The benefit and advantages of being able to understand and, better still, to speak a foreign language can never be underestimated. City Heights is unique among secondary schools because of its specialism in Spanish and also its commitment and promotion of bilingualism with parents and students. We see it as a real necessity working in what probably is the most cosmopolitan city in the world . This means that our professional and academic obligation to serve a large population of EAL and bilingual students is real and urgent. If we want our pupils to succeed in an increasingly competitive global market -even withouth having to leave the UK- we must address the need for having better trained, more valued, a bit happier and therefore much more motivated teachers who can install in children -often from very diverse and sometimes difficult backgrounds- the idea of a being an European and global citizen. This also mean for teachers to know how to deal with the historical and cultural expectations of different communities and cultures if we want to map out a better future for our students. The project has the participation of 22 teachers, including our Principal, three subject directors (MFL, Humanities and Art), three MFL teachers, fourteen non MFL teachers and a Local Authority consultant who is also a teacher of Portuguese in our school. The idea is to expand the scope and number of language training opportunities that we are already providing at City Heights for teachers and parents. We want to offer to a large number of colleagues the opportunity to improve their language and pedagogic skills so in turn they become a working force that understands and embraces bilingualism. The activities, expanded over a period of two years, include six idiomatic language courses with teachers immersing for five days in Spanish, French or Portuguese learning. These structured training courses will be complemented by pre-departure research plus language and culture familiarisation done in our school and a continuation of their language training on their return. The aim is for many teachers as possible to reach an advance beginners-intermediate level. Participating teachers will be asked to prepared a portfolio with material they can use in lessons on their return to UK. Much of that material is expected to be included in also in presentations used during assemblies and tutorial times at least twice a month.There will also be a two job-shadowing exercises for teachers, including our Principal and two more Management Team members, to share good practice, familiarise with other EAL methodologies, language teaching and expand the number of European contacts for future projects and initiatives. In this sense we have already requested the assistance of our language in helping us to identify future potential partners in Spain and France. As a result, we expect a much more academically integrated school working crosscurriculary, confident about the teaching and learning of foreign languages and much more in tune with the social, political and cultural realities of other European nations and cities. This plus the conviction that we will be ble to provide our teachers with a better working environment and better career prospects within the UK and beyond. It is within this exciting but demanding circumstances that we want to develop a long term strategy to demostrate to students, teachers, parents and the larger community we serve many of the benefits of being part of Europe. European Heights is a very important piloting project for us because it will help us to consolidate our central educational ethos of the "Growth Mindset" by offering our teachers and students the possibility of becoming better at being themselves. This will translate in a happier school and a more holistic and integral education and not just one designed to improve GCSE or A level results.