Bilingual Immersion Programme

Want your child to become fluent bilingual speakers? Even if your child is not a native Mandarin speaker or comes from a home environment where Mandarin is not spoken often, it is possible for children to be effectively bilingual at the end of their primary years. EtonHouse International School Broadrick offers a well-established Bilingual Immersion Programme that nurtures children to become truly bilingual, culturally competent and internationally-minded. This programme is aligned with the IB PYP framework and is accessible to children from non-Mandarin (Chinese) speaking families. A pioneer in bilingual education, nurturing bilingual children has always been a key focus and strength of EtonHouse since its inception in 1995. We offer a 100% Mandarin Immersion Programme at selected pre-schools where our inquiry-based curriculum is delivered entirely in Mandarin. EtonHouse Broadrick was also the first international school to provide a bilingual education programme in English and Mandarin since 2011.  Over the years, the Bilingual Immersion Programme at EtonHouse Broadrick continues to be reviewed and enhanced based on our classroom learnings and research done by experts in the field. It remains one of the most comprehensive and effective bilingual programmes offered in Singapore. In both 2021 and 2022, our Bilingual Immersion students sat for the Youth Chinese Test (an international standardised Chinese language test for non-native students) and achieved a passing rate of 100%. In our latest results, our Year 5 and 6 students scored an average of 85% in their results for Level 4 YCT testing, a strong testament to the success of our programme in helping students to become effectively bilingual at the end of their primary years.  We are also pleased to announce that EtonHouse International School Broadrick has been highly commended in the Best Bilingual Programme Award in the inaugural WhichSchoolAdvisor (Singapore) Best Schools Awards 2022, and was awarded Best Language Programme (Silver Award) at HoneyKids Singapore Education Award 2022.
Hear it from our Bilingual Students

“The best part about being in the Bilingual Immersion Program is that you can sing Chinese songs together, you can learn a different language, everyone supports you, and you can be a part of so many interesting celebrations.”

“In my experience as a bilingual student, I have progressed from easy Mandarin characters and copying different characters, to being able to write a whole Mandarin book and write complicated Mandarin words. I can even read complicated Chinese idiom books by myself.”

“I remember that a few years ago, I travelled to China with my dad and we went to a restaurant. I spoke Chinese in front of a man and he was very impressed. He asked me where I was from and he was surprised and he praised me that an Indian who could speak a totally different language so fluently.”

“When I was younger I used to watch Chinese cartoons but I couldn’t understand an amount of words, but as I grew up I learnt more and more words in Mandarin and now I can understand all the things my favourite character says.”

Bilingual Immersion or Mainstream Pathway

Here at EtonHouse Broadrick, students can choose either the Bilingual Immersion Programme with intensive Mandarin language learning or the Mainstream Programme where Mandarin is taught as an additional language. Students may also choose to study Hindi, Japanese or EAL as part of the Mainstream Programme from Kindergarten 1 onwards. 

Overview of Bilingual Immersion Programme

Benefits of EtonHouse’s Bilingual Immersion Programme

  • Students are immersed in the Mandarin language throughout the day through the practice of conversations, questions and collaboration. 
  • Adopting a transdisciplinary approach to learning, students are encouraged to learn Mandarin in context across different subjects, not just in explicit Mandarin language lessons.
  • Chinese culture learning is incorporated into our curriculum to nurture a deeper appreciation and love for the language.
  • English & Mathematics are supported by an English-speaking Homeroom Teacher throughout primary thus ensuring that our Bilingual Immersion students continue to perform as well as our Mainstream students in these equally important subjects*.
  • Outside of the timetable, students also get to attend ECAs conducted in Mandarin and partake in special events associated with Chinese culture. 
  • Inside and outside of the classroom, students are constantly encouraged to practise communicating with peers in Mandarin to cement their use of the language in social situations. 
  • Each class has two qualified Mandarin and English-speaking teachers collaborating, planning and engaging with the students.
  • Having a Year 1 Homeroom Teacher means students are placed in an environment where instructions and administration are all conducted in Mandarin to give them a strong foundation of communication to build on for the subsequent years 
  • Students remain in a Bilingual Homeroom for most subjects, unlike other programmes where students move between English and Mandarin classrooms. This allows students to take ownership of the room and create class displays which are relevant to their learning.
  • “Code-switching” languages allows the student to develop a deeper comprehension of the language and to start ‘thinking’ in that language.
  • Our students take part in the Youth Chinese Test^ organised by HSK Centre (Crestar) in Singapore to track their lprogress against international standards. 
  • Students who are keen to pursue the Mandarin language further would be able to take it as IGCSE and A-Level subjects at EtonHouse International School Orchard.

Academic Results

*At EtonHouse Broadrick we use an international benchmark assessment called “GL Progress Test” which allows us to track achievement data of Maths and English of students past Year 2. This data is compared to UK and international curriculum standards. When comparing the achievement levels of Bilingual Immersion and Mainstream classes at EtonHouse Broadrick, there is no difference in their overall achievement levels in these subjects. This shows that our approach to Bilingual Immersion does not negatively impact student learning in these other, equally important, subjects. 

^The Youth Chinese Test (YCT) is an international standardised Chinese language test which is directed at examining non-native primary and secondary school students’ ability to apply Chinese language in their studies and daily lives. Students work through the years to complete Level 1 to Level 4 examinations which assess whether a person can carry out basic communication tasks of life and secondary study. Completing the Level 4 assessment means that the student could communicate in most situations during their travel in China and into secondary education. In both 2021 and 2022, our Bilingual Immersion students completed the YCT tests with a passing rate of 100%. Also in our latest results, our Year 5 and Year 6 Bilingual Immersion students scored an average over 85% in their results for the Level 4 YCT testing. 

 

Joining the Bilingual Immersion Programme at EtonHouse Broadrick

  • Students need to have an aptitude and a good attitude toward learning Mandarin.
  • Students who wish to  join the programme after the second semester of Year 2 will be assessed by the Mandarin Language team to evaluate if they have the necessary base skills and knowledge to join the programme. Students joining the school in Year 1 and the beginning of Year 2 will not need to complete an assessment.
  • Students will need to maintain a high level of understanding in English and Mandarin to ensure they can access the curriculum in both languages. 
  • Existing students from the Mainstream Programme, who have shown a high level of understanding and ability in Mandarin Language classes, may be invited to join the Bilingual Immersion Programme on their teacher’s recommendation. 


Read more about our Bilingual Immersion Programme or book a tour with us to speak to our admissions counsellors.

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