The SJHS seeks to provide a quality and balanced Italian programme for all its students whether Italian nationals or non Italians. The programme currently starts in Year 2 although ‘after school’ clubs in Italian are available for children in earlier years.

The school prepares Italian nationals for public examinations at the end of Year 6. For non Italians the school adopts the UK National Curriculum framework for second language teaching.

The  policies on Italian for mother-tongue Italians and non Italians in the Lower School are indicated below :

1. Participating in an Italian teaching programme

Assessment of students and their home circumstances will be taken into account by the Italian teaching teams prior to determining whether they join either the mother tongue programme (L1) or the non Italian programme (L2). The teaching team will re-assess each student’s performance on a regular basis to ensure constant improvement and to monitor progress.

2. Grouping classes by ability

Differentiation will be provided by grouping students as deemed appropriate by the Italian teaching team. This differentiation will apply to both L1 and L2. In the L2 group students will be grouped as beginners, intermediate or advanced as skills may be more varied than in L1. Pupils may be moved within these groups.

3. Italian teaching and the UK National Curiculum

Time will be set aside for Italian teaching after the core areas of the UK National Curriculum have been covered . Generally, Italian teaching will take place in the afternoons, but an effort will be made to also include Italian teaching in the morning.  

4. Preparation at school for the Italian “idonietà”

L1 students wishing to be entered by SJHS for the Italian national exams (“idoneità”) at the end of Year 6 must attend additional Italian lessons both during the National Curriculum school time and after school.  

5.   Preparation at home for the Italian “idoneità”

Students not selecting the ‘after school’ lessons or the Italian set against the National Curriculum time cannot be expected to be entered by the school unless they have been assessed by the SJHS staff as attaining the required standard in May.

6. Participation in lessons by post-idoneità students

If a Year 6 student has been  privately tutored for the  Italian examinations in Year 5 and has already received his/her “idoneità”, he/she will be expected to attend the Year 6 National Curriculum classes that take place in curriculum time.

7. Participation in Lower School classes

The school does not permit Lower School students to attend Upper School classes in Italian either in lesson time or as an after school class.

8. Guidance from the school on Italian language teaching

Teaching and learning issues regarding the Italian programme should be initially addressed to the Italian teaching team and the Italian co-ordinator, then the Head of the Lower School. If, after going through these channels,  the parent does not receive a satisfactory response, he/she may refer to the Principal.

9. Gifted and Talented

As in other subjects taught at SJHS, students identified by the school or other educational experts as being especially gifted or talented in Italian may be given special consideration according to the school policy on the More Able and dealt with through the Learning Support Department.