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Learning languages helps children understand other cultures, make friends and find opportunities later in life. Our language provision at Tenby covers English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin, and children are supported in their home languages too. Our students come from over 30 nationalities.
In Early Years, children have weekly Malay and Mandarin lessons with specialist teachers, plus beginner English sessions to build confidence.
A core focus on English throughout, with EAL (English as an Additional Language) support for children who have little or no English
More language options: daily or twice-weekly Mandarin lessons in the British-curriculum primary years, Chinese as an A Level subject in Sixth Form and the Japanese Language club
Early Years and Primary
In Early Years, children have weekly Malay and Mandarin lessons with specialist teachers, plus beginner English sessions. In the British-curriculum stream, primary pupils choose between daily Mandarin lessons and Mandarin classes twice a week. At Sekolah Sri Tenby, primary pupils study Malay, English and Mandarin.
Secondary School
Students learn Mandarin and Bahasa Malay and English, expanding their language skills.
We help each child build language skills and confidence, in lessons and through real-life experiences.
We believe in personalised language learning. Every new student completes an initial language assessment and language profile questionnaire.
Through International School Partnerships' International Learning Opportunities for Students (ILOS) programme, our students immerse themselves in cultural exchanges, debates, and creative film projects in safe and exciting rehearsal spaces where they can practice and grow their language skills with confidence.
We support parents in helping their children grow linguistically:
Guides, webinars, and language tips to reinforce learning at home
Practical tools to help with your child’s language development
Parents often ask how language learning works at Tenby, from Early Years to Sixth Form. Here are short answers to common questions, with links to read more.
English is the main language of lessons, with Malay and Mandarin taught alongside it. In Early Years, children start all three through interactive lessons, pupils in Years 7 to 9 study Malay and Mandarin, and Sixth Form offers Chinese at A Level. Children are supported in their home languages at every stage.
Children build fluency in English through EAL (English as an Additional Language) support and immersive classes, while progressing in Mandarin and Malay. In the British-curriculum primary classes, pupils can choose between daily Mandarin lessons or Mandarin classes twice a week.
Yes, and it goes a step further. Children learn in English and also study Malay and Mandarin, so Tenby describes its approach as trilingual learning. This runs through Early Years, primary and secondary, and pupils can explore another language in the Japanese Language club.
Bahasa Malaysia is taught from Early Years, where children have weekly Malay and Mandarin lessons with specialist teachers. In the secondary years, Malay continues through Years 7 to 9 and is also a Cambridge IGCSE subject, compulsory for Malaysian pupils.
Sekolah Sri Tenby follows the Malaysian curriculum (KSSR) in an English-speaking environment. The primary curriculum includes Malay, Bahasa Inggeris (English Language) and Mandarin. Children gain fluency in English with active EAL support and grow in Bahasa Malaysia with extra support.
Tenby offers EAL support for children who have little or no English. Early Years children join beginner sessions to build confidence in English, and EAL support helps children build fluency in primary and secondary. Boarders whose first language is not English have timetabled EAL classes.
Yes. We believe in personalised language learning, so every new pupil completes an initial language assessment and a language profile questionnaire. You can see the other admission steps on our how to apply page.
Children are supported in their home languages at every stage, so keep speaking, reading and playing in the language you use at home. A parent can also ask our Admissions team about the language support available for families. Early Years teachers share regular image and video updates through an app, so families can follow progress.
Chat with our friendly Admissions team to explore how we support your child’s language learning, from assessments to real-world experiences at our campus in Ipoh, Malaysia.
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