Stella Maris College


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Physical Education Pedagogical Suport Englis Primary English Secondary

Introduction
As the college was founded by Irish Christian Brothers whose native language is English, the teaching of English as a second language is part of the school tradition and one of its pillars together with catechetic, sports and information technology.

Aims
We aim at broadening our students' minds and knowledge of the world and we are aware English is an essential tool to open doors to cultural diversity, not exclusively in the English speaking world.

We aim at providing bilingual education in English by offering a balanced
curriculum that caters for both the humanities and the sciences.

We also aim at preparing our students to demonstrate abilities and competence in the language in the context of bilingual secondary education that has international recognition and validity, hence the number of certificates our students leave the school with, enabling them to continue their studies abroad. This way we facilitate the necessary mobility across countries and schools which run the same programmes.

Subjects outline
Having started in kindergarten, when our students reach secondary school they can already communicate fluently in English, both in writing and speaking, and find themselves at an upper intermediate stage. It is our goal to help them develop towards the advanced stage.

Throughout the first four years of secondary education the students receive tuition of and in English Language of a more academic nature, including the teaching of subjects in English for an average of twelve 40' lessons a week. The programme of English studies is as follows:

1st year (Year 7):

Subject	Lessons p/w
English Language	4
English Literature	2
History	2
Science	2
Library	1

2nd year (Year 8):

Subject	Lessons p/w
English Language	5
Literature	5
History	5
Science	5

3rd year (Year 9):
In 3rd year students start the two year courses leading to the University of Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (I.G.C.S.E)

Subject	lessons p/w
English Language	5
English Literature IGCSE	3
History IGCSE	3
Business IGCSE	2

At the end of 3rd year students take the Cambridge University First Certificate in English (FCE).Alternatively, students can opt for the University of Cambridge CELS - Certificate of Language Skills- Vantage Level (see "on international exams")

4th year (Year 10)
At the end of this year students take their I.G.C.S.E s. Apart from the subjects mentioned below students have also prepared and taken Physics, Mathematics and Spanish First Language, in joint preparation with subjects taught in Spanish for the national curriculum. (See "on international exams")

Subject	Lessons p/w
English as a 2nd Language	4
English Literature	4
History	4
Business	2

5th and 6th Year -Upper Secondary- National/International Baccalaureate
As the school currently runs the International Baccalaureate Diploma all 5th and 6th year students (whether they opt for the IB Diploma or do the National Baccalaureate) do the IB English A2 or the IB Language B (see 'on international exams') depending on their academic achievement.
At the end of 5th (Year 11) students not doing the IB Diploma can choose to do a course on Business English in 6th or continue with their IB course and take the IB Certificate.(see "on international exams")
6th year (Year 12)
In 2002 students are preparing the University of Cambridge Business English Certificate (BEC) at Vantage and Higher Levels and supplementing this with Literature. This programme will be optional as from 2003.(see "on international exams")

Important note:
All the syllabi mentioned above have been approved by the Consejo de Educación Secundaria and have an official, curricular status. Therefore, for a student to be granted a pass he/she must attain a pass in each of the subjects.
Otherwise, a student must sit an exam in the subject(s) he has failed to pass.

International exams are not compulsory. However, we firmly encourage our students to take them and the high percentage of students who sit for them (80%) account for the clear understanding among pupils and their families of the importance of these qualifications.

Our staff
Our teaching staff is fully qualified and experienced in international exam courses. As part of the IB schools our upper secondary teachers take part in IB development workshops regularly and every February the whole staff attends teacher development in-service training.

International exams

The Trinity College London Examination in Speaking	[ view ]
The University of Cambridge (UK) Certificates of Language Skills. CELS)	[ view ]
The University of Cambridge (UK) First Certificate in English	[ view ]
IGCSEs – International General Certificate of Secondary Education – University of Cambridge- UK	[ view ]
International Baccaluareate English B / English A2	[ view ]

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