Guide to languages case study - St. George’s School (Colegio San Jorge de Inglaterra), Colombia

Oct 23, 2026

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St. George’s School (SGS) in Bogotá presents its approach to bilingual language teaching within a diverse international community. The language policy defines Spanish as the first/home language, English as the second language for academic and personal purposes, and French as a foreign language. The curriculum aligns with Colombian standards and Cambridge frameworks, sets shared learning objectives, and allocates programme time across Spanish, English, and French. It also outlines assessment practices and structured language support through reinforcements, resources, and co-curricular activities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Language policy

Curriculum design

Identifying and providing language support to learners

First language development

Guide to languages case study St. George’s School (Colegio San Jorge de Inglaterra), Colombia St. George’s School (SGS) is an international, bilingual (Spanish–English) school in Bogotá . Students are primarily Colombian citizens and Spanish is the country’s official language. The school community also includes people from other countries who speak other first, second and foreign languages including Portuguese, Arabic and Chinese. School language policy The language policy takes into account the whole school community including students, teaching and non-teaching staff, parents and alumni. It serves as: • a foundation for the school’s identity as an international, bilingual school. • a guide to its curriculum and the teaching–learning methodology. • a support for communications decisions and practice, both day to day and long term. The language policy creates clear definitions for the three languages the school teaches and uses: Spanish is defined asthe first language and, in the majority of cases, is the home language; English is defined as the second language for academic, cultural and personal purposes; and French is defined as a foreign language. Writing the policy encouraged the school to look at language from many perspectives and throughout the whole school. It led the school to: • complete an analysis of its library collection and access to languages in the online library database • identify reading promotion activities in all three languages • identify physical and digital resources (for students and teachers) and in which languages • review its own institutional communications (e.g. print, website, parent communication, signage) and increase the amount of bilingual messaging • identify special activities that take place in one or more languages e.g. events with other schools • highlight student travel or exchange opportunities and the corresponding languages Curriculum design Apart from art and music (Grades 6 to 12), all students in the same grade level take the same classes and have the same learning objectives and expectations. SGS meets the requirements and standards of the Colombian Ministry of Education for each grade level. Before secondary school graduation, all students in Colombia are required to sit standardised state exams, which are conducted in Spanish (except for one English as a second language test). The school follows Cambridge International syllabuses and curriculum frameworks in nearly all academic departments. The curriculum is reviewed and adjusted by teachers, department heads and academic coordinators annually to guarantee continuity and progression of learning objectives as well as teaching–learning methodologies. Students take both Spanish and English classes in every year of the curriculum. French classes start in Grade 4 (ages 9 to 10). About 50 per cent of the overall curricular programme is Spanish language study or other coursework in Spanish, 46 per cent is English language study or other coursework in English, and 4 per cent is French language study (Grades 4 to 12). Although the profile and expectations for instruction, production and assessment in each language are different, the communication competencies are transversal. These competencies include listening, speaking, reading, writing, researching, application of grammar knowledge, demonstrated fluency in speaking and writing activities, and exploration and understanding of text types. For primary and lower secondary, the school has transitioned to a first language English curriculum. All students currently take Cambridge Primary Checkpoint English and Cambridge Lower Secondary Checkpoint English. Students then take Cambridge IGCSE™ English as a Second Language and Cambridge Assessment English IELTS. SGS continues to use English as a second language speaking interview materials from Cambridge English for all grade levels to provide students with additional challenging speaking experi

FAQs

How does SGS define the three languages it teaches?

SGS defines Spanish as the first language (typically the home language), English as the second language for academic, cultural, and personal purposes, and French as a foreign language.

What determines curriculum design and alignment at SGS?

SGS meets Colombian Ministry of Education requirements for each grade level and follows Cambridge International syllabuses. Teachers and academic leaders review and adjust the curriculum annually to maintain continuity and progression.

How does SGS support learners who need extra language assistance?

Learner progress is tracked through formative and summative assessment and regular meetings. Students who require support use a school-wide after-school space called “reinforcements,” and in pre-school levels teachers provide brief re-teaching during school hours.

Oct 23, 2026

Upload by dhado