Bilingual Education is the perfect option to study abroad after you have finished secondary school. Maybe parents have lived abroad for several years because of their work. An excellent command of English is a great benefit for your future careers. If you feel you could do that little bit more besides the regular curriculum, bi-lingual education is the perfect option for you!

Besides, not only will you learn to speak English fluently, but you will also orientate yourself on more than the Netherlands and become a citizen of the world!

Bilingual junior students:

Pius X-College in Bladel introduced its bilingual teaching programme in August 2005. It offers a six-year course of studies to our talented and motivated pupils (12-18 years old at pre-university level) and prepares them for university entrance, both at home and abroad.

Two languages of instruction, Dutch and English, are used in the Bilingual department and all the pupils are expected to acquire a high degree of proficiency in both languages. Through immersion in English, as soon as the twelve-year-old students start secondary education, pupils rapidly acquire a high level of language skills. Our bilingual education is aimed at active pupils, who are up for a challenge.

The bilingual teaching programme:

The teaching programmes of the bilingual classes are largely based on the Dutch curriculum, with a number of important differences:

• Over fifty procent of the lessons are taught in English and schoolbooks, tests and language of communication is English.
• In year one the subjects are English (2 extra lessons), History, Mathematics, Technology, Biology, Arts & Craft, Physical Education, Music.
• In year 2 and 3 Physics, Chemistry and EIO (European and international orientation) are added to the bilingual programme.

Pius X-College bilingual students sit the Checkpoint Cambridge English exam in their 3rd year. Results are always excellent, and students are proud to be able to pass this native language test.

• When the bilingual students are in their senior years (pre-university level), i.e. senior highschool year 4-5-6, they are offered Cambridge ESOL (English for speakers of other languages): Certificate of Advanced English (ERK level C1 for havo) and Certificate of Proficiancy in Eglish (ERK level C2 for vwo)

More information can be found on: www.cambridgeesol.org

Extra curricular activities:

A major focus of the Bilingual Department curriculum is European & International Orientation (EIO) and Global Citizinship which aim to promote international communication and understanding and prepares pupils for the international workplace of the 21st century. They are taught not only to be linguistically fluent (i.e. Dutch and English), but also to be culturally fluent (i.e. in-depth knowledge of countries and cultures).

The EIO programme: excursions and exchanges

The EIO programme is part and parcel of the special bilingual activity-programme for our students which includes guest speakers from abroad, excursions in English, inviting exchange students, theatre in English, masterclasses sports and arts, the annul Speaking Competition for Dutch bilingual schools, workshops poetry and drama, debating contests etc.

The standard for bilingual education in The Netherlands highly emphasises cultural awareness throughout the curriculum and that of course implies partnership/cooperation with schools abroad. We organize a students’ exchange for our bilingual students with a foreign school.

In this perspective Pius X-College will always be looking for partnerschools abroad to enhance the international aspect of bilingual education. Pius X-College participates in the national network for bilingual schools in the Netherlands. Parents pay additional school fees for this stream.

High standard

The National Network for Bilingual Education, an organization established by the participating schools, has developed a standard for bilingual education in cooperation with the European Platform for Dutch Education. This ambitious standard is used to evaluate the school’s performance and to guarantee the best possible standard.

Every five years the European Platform visits schools to judge whether the standards for bilingual education are met by the school in order to safeguard the quality of education. Bi-lingual education in the pre-university stream (VWO) Pius X-College offers the bilingual stream side by side to the regular vwo. Vwo comprises atheneum and gymnasium, which includes Greek and Latin courses. (Grammar School) Both options are open to bilingual students.

For more information, feel free to contact our tto-coordinators (tto@piusx-college.nl), the website (piusx-college.nl) or http://www.ikkiestto.nl/