Bilingual Education
Bilingualism as a Bridge to Thinking, Communicating, and Understanding the World
Language is not only a means of communicating ideas, emotions, and experiences, but also an essential tool for thinking, learning, and connecting with others.
Language as a Tool
Building Bridges Through Language
The acquisition of language skills is fundamental for cognitive development and for the construction of our identity. Language not only allows us to communicate ideas, emotions, and experiences, but it is also an essential tool for thinking, learning, and interacting with others. In this sense, language occupies a central role in the holistic development of individuals.
In line with the philosophy of the International Baccalaureate, St. Brendan’s School sees language as a fundamental tool for building a more just, caring, and peaceful world. Conscious, reflective, and meaningful use of language has the power to build bridges between people and communities, strengthening bonds and fostering relationships based on mutual understanding, respect, and empathy.
Bilingual School
We define St. Brendan’s School as a bilingual school. This means that our students acquire Spanish and English simultaneously, using both languages in an integrated, flexible, and meaningful way. From this perspective, we promote the development of a broad linguistic repertoire that allows students to understand the world through their identity as bilingual individuals, using translanguaging practices (García, 2009), in which students mobilise all their linguistic resources to construct meaning.
Bilingual Pathway
Bilingualism at Every Stage
PRIMARY SCHOOL
.
In primary school, English teaching aims to expand the child’s language development while also enhancing thinking skills that go beyond the language itself. Learning in and through English supports comprehension, reflection, effective communication, and critical thinking, giving students new ways to organise ideas, make connections, and express their understanding of the world.
SECONDARY SCHOOL
In secondary school, English instruction deepens and consolidates this development, focusing on the use of the language as a tool for complex thinking, academic learning, and active participation in diverse social and cultural contexts. Advanced communicative competence is promoted, stimulating students to analyse, argue, interpret, and produce increasingly complex oral and written texts, as well as to reflect consciously on how language works. English thus becomes a means to construct knowledge, develop intellectual autonomy, and take a critical stance toward information, preparing students for further studies and for an increasingly interconnected world.
In this way, bilingualism at St. Brendan’s is not conceived as merely acquiring two languages, but as an educational experience that broadens horizons, strengthens thinking, and supports students in building an open, flexible identity ready to interact with a diverse and interconnected world.
International Recognition
International Certifications
Nuestros estudiantes tienen la oportunidad de rendir exámenes que certifican su nivel de competencia lingüística
B1
GESE
Graded Examination in Spoken English (Trinity) – Form 6
B2
First Certificate in English
(University of Cambridge) – Grade 9
C1
Cambridge Advanced
(University of Cambridge) – Grade 10
IGCSE
IGCSE
International General Certificate of Secondary Education (University of Cambridge)
IB
IB - Bilingual Diploma
(International Baccalaureate Organization) – 3°EMS
IB
IB – Monolingual Diploma
(International Baccalaureate Organization) – 3°EMS
IB
IB – Career Oriented Programme
(International Baccalaureate Organization) – 3°EMS
It is worth noting that in all pre-university courses, students receive international certifications that attest to their level of English at graduation, ranging from B2 to C2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Shaping Global Citizens
Discover how our bilingual programme prepares students for a global future