Bilingual school awarded prestigious international accreditation

The Bilingual Primary School, based in Brighton and Hove, is celebrating its recent achievement as one of only two schools in Europe to be accredited as an International Spanish Academy by the Spanish Ministry of Education.

The International Spanish Academies (ISA) is a network of North American, Canadian and Australian schools of recognised academic excellence, all of which integrate exceptional teaching on Spanish language and culture into their curriculum.

The network aims to promote international relations and understanding between different cultures their network of bilingual schools, as well as ensuring that students acquire an adequate level of oral and written competence in Spanish and English, all whilst achieving high academic results.

Schools are awarded the accreditation by the Spanish Ministry of Education based on the success and value of their strong bilingual programmes.

Established in 2012, the school has been a long-standing leader of bilingual education in the UK, teaching for half of each day in Spanish. As a result, pupils continue to achieve excellent outcomes across the board, with well above national average results in reading, writing and mathematics.

The approach allows pupils to apply their learning to immersive scenarios, helping to build their confidence, communication skills and cultural awareness well beyond the classroom.

To celebrate the accreditation, the school recently hosted a celebratory event with representatives from local and international government, including representatives from the Embassy of Spain in London; the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Councillor Theresa Fowler; and representatives from Brighton and Hove City Council.

A ceremonial event is due to take place later this week at the Embassy which will feature a visit from the Undersecretary for Education, Santiago Roura, from the Spanish Ministry of Education.

The Spanish Embassy Education office has worked alongside leaders since its opening including events in London and visits to the school, and this new accreditation presents an opportunity for the school to collaborate with other leading providers of bilingual education globally and receive quality assurance support from the embassy.

Simon King, Headteacher at The Bilingual Primary School, said: “We are delighted to have been accredited as an International Spanish Academy. This is a testament to the school’s hard work in delivering high-quality bilingual education and enabling the academic success of our pupils. We are excited to be part of the network and collaborate with other schools to harness the power of bilingual education to support pupils across Brighton and Hove.”

Peter Kyle, Member of Parliament for Hove and Portslade, said: “I couldn't be prouder to have the Bilingual Primary School in Hove and now to see it achieve such recognition - the first of only two schools in Europe to receive the accreditation - it is a special moment.”