Purpose
The purpose of this document is to outline the language policy of Cedar International School, a school offering an international education to students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12. The language policy is a consensus of philosophy and practice, and is intended to inform teaching and learning, to guide curriculum, to form a common understanding of our aims and objectives, and to provide documentation which will support our admissions, inclusion and assessment policies. It is our aim to have regular review of this language policy, as referenced in the Cedar Policy Review Schedule to ensure it is a working document and a true reflection of Cedar and IB values. This policy will also be used by the administration team to inform decision-making and assist in curriculum development.
Language Philosophy
We believe that effective use of language is a valuable and necessary skill for life in the 21st century. Language is universal to thinking, learning and communicating effectively across time and cultures. We believe that introducing children to a variety of cultures and to alternative perspectives, including the local BVI culture, broadens their outlook and provides them the opportunity to develop an open-minded approach, which prepares them to be balanced, globally-minded, international citizens. Language learning empowers students to communicate as they comprehend language and respond knowledgeably and critically to what they read, view and hear. Cedar demonstrates recognition of multilingualism as a right and a resource for learning through the setting of goals to encourage translanguaging and multilingual approaches to accessing the curriculum. This also involves support for learners of English, the language of instruction. We feel that by offering Spanish as an additional language, we are enabling students to develop into successful communicators. Students need to understand that they can use language to learn about language (metalanguage), can learn through the language of other disciplines (transdisciplinary language), and can embrace language as an art (literature). Cedar strives to authentically incorporate language into all teaching and learning, and all teachers at Cedar are considered language teachers and are supported as such. Teachers identify specific language needs of students to enable differentiation that will support all students. Additionally, we acknowledge and value that parents make essential contributions to the language learning process.
Language Profile
The majority of our students speak English as a home language and take Spanish as language B.The student body also includes speakers of Spanish, Tagalog (Filipino), Arabic, and a wide range of other languages. In some cases, English is not spoken in the home, and in some cases, it is one of two or more languages used. Such languages may include West Indian English Creoles.
All Cedar stakeholders support English as the language of instruction, and the school encourages students to draw on their full linguistic repertoire for learning. Home language maintenance is strongly advised in partnership with families. This is supported by the Bilingual and Multilingual Learning (BML) Coordinator who supports teachers and communicates with families to encourage development or maintenance of the home language.
Download the full policy document here.
Revised November 2022