[lg policy] South Africa: Hout Bay International School Language Policy

Tue Feb 28 19:11:26 UTC 2012

Policy no: 3 Date: February 2012
Language Choices and Policy

Language Philosophy

Choosing a Language Stream for your child:

Language is central to all learning and the International School of
Hout Bay recognises that all teachers are
in practice language teachers with the responsibility in facilitating
communication. We recognise that this is a
life long process and a key factor in intellectual development.
Individ ls develop their personal identity and
international understanding through language.

Our Mission statement says: ‘IES students will be encouraged to
integrate effectively in the local, national
and international communities through the diverse opportun ties
afforded to them.’ The language policy
should both have relevance in terms of high quality ed tion locally,
nationally and internationally.’
We seek to provide choices that will cater for both the local and
international students. The desire to provide
a wide range of choices is constrained by local education law, the
requirements of the external examining
bodies and curriculae, the interest from students and our staffing and
time abling requirements.
A language option will only be offered if there is suf nterest to make
the class viable. In the Primary
school and the Middle Years this is five students. There must be a
minimum of three students enrolled for a
course for it to be offered at IGCSE level, and at IB Diploma level.

1. This is a long term commitment and once enrolled your hild will be
committed to this programme.
2. Afrikaans (or a second South African language) is a requirement for
a full matriculation exemption
certificate from Higher Education South Africa. This is required for
all South African students who
apply to a South African university regardless of which curriculum
they follow, and for foreign
students who have been resident in the country for more than five
years. Afrikaans at IGCSE level
satisfies these requirements. Following the ‘International stream’
will qualify the ent for a
conditional matriculation exemption and thus still allow students to
attend either South African
Universities or International Institutions (dependent n their
results). Some South African
universities, and other tertiary institutions, are unaware of the
conditional matriculation requirements
and insist on the second South African language. Students who are
thinking of taking the
‘International stream’ must be aware of this when making the choice to
drop the second South
African language.

3. Language choices begun in Primary School will be ‘rolled up’ into
the High School.

4. The school recommends that, up to IGCSE level, students take
English, Afrikaans and French
(Foreign language level) as this has the advantages of culation
exemption, reduces the risk
of being disadvantaged by some South African universit in their
acceptance evaluations, allows
maximum flexibility for students who wish to transfer to or from other
South African schools and yet
enables the students to be accepted to International universities with
the IB Diploma results.
Language Policy

5. Should a student leave our school and enrol in a South African
school, they will be required to do an
African Language for their Matric (Afrikaans or Xhosa in the Western Cape).
Keeping in line with our policy to develop and implement a local and
international language stream choice
we have designed the following programme.

1st Language – English
2nd Language – Afrikaans
3rd Language – French
1st Language – English
2nd Language – French
3rd Language – Mandarin
to support Mother Tongue and extended Language learning
GermanMother Tongue
Mandarin as an additional language
Dutch School

Plans for the Primary School in the future:

To included Xhosa as a conversational language either art of the
curriculum or as an after school activity
and as support for our Xhosa Mother Tongue pupils.
1 half hour lesson a week – Introduction to South African Language - Afrikaans
1 lesson perweek for 2nd Language
0 Lessons per week for 3rd Language
3 lessons per week for 2nd Language
1 lesson perweek for 3rd language Year 3- 5
2 lessons per week for 3rd language Year 6
Primary School
Local Language Stream
International Stream
After School Language Programmes
Timetabling
Early Years
Junior Primary
Senior Primary
Year 5 and 6 2012

Language Policy

This change in the language policy will not affect these two year
groups as there is not enough time for the
children to establish proficiency in the new 2nd and 3 d language
choices before doing them at a High
School level. The Language policy will remain as follows for them:
2nd Language – Afrikaans – 3 lessons per week
3rd Language – French – 1 lesson per week (Yr 5) 2 lessons per week (Yr 6)
to support Mother Tongue and extended Language learning
GermanMother Tongue
English is the language of instruction and taught as the first
language. Afrikaans is introduced at second
language level, and French at third language level. All students are
required to take these courses.
English is the language of instruction and taught as the first
language. The students take both English
Literature and English Language.
Students may choose to follow an international student course or a
local student course (1 and 2 below).
1. Second language students may choose between the following:
Afrikaans or French. Students and
parents who choose French instead of Afrikaans must be aware that, in
so doing, they will not be
able to apply for a Matriculation Exemption, and may b denied
admission to certain faculties of
certain South African universities. Students and parents are required
to sign a document
acknowledging that they are aware of this when they make this choice.
2. Students may choose to do both, with Afrikaans taught as the second
language and French as the
third language. An IGCSE Afrikaans pass is, at time of writing,
admissible for a Matriculation
Exemption from HESA (the entry requirement for admission to a South
African University).
(Years 12 and 13)
English is the language of instruction and taught as t e first language.
For the second language students must choose one of th ollowing:
High School
After School Language Programmes
Middle Years Curriculum(Years 7, 8 and 9)
IGCSE (Year 10 and 11)
IB Diploma

Language Policy

1. Spanish ‘Ab Initio’. This is a beginner’s course in Spanish
designed for students who have not been
taught the language previously.

2. Afrikaans. This is a literature course taught at first language
level. Students must have a sound
grasp of the language and must have obtained a ‘B’ at GCSE level to
qualify. Because this a first
language option, students who complete the course successfully will be
given a Bilingualism Award
by the International Baccalaureate.

3. French. This is a taught at second language level. St dents must
have a sound grasp of the
language and must have obtained a ‘B’ at IGCSE level to qualify.

4. A Self-Taught course in another language. Language A1 Self taught
SL. As the name indicates this
requires completing the course in a mother tongue different to that of
the school. The school offers a
language coordinator who will communicate with a tutor. The
responsibility for finding the tutor is the
parents’, but the school will assist if and when it can. The
coordinator will gather results for tests,
essays and comments for the report.

There are a number of core subjects which are a requirement for all
students, such as English, Mathematics
and one of the Sciences and one of the Humanities. There are slightly
different subject choice options for the
Middle Years, IGCSE and IB Diploma. Students and paren s meet with the
school to discuss the best subject
‘package’ for each student for IGCSE or the IB Diploma (Year 9 or Year
11), taking into account the
student’s academic abilities, career aspirations and university
entrance requirements, or the entry
requirements of the tertiary institution to which the y wish to apply.
They are advised to enroll for the core
subjects and to ensure that their choices are kept as as possible for
university or college admissions

http://houtbayint.iesedu.com/Portals/0/Files/Language%20Policy%20and%20Subject%20Choices%20Feb%202012.pdf

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