FAQ

BAPS: entrance is between 8:30 and 8:45. Dismissal is between 3:45 pm and 4:00 pm.
BES: entrance is at 8:30 am. Dismissal is at 4:00 pm.

No, it is not necessary.

It is appropriate for parents to speak with their children the language they have always spoken at home. It is desirable, however, that they show an interest in learning the second language by having them tell what they learned in school.

No, children have an innate ability to discriminate language sounds and have no difficulty in learning those that characterise two or more different languages. Children's minds have such elasticity that they can learn the second language-and its correct pronunciation-without the possibility of confusion with the first language.

The best age starts at birth and lasts throughout the preschool period. To raise a bilingual child, it is important to expose him or her to both languages as early as possible.Waiting too long would risk losing the cognitive benefits that bilingualism can bring to the child's brain, which is particularly plastic in the first months of life. In fact, children are able to handle multiple languages simultaneously from birth.

It depends on several factors, including personal characteristics. Numerous studies show that in bilingual programmes children develop verbal skills within the first two years of attendance, while it takes 5 to 8 years to implement academic language skills in the second language. This ability, however, declines from the end of early childhood, around age 5-6, to adolescence, around age 12. That is why it is important to expose children to both languages as early as possible.

Bilingualism should be a gradual process and not a path of forced stages. To facilitate all children's understanding of English, teachers use visual aids, gestures and pictures. Body language and many other appropriate strategies to facilitate communication and learning are also important.

Children sometimes mix languages, but this should be considered a natural tendency of second language development that will disappear with time. This phenomenon, known as "translanguaging", is characteristic of the speech of bilinguals, even adults, and should not be a concern.

Bilingualism represents an asset because it allows the child to engage with two different cultures. Being able to communicate in two languages also provides an undoubted advantage in the world of work. Bilingualism also has positive effects on attention. This seems to be due to the fact that the languages spoken by bilinguals are always active simultaneously in their minds: to limit interference between the two language systems, bilinguals develop an inhibition mechanism by which they "block" one language while the other is being used.

There is no need to know the language to encourage the child's learning. Simply invite the child to teach the family some words of the new language, read a story or sing a song. The teacher can help parents find appropriate ways to support the child in his or her language development.

No, speaking two languages early on has no negative impact on school learning. When discussing learning processes in children, in any case, it is always best to avoid making comparisons-each child progresses differently. Scientific studies show that bilinguals tend to outperform their monolingual peers both academically and linguistically. Bilingual children smoothly achieve the same level of proficiency as monolingual peers in both languages.

Teachers provide consistent feedback. In addition, observing the young child reveals that, at some point, he or she begins to speak in the newly acquired language while playing alone or with siblings.

Children connect the experience of learning a new language to school and the teachers who speak it: if we ask them to use it at home they may turn out to be shy, discouraged, and disinclined to share the experience. Best not to put children under pressure: a good way to see your child's progress with your own eyes is to participate in school activities as much as possible.

The garden at BAPS and BES is large and paved with non-slip and antitrauma material: it is possible to play outside as early as a few minutes after a rainstorm. On nice sunny days, moreover, educational activities often move outside.

Change to: Depending on their age, children have the option to engage in a variety of after-school activities including: dance, soccer, judo, coding, music, and drama.