Bilingual education

Following on from an Early Bilingual Learning Project in basic education, the Bilingual Schools Programme in English (Programa Escolas Bilingues em Inglês - PEBI) was created from the 2016/17 school year as part of a partnership between the Ministry of Education (through the Directorate-General for Education) and the British Council Portugal, which is monitored by the Directorate-General for Schools.

In 2023/2024, following the national tender, the network of bilingual schools includes 39 schools (from pre-primary to ISCED 2).

Apart from basic education, PEBI covers pre-primary education, as the first stage of education in the lifelong learning process.

In pre-primary education, children are exposed to English using a playful and informal approach, becoming a part of daily pedagogical routines, in line with Curriculum Guidelines for Pre-Primary Education (OCEPE).