Here at St. Patrick’s College Banbridge, staff and students come from a variety of walks of life, speak a range of native languages at home and enjoy an infusion of cultures both in and outside school. Our aim is to celebrate and nurture this diversity and we strive to ensure that all Newcomer students are able to access the curriculum through the medium of the English language.

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Newcomer students enjoy a bespoke welcome programme when they arrive at our school. We ensure they, and their families, feel happy, comfortable and informed about their new school community. We work closely with the Education Authority to accurately assess all Newcomer students when they arrive using the Common European Framework for Languages. All students working towards a level B1 in the English language are set realistic targets across the subject areas and enjoy personalised one-to-one teaching and learning sessions to help them to achieve their targets.

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Furthermore, we are delighted to be able to facilitate, where possible, a range of GCSE courses in other languages, such as Arabic, Polish and Greek.