primary School en este momento tan conmovedor de su historia. He seguido el progreso del proyecto desde sus inicios y me hubiera encantado haber tenido la oportunidad de que mis hijos vengan a esta escuela, ya que también se han criado en un hogar bilingüe entre Inglaterra, Chile y Honduras, el país de nacimiento de mi esposa y de mi primer hijo.

Espero con ansias el viaje que tenemos por delante mientras seguimos construyendo encima de las considerables fortalezas de nuestra escuela pionera, junto con esta sólida comunidad dedicada a brindar la mejor educación bilingüe para todos nuestros niños.

Simon King

Director

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to our wonderful school!

The Bilingual Primary School is a growing school with over 550 children on roll from Reception to Y6. By September 2022 we will be at full capacity, with 3 forms of entry in each year group.  We are exceptionally lucky to be housed in a new, purpose built school right on the edge of Hove Park with easy access to everything Brighton & Hove has to offer.

We believe children learn best when they feel safe, cared for and listened to. There is a palpable sense of care throughout the school and you can be confident that your child will be known, supported and celebrated as an individual.  Positive partnerships with parents and carers are hugely important and staff will work closely with you to help your child make the most of their primary school years. 

Our aim is for children to be motivated and excited about learning and, after a holiday, to be happy to be back at school. We want to inspire them to have high aspirations for their future, to be successful learners and confident individuals. We want them to take responsibility for their own behaviour and to work with us to challenge themselves to achieve the highest standards. From the very earliest days in school we help children to realise that good learning is often not easy and to grow in their ability to persevere and to work together. 

Hearing, speaking and learning Spanish and equipping our children to become global citizens are central to our school. The governors and staff are totally committed to the ongoing development of our bilingual vision, and Spanish and English are used interchangeably throughout the school. Our teaching assistants are native or fluent Spanish speakers, as are many of our teaching staff, and organisational and social language happens in Spanish. Children have Spanish literacy lessons twice a week and make fantastic progress. All Year 6 children achieve a CFER (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) grade before they move to secondary school.

The majority of our children have English as their first language and are here because their parents and carers want them to have the opportunities that being confident in a second language brings.  Seeing these children emerging as Spanish speakers is what makes our school a unique and special place. Approximately a fifth our children come from bilingual families, a third of whom have Spanish spoken in the home, and all of their parents and carers are committed to continuing to support their language development.  

The school follows the National Curriculum and, as a newer school, we are in the enviable position of being able to build a curriculum that meets our needs and our context rather than being constrained by what we have always done. Our curriculum ensures all children have access to a broad, balanced curriculum and a wide range of teaching and learning techniques. It recognises the global nature of the school and has collaboration, perseverance, curiosity and autonomy as its drivers. Our Spanish curriculum also links directly to this curriculum.

As you walk around the school there is a real ‘buzz’ about learning and lots of talk and activity. Teachers are happy to welcome you, and the children are excited to show you their work. We are all very proud of our school.

Jo Staveley 

Head of School