Deutsche Schule Kobe International
Language Policy
(Reviewed April 2025)
The language policy will be comprehensively reviewed by DSKI staff every 2 years or in between these periods if the need arises.
Language Philosophy
Language is an essential tool of communication, and as such, it is also fundamental to learning and education. Language underpins the whole curriculum, and in order to learn, students need listening, reading, speaking and writing skills. All teachers are therefore responsible for facilitating language development.
Language is a means of creative expression. Using language effectively, students are able to express who they are and how they see the world. By being able to appreciate literature, students gain a deeper understanding of human nature and the world they live in.
Language is an expression and a product of culture. Learning a language, students are more able to understand and participate in cultural activities. Students are therefore encouraged to cherish and develop their mother tongue. By learning more than one language, students are given the means to become open-minded citizens of the world who are able to communicate and interact with people from different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, multilingualism helps further develop international-mindedness and is a right to students and to be celebrated in the community.
Using the target language in the unit of inquiry and the attributes of the IB learner profile is a primary goal for every student joining our school. The school must enable and support students with underdeveloped skills in the target language and provide a monitored and structured plan to personalise the strategies, support and goals to help ensure success. This is expected in the bilingual program for German students, too.
School Language Profile
Deutsche Schule Kobe was founded in 1909 for the purpose of educating the children of long-term German-speaking residents of Kobe. After the Second World War, due to a changing economic environment, the school became an educational institution catering mainly to children of short-term Kobe residents. Until 2001, German was the only language of instruction. In 2001/2002, when the European section was added, English became the second language of instruction at the school.
At present, German and English are used as languages of instruction. For children who speak Japanese as a first or second language, the school provides Japanese language classes based on the curriculum used in Japanese public schools. Japanese, English and German are also taught as additional languages. Over the years, the school community has become more diverse and, as a result of this, the students attending the school come from various linguistic backgrounds. All teachers support the philosophy of language learning and understand that every teacher is also teaching language, no matter the subject.
Aims:
Develop students’ language skills in order to build their self-esteem and self-confidence.
Enable students to use language for developing interpersonal skills.
Enable students to learn using the practical application of language skills and knowledge.
Develop students’ skills as well as academic and general knowledge using language.
Encourage international-mindedness through the study of languages.
Provide language skills that support the mobility of international students.
The school community can access the webpage in our three working languages: English, German, and Japanese.
Students are expected to use the three working languages, thus exhibiting attributes of the Learner Profile.
Languages of Instruction
German Specific Information:
It is important for students coming from Germany or German schools abroad to develop good language skills to enable them to follow the German curriculum, both in DSKI and when or if they return to German schools. Some students may be rooted in Japan, but their families wish to give their child/children an opportunity to participate in the cultures of German-speaking countries. The German language is seen as a key tool in this process.
English Specific Information:
Students come to the school with a wide range of English language backgrounds and experiences. The common goal for all students is to develop the skills necessary to follow the curriculum, both in DSKI and in other English-speaking schools when or if they leave DSKI. We also aim to prepare students for life and experiences in an international environment. It is important for English-speaking students to develop the skills they need to participate in English-speaking cultures, even though they grow and learn in Japan.
Due to language requirements in accessing our inquiry-based programme, we do not have the resources to accept students in the Upper Primary grades who do not have any English ability. Due to our collaborative and inquiry-based programme and the need to find a suitable school placement after Grade 6, we are not a suitable school option for older primary students who do not have a sufficient level of English ability. However, students in the Lower Primary can be admitted with little to no English ability as they will have the time required to develop suitable language skills by the time they reach Grade 6. All prospective students with additional English needs are assessed by the school when considering enrolment.
Teachers at DSKI implement the language policy through inclusive teaching practices, recognizing that all teachers are language teachers. All teachers support and celebrate multilingual learners and promote language development across the curriculum.
Leadership teams (SLT and PLT) at DSKI ensure the language policy is implemented, communicated, and regularly reviewed. The SLT and the PLT provides resources and professional learning and promotes a whole-school approach that values multilingualism and respect for different cultures in our community..
Students at DSKI actively engage in language learning, use language to support inquiry and communication, and take responsibility for developing their language skills. They respect and value languages spoken by others in our community.
Parents at DSKI support language development by maintaining the mother tongue at home, valuing multilingualism, and working in partnership with the school to support their child’s learning.
Mother Tongue Support
German:
Students who speak German as their mother tongue will receive five language and five mathematics lessons per week, required by the Thüringen Curriculum. The language of instruction is German, and students have access to German and other language texts in the school library. Additional German language support can be provided if there is a need to prepare students to follow the German curriculum, and exceptional language support can be arranged.
English:
Students who speak English as their mother tongue and are registered in the school’s English curriculum programme will receive English lessons, following the DSKI Language Curriculum. The language of instruction in all curriculum areas, except for Kokugo and GFL lessons, is English, and students have access to English and other language texts in the school library.
Japanese:
Students who speak Japanese as their mother tongue (or have near-native ability) will receive four lessons of Japanese per week. The Kokugo programme at DSKI applies a condensed form of the Japanese Kokugo curriculum used in Japanese public schools, and it is combined into the PYP framework. The language of homeroom instruction is English or German, but students have access to Japanese texts in the school library. Japanese may be used at the teacher’s discretion to support learning, according to the age, maturity and confidence of the individual student. Persistent overuse of the home language during school time is discouraged as this hinders the acquisition and practice of the English and German skills necessary to achieve full integration into school life and obtain the full benefit of the curriculum. To encourage the spirit of inclusion, it is not acceptable to use the home language to exclude others at the school. Students are given the choice to use their home language when giving their student-led conferences to parents at the end of each academic year.
Other Languages:
We aim to support a diverse range of languages and cultures by providing school library books in the mother tongue languages of most of our students. We involve parents in the development and maintenance of our library. Mother tongue is integrated into the classroom through native languages on displays. We welcome the opportunity for parents to share the languages they speak with all the students because we feel it is important to introduce other home languages and cultures to the school community. Multilingualism is to be valued as a practice to support and foster inclusion and diversity within the school community, and as an aid for language learning.
We believe it is good practice for parents and students to continue to speak their mother tongue at home. This good practice is supported by research and followed by other schools. Mother tongue support at home strengthens the overall language skills of a student, as well as giving a student a sense of confidence and recognition of their culture.
Additional Languages: English, German, and Japanese
All students are required to study two languages in addition to the language of instruction unless the student requires extensive support in English. Multilingual education begins in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten by introducing students to English, German and Japanese through music, stories, games and other hands-on learning activities. At the primary school level, students receive activity-oriented instruction in German, English and Japanese as additional languages. The aims are to make students aware of different sounds, rhythm and grammar patterns, to help them appreciate the use of language as a means of communication, to develop an understanding of the process of language learning by acquiring language learning strategies and to develop an understanding of the cultures of the countries in which the languages are spoken.
We believe early language learning supports the development of communication skills, develops open-mindedness, helps students experience plurality, provides the basis for lifelong language learning and prepares them for life in a multilingual and multicultural world.
Language Support for English as a Second Language (ESL)
The ESL programme is provided for students identified as needing additional English support in developing their English language skills to succeed in the school learning environment.
The ESL programme goal is to give students who enter DSKI with little or no English a basic understanding and ability in speaking, listening, reading and writing to feel comfortable and confident in the classroom.
The ESL support offers a combination of pull-out and classroom-integrated immersion strategies. Students eligible to join the programme are chosen collaboratively by the classroom teacher, ESL teacher, and SEN coordinator and verified during tracker days. All students are assessed, and the type of support they receive will be determined based on the results of the assessment. The support programme will be designed to help individual students prepare to follow the mainstream programme successfully.
Students will enter the ESL programme to work on and achieve the standards in the table below. The programme’s learning objectives are UOI themed, based on the collaborative planning that the ESL teacher undertakes with the teaching staff. Students may only be part of the programme for a maximum duration of one year. Once students have achieved these levels, they are then exited from the ESL programme. Further language development is identified and supported through the tracker day assessment and intervention scheme.
Sources
International Baccalaureate Programme Standards and Practises 2019
International Baccalaureate Learning and Teaching 2018
International Baccalaureate The Learner 2018
International Baccalaureate The Learning Community 2018
This policy will be comprehensively reviewed every two years to ensure that it is up to date, effective and relevant as well as being implemented in a fair and consistent way.