Languages

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart."
Nelson Mandela

At BCA we are very lucky to have such a multilingual student community! We are proud of what all our students bring to the learning environment.

The language of instruction at BCA is English. Students of all ages and abilities develop their skills and confidence in Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, and these activities are central to the curriculum, in all year groups. There is a planned progression from the first steps in language acquisition in the Early Years, through to sophisticated language and literature analysis and use in Secondary. Students in the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Programme at BCA are provided the best possible opportunities, through specialist and individualised support, to develop their English language skills and help them to achieve academic success.

Catalan, Spanish and French are taught to all students from Early Years until the end of Year 9, after which Catalan remains compulsory, but Spanish and French become optional, in order to provide time for further acceleration in English proficiency. It is therefore not unusual for our students to speak three or four languages fluently.