Dear Parent,

I am delighted to have been appointed as the new Head of the English School of Asturias and look forward to working with you and the teaching staff to get the best from your children.

From its inception the school has been committed to the provision of a high quality education and my role is to work with the dedicated and well-qualified staff to build on the current good practice and seek to improve those areas that are in need of further development.

The school is located in an idyllic setting and the model of education has, as most effective educational provision now has, a secure scientific base. It is based on the British model and for most pupils is an immersion in a second language. It is, I believe, among the best that there is and I am confident it will provide the very best start for your child.

I am conscious that for many parents, however, this model of education is not within their experience and therefore naturally not fully understood. Hopefully the following will clarify some frequently held doubts:

The acquisition of a second language not only brings the obvious benefits of greater communication skills and improved job prospects but also cognitive advantages. Research at University College London has shown that those who learn a second language while young have more developed cerebral cortex; they are simpler cleverer.

Moreover, proficiency in a second language does not come at the expense of the first language. 30% of classes are taught in Spanish which includes the essential elements of Spanish language, literature and humanities. El País recently reported research that showed that children at bilingual schools in Spain were actually more proficient in Lengua Castellana than those from monolingual schools.

The immersion programme leads to the development of authentically balanced bilinguals; a level that cannot be achieved by some additional classes in English such as those offered by the majoritiy of colegios bilingües.

The British model of education is long- established and well- grounded in educational research. It is underpinned by the aims of providing support for children to be healthy, to stay safe, to enjoy learning, to achieve and to make a positive contribution. It has a well- structured curriculum with an emphasis on understanding and reasoning. Teaching is differentiated to provide an individualized programme for each pupil in a supportive, structured and disciplined environment which is conductive to learning. An integral part of the education is an attention to values and to the personal, social and moral development of pupis. The emphasis is also on moderated and external assessment which means that achievement really does reflect ability. A recent PISA study described British private education as among the best in the world.

Education at the English School of Asturias is fully homologous with the Spanish education system and the studies are automatically validated. The introduction of the Bologna Treaty now also ensures recognition by all countries within the European Union of the educational systems of the other member states and makes provision for direct access to all European universities.

High levels of achievement, coupled with superior language skills, provide pupils at ESA with a wide choice of universities and access to competitive degree courses both in Spain and abroad.

There have been outstanding performances from pupils at all levels in the Summer exams; At I/GCSE Heather Graham, 8 A* and 2 A; Irene Amigo Fernández, 3 A* and 6 A; Laura Rodríguez Díaz, 3 A* and 5 A. At AS level: Isabel Vallina García, 5 A; Luis García Arce, 3 A and 1 B; Alejandro Gutiérrez Morala, 3 A and 1 B; Tristan Hendrick- Beattie, 3 A and 1 B. At A- level: Luis Martín Suárez, 4 A* and 1 A. (A* is equivalent to "Matrícula de Honor" and A to "Sobresaliente").

The average score in the general PAU for the pupils in Year 13 is 7,7 out of 10; 6 pupils sat the specific part of the PAU and their average combined score is 10,3 out of 14. Congratulations to Luis Martín Suárez who achieved an incredible 13.9 combined mark and was first on the list to study medicine at Oviedo University; a remarkable achievement.

The destination of the last year's Year 13 are as follows: Daniel Byrne Álvarez (Universidad Carlos III in Madrid- Economics); Jaime Fullaondo Canga (Universidad de Kaunas, Lithuania- Medicine); Santiago Llorente Álvarez (ICADE- Law and Business Management); Luis Martín Suárez (Universidad de Oviedo- Medicine); Beatriz Silva Porto (University of Glasgow- English Literature); Miguel Sánchez- Tabar García (Universidad Europea in Madrid, Medicine); Patricia Hevia Fernández (Basque Culinary Centre in San Sebastián- Cuisine); Kanako Toda (Japan- Industrial Engineer); Juan Menéndez Arroyo (Deusto, Bilbao- Industrial Engineer); Alfredo Menéndez Arroyo (Deusto, Bilbao- Engineering and Business Management); Pablo Cueto Fernández- Arche (Universidad Complutense de Madrid- Law) and Alejandro Suárez San Martín (Universidad de Oviedo- Business Management).

Would parents please note that 21 September is a local holiday.

The school starts this academic year with a record 529 pupils and we therefore anticipate that there will be more buses and more cars entering and leaving the school grounds. Would all parents who bring their children in cars please exercise extreme caution when entering the school, to respond positively to the directions of the staff and above all remain patient, especially during the first few days until routines become established.

After-school activities will take place this year on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, starting from 19 September. A letter will circulate at the end of the first week with further details.

As a step towards improving communications between school and home we would like to make greater use of e-mail. It is a much quicker form of contact, it is more secure and, of course, kinder to the environment. Would parents please provide a current e-mail address on the slip below.

I look forward to meeting parents personally during the year and to start there will be a meeting on Wednesday 14 September at 17.00 in school where I will be happy to respond to any questions. If in the meantime you have any doubts or concerns please do not hesitate to call.

Yours sincerely,

Steven Hardes, Head

Would you please complete and return the attached slip

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Pupil: __________________________________________________________________Class_________________

I will attend the meeting on 14 September                              I will not attend the meeting on 14 September

Parent: _________________________________________________________ date: ________________________

E- mail address father: _________________________________________________________________________

E- mail address mother: ________________________________________________________________________