Unique elements

The Bilingual Program employs only native English-speaking teachers. They come from many English-speaking countries around the world (e.g. USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and South Africa) and all have a higher education degree and a “teaching English as a foreign language” (TEFL, teaching English as a foreign language) qualification.

A unique element of the Bilingual Program is the use of the bilingual family model in the school environment. Each class (*) is taught by two teachers, one native speaker of English and one native speaker of Hungarian. The lessons are held in both languages, there is no translation or repetition, blocks and tasks build on each other; for example, the first part is in Hungarian, and the second one is in English, and so on. With frequent language changes, we achieve a natural bilingual environment and that the children use both languages ​​with equal confidence.

The focus of the Bilingual Program is on interactivity and communication. Our teachers strive to involve the children in every lesson, both through teacher-student and group interactions. Language teaching is communication-oriented; this also comes from the bilingual family model. The language teaching methodology is CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning), so the children do not experience language learning as a subject, but rather  as a natural communication tool that they use automatically in everyday life.

The Bilingual Program is the only school education program in Hungary that is bilingual throughout the school day, for the vast majority of classes (*). Thus, development in both languages ​​is guaranteed. Our more than 20 years of work and its results prove that the Hungarian language and subject development of the children studying in the Bilingual Program is at the same level as in the best elementary schools. At the same time, all of this, in a unique way, is also true for English language and subject development.

^{*except for the subjects of Hungarian language and literature, ethics and some natural science classes in upper school}

The Bilingual Program considers reading to be very important as a means of learning about the world. Reading is an opportunity that helps develop an openness to the world; it aids the development of learning skills and abilities, awakens curiosity and encourages thinking. Therefore, the Bilingual Reading Program starts at the beginning of second grade. In the lower grades, children read and process shorter texts and then proceed to longer, age-appropriate texts that are organized by topic (currently: Kids A-Z app). In the upper grades, original, English-language (not abridged!) books that meet the interests of today’s children are read and worked on in class. In many cases, the class itself decides on the specific reading material from the youth literature list suggested by our teachers.

One of the most important 21st century skills is computational thinking. This is the ability with which our students learn to break down larger, complex problems into solvable, smaller parts and then reassemble the big whole. This develops skills such as critical thinking, creativity and logical reasoning. As part of the regular lessons, our teachers use tasks and techniques that develop this very important ability.

For our upper grades, the novel-like House System offers an excellent opportunity for extracurricular language practice and learning the tricks of teamwork. During the school year, the four houses (organized across our institutions) compete for points and the final victory in various programs organized at school, as well as in mid-year, and one- or two-day camps.