The research project, presented in this report, was a response to press reports, which suggested that something extraordinary was going on at Wix Primary School. As a researcher in language education, with a special interest in bilingual...
moreThe research project, presented in this report, was a response to press reports, which suggested that something extraordinary was going on at Wix Primary School. As a researcher in language education, with a special interest in bilingual education, this seemed an opportunity to learn more about what bilingual education can achieve in primary schools. The model used in the Wix bilingual stream is a two-way immersion model, which means that not only are there two languages used to teach curriculum content but it is taught to a class that consists of speakers of either language as first language. Thus, while half the children are linguistic experts in one class, the other half are experts in another class. This has the advantage that the language is modelled not only by the teacher (as in other second language classes), but also by half of the peers in the classroom. Based on the evidence from my research (funded by Esmée Fairbairn), I argue that the Wix bilingual stream has an integrative function, creating meaningful links between an English state school and a French international school. This had the effect that it has normalised bilingualism in school for all, supported social integration at many levels, and led to school improvement. However, I also argue that the implementation of a bilingual stream is an intervention that in the case of Wix has thrived because of its supportive and cooperative context. Indeed, the spirit of open-mindedness or ‘ouverture’ seems to be an underlying condition for the positive outcome. Thus, implementing a bilingual stream must be carefully considered and implemented for it to lead to improvements.
