Home Languages
“The best thing about being a student at Bangkok Patana School is how there are so many different people from different countries and backgrounds. This way we can learn from each other about different cultures.”
Our Home Languages Programme is managed by two Home Language Coordinators and nurtured in collaboration with our parent body. It is dynamic and changes to meet the ever-evolving linguistic needs of our school community. It is guided by the following vision statement:
Language is central to all learning and teaching at Bangkok Patana School and is valued both as a tool for further learning and as an outcome in itself. English is our main language of communication and enables students to realise their academic potential. However, we equally value all languages as fundamental to our understanding of internationalism. We appreciate the role of language in personal development as well as in developing, maintaining and celebrating a diverse cultural identity.
The Home Languages Programme strives to provide multilingual students with the opportunity to validate and reinforce their existing fluency in their home language by:
- Creating a school environment which values linguistic diversity
- Encouraging the use of the language within the home environment
- Furthering the Bangkok Patana community’s understanding of multilingual matters
- Providing, where possible, curriculum time in which to enhance their learning of independently identified areas
- Providing information on opportunities beyond the scope of the classroom
Historically, our Extra-curricular Activities programme has offered a range of Home Language opportunities including but not limited to, French, Italian, Japanese, German, Korean, Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Danish, Hindi, Russian, Chinese Mandarin, Singaporean Mandarin and Dutch. These languages have met the needs of our community at various times and many of these languages are currently offered in support of our learning community. Other languages can be accommodated upon request. Additionally, the school has a dedicated Dutch teacher located on campus, and a Thai language department to nurture and support the development of Thai for our national population.
Learn in-depth about what our Secondary students are learning in Home Languages:
Home Language and Language Labs