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Language Policy

 

OUR MISSION

"The Beacon Hill School community is a safe, caring and stimulating environment where everyone is respected and valued. The children will have every opportunity to achieve in all aspects of school life and they will understand their responsibility as global citizens."

 

Language Philosophy and Practice

At Beacon Hill school we acknowledge that language is a vehicle for transdisciplinary learning and for learning about how language works. We also understand that every teacher is a language teacher. The practices outlined in this policy have been agreed upon collaboratively by all teachers and have included consideration from the perspectives of teachers, parents and students in the school. 
  • Our students come to our school with many different language backgrounds and vary in their ability to learn languages. 
  • All languages are equally valued and may be used as a medium of inquiry during the school day.
  • We view the on-going language development for BHS students as the shared responsibility of all teachers, parents and students.
  • We teach language through context and relate new information to existing knowledge.
  • We view the range of languages within our school as an opportunity which allows us to reflect and celebrate the multilingual society we live in.
  • We  need to prepare students for a world where new technologies and rapid growth in information are transforming our society.

Language Profile of BHS Students

Beacon Hill School is an English medium primary school. Students at our school come predominantly from the local Hong Kong community with the majority having Cantonese as their first language. About 20% of our pupils speak English as their first language. Hindi and Tagalog are the next most common home languages. In total, over 20 languages are represented at Beacon Hill School.
 

Learning Centre

The learning centre plays an important role in language learning at BHS and is considered the ‘hub’ of the school. 
 

English Language Learning

At BHS English is the primary medium of instruction. Admissions requirements ensure that students enter the school with English language proficiency levels that will allow them to access the curriculum. The English Language curriculum is based on the core learning objectives from the Primary Framework (UK) for Literacy.
 

Chinese Language Learning

The Chinese programme at BHS is taught in Putonghua, demonstrating our commitment to the local community and our relationship with the greater China region. BHS students represent a wide spectrum of linguistic makeup in Chinese. To achieve differentiations of a manageable number of categories of learners, three major pathways have been established within the ESF Chinese curriculum. While allowing students to reach achievable goals at their own pace, each pathway provides challenges and stimulation to maximize achievement.
 

Mother Tongue Support

Maintenance of mother tongue is central to our cognitive and cultural development and identity. Developing and using additional languages enriches our intellectual and social growth. Learning and development of the mother tongue scaffolds the acquisition of higher order thinking skills and enhances additional language learning. 
We seek to provide opportunities for students to read, write, and speak in their mother tongue in situations where we believe this will enhance the quality of teaching and learning and consequently, student understanding.
New students will be surveyed at the start of the school year. This information will be added to school records where they will be accessible by all staff. Parents will be provided with contact details for mother tongue language support and learning groups across ESF, where these exist.
 

Sources:

ESF Language Policy
ESF Chinese Curriculum
ESF Scope and Sequence Documents
IBO PYP Language Scope and Sequence
IBO Guidelines for Developing a School Language Policy