Norba Caesarina High School launched its inaugural year of the English-Spanish Bilingual Project in 2009-2010, which was originally initiated by the Board of Extremadura in 2004-2005. The English-Spanish Bilingual project is part of a broader policy framework that pursues implementing and reinforcing the teaching of English as a foreign language, which constitutes an essential element in the process of building a European identity, multilingualism, and diversity.

Undoubtedly, the increase of international relations is enhanced by the improved means of communication and the development and dissemination of information technologies. Therefore, knowledge of one or more foreign languages has become a growing need in our society today and future.

The specific objectives are the same for the rest of the E.S.O (Compulsory Secondary Education) classes that are not involved with the Bilingual Sections. The Bilingual Sections are distinguished from the rest of the E.S.O classes by having an extra hour of English and the help of a native English assistant in the classroom on a weekly basis.

The Council of Europe established a Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for foreign language acquisition. The aim is for students in bilingual sections, in the particular foreign language, to acquire an intermediate level (B1) upon finishing compulsory secondary education.

Subjects and teachers

The students enrolled in the Bilingual Sections have an extra hour per week of English with the help of a native English teaching assistant in the classroom. The Language Assistant is essential for the development of oral communication skills and socio-cultural. These two factors assume greater success in achieving the objectives.

The section includes a series of complementary and extracurricular activities such as attending theatrical performances, guided tours, exchange with international high schools, personal invitations, etc. During the academic year 2011-2012, the following are being developed:

• Meetings with foreign students who are spending a year in Cáceres, so that they can transmit their experiences to our students. In order to organize this activity we maintain contact with the University of Extremadura.  
• New e-Twinning projects.
• 1st and 2nd year students will prepare activities for Halloween. 
• A show with different sketches and musical performances will be organized in collaboration with the Music Department.  
• Our students will attend theatrical performances organized by professional theatre companies.
• A translation contest for all the levels will be held during the Cultural Week.
• In order to encourage reading, a “Reading Card” is being designed which will be provided to 3rd years students. The aim is that they keep a record of all the books they read throughout the year.
• In order to encourage family participation, we propose the “traveler suitcase” with different materials from the English Department: fiction and cultural books, comics, magazines, DVDs, etc. Students will keep the traveler suitcase for a week and they and their families will have to write about their experience in a dairy we have included in the suitcase.
• The Bilingual Section will keep an updated informational display at the entrance of the school with details about the activities, interesting news for students, news about Spain abroad and “the sentence of the week”. All this information will be also updated online in the Bilingual Section blog.
• We will organize guided tours to different places of the town with the help of the assistant teacher. We intend to organize English activities in the Medieval part, in the library and in some museums.  
• Students from the Bilingual Section will take active part in the Cultural Week acting in “real situations” such as a market, the canteen and a tourist information office.
• A fashion parade, with comments in English, will be organized with the participation of students and teachers.
• Activities will be prepared for the Bilingual Sections Meeting held in our town every year.
• We will keep in touch with other bilingual schools of the area in order to reinforce future collaboration.