Languages | St John's International School

Our Language Programmes

Learning another language enables our students to interact with a diverse range of people and gain a greater understanding of the nuances of another culture.

In the Early Years and in Primary we offer our Dual Language Programme (DLP), French and English, so the majority of our students become bilingual and biliterate.

In grades 6-8, our students can study two to three languages depending on their progamme.

In grades 9 and 10, students can participate in our extensive Mother Tongue Programme.

During the IB Diploma, we offer several "Language A" subjects and Self-Taught Literature as key courses.

Dual Language Programme

The goal of our Dual Language Programme (DLP) is for as many students as possible to become bilingual and biliterate.

We highly recommend that students complete the full programme (7 years), which is the average time needed to become truly bilingual and biliterate. We also encourage our DLP students to enrol in activities outside school in their ‘second language’. This will provide them with authentic practice, which is an important part of the process alongside the academic instruction they receive at school.

Learning a second language has many advantages. Research has shown that often, bilingual students can focus and perform better in problem-solving tasks and are better at identifying basic language sounds and patterns. As a result of these additional skills, adults who are bilingual usually find it easier to pick up a third language than their monolingual peers.

Mother Tongue Programme

At St. John’s International School, we are proud of our Mother Tongue Programme which ensures that our international students stay connected with their heritage, language, and culture, while also celebrating each student’s identity in a global setting.

The programme is aimed at students in Grades 9 and 10 who want to continue with their mother tongue, instead of choosing one of the other languages offered at the school for their language acquisition and language and literature studies. We have a team of external tutors helping us to deliver this programme, who meet with students once a week.

We currently teach eight languages as part of the Mother Tongue programme: Portuguese, Italian, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese, and Turkish. We also have teachers for many other languages available, and as students with other first languages join the school, we work proactively to make sure their needs are met.

"I chose to take the Mother Tongue course as it will offer me additional opportunities to live and work abroad. On a personal level, it helps me in my understanding of my own culture and in developing my identity."

— 10th Grade Student – Portuguese

Discover what your child could achieve with a truly international education in which we offer a variety of language programmes designed to develop multilingualism, and empower our students to stay connected with their heritage, language, and culture.

Enquire Now

Languages at St. John's