Logical-mathematical reasoning

Our mathematics learning programme encourages development of the logical-deductive thinking in our students that forms the essential basis for acquiring knowledge in all other academic areas.

Through this programme:

• We foster and continue the work and development in the various learning styles and talents that begin to show in Pre-school.
• We encourage deductive reasoning.
• We practise mathematics in a way that is adapted to reality.
• We encourage play and manipulation as a means to acquire basic competencies.
• We foster cooperative work.

By the end of this stage, we have built the necessary springboard for a successful move up to Secondary.

 Linguistic competence

Public speaking and recital programmes. We form our students in the art of clear and objective communication, combining verbal and body language. This process involves daily work, recital contests, debate, theatre performances and literary activities in the three languages offered by the school (Spanish, English and French).

Reading exercises and sponsorship

To strengthen and drive an interest and taste for reading and reading comprehension, 5th and 6th year Primary students sponsor 1st and 2nd year Primary students in this activity.

“Quiet, we’re reading” project

A pioneering reading campaign in Seville in which all our students and the entire school faculty spend 15 minutes of each school day reading for fun in and of the three languages (Spanish, English or French).

Active learning and comprehension methods

1. Project-based learning:

This is an experiential method in which students take decisions, and complete and assess projects that are applied outside the classroom, in the real world.

By using projects, we bring together different areas of knowledge, train skills and apply what they know. The teachers prepare a scenario for each student to build their own learning process.

Working on projects also leads to the development of interpersonal skills, content contextualisation and globalisation, and in-depth understanding.

We apply several formats within this method:

• Research projects
• PBL (Problem-based Learning)
• Comprehension projects

2. Cooperative learning:

We organise the class into small groups in which the students work together in a coordinated fashion to solve academic tasks, acquire concepts, competencies and social skills, while developing both their own learning as well as those of others around them.

Thought strategies

In order to improve our students’ thought processes and help them to better understand and learn the content, we incorporate strategies into the classroom that help to reveal how the students are thinking (Thinking-based learning).

To integrate classroom strategies to help students to learn how to handle their emotions and to develop the motivation they need to learn.

To apply a thinking skill means to carefully engage in a certain type of thinking (such as to make a decision, to choose, to compare and to contrast). Meanwhile, to apply a thinking routine means to apply a simple thinking pattern (generating an interest and achieving high-level thought) that may be used countless times and become part of learning a subject.

Preparation and application for competitions and scholarships

So that our students train the skills and competencies they have gained, we encourage them to get involved in external competitions such as:

• Mathematics, competition organised by Pangea
• Narrative, school illustrated story contest
• ¿Qué es un rey para ti [What for you is a king?]? Competition organised by FIES
• Photography and art competitions organised by Isla Mágica

Tutorial Action Plan

We have prepared a tutorial action plan specific to each school year in coordination with the human training and psychopedagogical guidance departments that guarantees the accompaniment and integral formation of our students.

 Christian life and spiritual formation

The formation we provide is focused on the quality and dignity of the individual based on Christian spirit, offering a series of activities, training concepts and voluntary spiritual attention that support and guide the student throughout their schooling.

Parenting school

At the school, we also want to offer a training space for parents, organising conferences with renowned professionals; a meeting place for group reflection on the education work you undertake with your children.

Language learning

Preparation for the Cambridge KET (A2) certificate with a 100% pass rate. We are an official Cambridge exam preparation centre and we organise the exams for receiving these qualifications. At this stage, we prepare our students for the KET certificate.

French from the age of eight. We start teaching French from the 3rd year of Primary, with two lessons per week. We are an Official DELF Exam Preparation Centre from level A2 to B2 and, over the last ten years, we have achieved a pass rate close to 100%.

Activities for developing communicative competency in English:

• Intercultural Activities: Skype classrooms and Pen Pals
• Public Speaking, Oratory and Poetry programmes

Reading, pronunciation and executive functioning development programme in English for Scientific Learning

Learning in languages

Besides gaining English language skills, the CLIL method helps our students to think, reason and learn in a foreign language through content from other subjects in the curriculum.

• Science: Using active methods, in-house material design and the use of Science Bits; a programme based on research and designed to facilitate the understanding of concepts.
• Art: We boost the development of artistic expression through the contextualisation of cross-curricular content.

• Chess (Chess taught in English): Work continues from Pre-school to the 4th year of Primary in order to consolidate the competencies developed during the previous stage:
  • Concentration
  • Attention
  • Memory
  • Analysis
• Coding: In a context in which technology is changing every industry on the planet, IT knowledge has become part of an integral and fundamental skillset. Our students therefore take part in the “Hour of Code” challenge, forming part of a global movement with more than 100 million students in over 180 countries – thanks to #code.org – that breaks down the barriers of programming to demonstrate that IT science is not difficult.Forming part of this challenge enables our students to learn programming code and helps them to build problem-solving, logic and creativity skills – all of which in their second language!

International experiences at the school

We have an international faculty that understands global and multi-lingual education. These teachers form our students using proven methods and tools taken from the Anglo-Saxon world.

Overseas experiences

As from the 5th year, we enhance the overseas experience of ours students through our OAK International Academies in the USA, Ireland and Switzerland, which prioritise access by our students and enable them to enjoy a term, semester or full year abroad without losing their place at our school for when they return.

Social Participation Programme

We want our students to live a life of commitment to social transformation and, therefore, for them to take part in social projects that foster social awareness and ensure they value the current, family and economic situation in which they live.

Positive discipline

We are the only school in Europe with the Positive Discipline Seal of Quality issued by the American Positive Discipline Association.

We seek to ensure that our students discover the reasons and values that lie behind rules and not simply view them as the imposition of regulations. For that reason, our work is based on:

• Communication
• Love
• Understanding
• Empathy

Virtues and Emotional Education Programme

We offer formation in willpower and emotions to ensure our students mature according to their age.

Programa “Realmente Conectados”

Se inician en el uso y aplicación de la tecnología gracias a nuestro programa propio “Tablet Assisted Learning” y a su aprendizaje y uso responsable, siempre acompañado por sus tutores y profesores.

También se inician en diversos proyectos de robótica, como:

• Programación en Scratch
• code.org
• Proyectos STEAM.

“Truly Connected” programme

Our students are introduced to the use and application of technology through our proprietary “Tablet Assisted Learning” programme. We also show them how to learn with these devices and use them properly, always accompanied by their tutors and teachers.

They are also introduced to various robotics projects, such as:

• Programming in Scratch
• code.org
• STEAM projects