The earlier children are exposed to a foreign language the better. The reason for this is simple: Children are like sponges ready to soak up information. They learn through play and quickly recognise how a language works.
The project “Bilingual Education - English from Small to Big” that was launched in 2012 was created with this in mind. Children learn from “Native Speakers” many hours per week. This makes language learning natural in order to gain a foothold in a new language and to ensure an educational and professional advantage for their futures.
The programme, which has been received with excitement in all kindergartens and primary schools in Wattens, expanded in 2017 to the New Secondary School. This means that some 800 students take part in this unconventional programme to improve English skills.
The project, which was initiated by Educational Secretary Beate Palfrader, is a collaborative effort amongst the Destination Wattens Regionalentwicklung GmbH, the Marktgemeinde Wattens, the D. Swarovski KG, and Land Tyrol.