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In the year 2004, the Community of Madrid implemented a model of bilingual state education in which students not only studied English as a foreign language but also received curricular instruction for other subjects in English.

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English becomes a working language which is used cross-curricularly in the school and students can acquire it more quickly, naturally and effortlessly.

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All bilingual state schools comply with the official curriculum set out by the

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Community of Madrid, and every bilingual school must offer at least one-third of

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its coursework in English. This means that, in addition to English, all subjects

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except Spanish, mathematics, and foreign languages can be taught in English.

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Language assistants are an important feature of the bilingual program. They

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They are young university graduates from English-speaking countries.

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They also support the work of teachers in the classroom.

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And they provide valuable cultural linguistic input.

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There are over 2,300 language assistants from 18 nationalities.

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Language assistants enhance students' oral skills, and they are a cultural reference

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to their countries of origin.

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Among their functions, they make students have contact with the language and develop

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speaking and listening skills. They can also support other classroom activities

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and collaborate in the development of activities related to culture and

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traditions of their home, making even more visible the presence of languages

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and facilitating learning contexts and real situation activities.