THE 5 PILLARS OF THE SCHOOL
IA Skills
Prepared for the challenges of the 21st century to achieve success and happiness.
Key skills that will open doors for our students:
- We work on real-life situations where the acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes can be applied.
- We link the interests of the student with curricular content.
- Students think about what they do, reasoning and debating and they can communicate their views appropriately.
We focus on the sense of individual responsibility: all students participate in their own tasks as well as shared ones. Their involvement teaches them to see how their contribution is essential for the success of the group. We thus promote positive interdependence.
The educators, environment and teaching methodologies used in the classroom lead our students to develop creative thinking, exploring their talents and the ability to think freely.
We believe that oral expression in different languages is of vital importance, so we practice public speaking on a daily basis from the earliest ages. Learning to speak in public not only improves communication skills but helps build confidence and develops other important skills, such as listening to other individual and group perspectives. Our students learn to debate, reflect, argue and defend an idea.
Collaborative project in the Primary and Secondary stages, where students create, edit and record a news broadcast in English. The most relevant news events of the term make up the content.
Diversity awareness programme for talented students. This focuses on encouraging the development of creativity and motivation in those students who have a particularly high performance level.
There are yearly entrepreneurship projects from primary school onwards in which students learn about the importance of decision-making and the responsibilities this entails, as well as the value of initiative and risk taking.
IA Together
“Well-rounded people who are committed to society”
A programme that allows our students to develop their talents by accepting, recognizing and expressing their opinions, fears and desires in a safe environment.
Our Guidance Department helps our students to know themselves better and to improve.
We support them in difficult times and we celebrate with them in their achievements “ WITHOUT YOU THERE IS NO US”
The Habilmind program teaches students about their strengths and weaknesses, their talents and interests.
MENTORING INITIATIVES AND TEENAGERS WITH PERSONALITY, a programme to assist them in life.
The “Bullying-Free School Certificate,” shows students how to solve conflicts that arise in their daily life. They are mediators and have an important role to play in promoting successful co-existence in school.
An Academic and Professional Orientation Program that will help them make appropriate decisions and achieve them.
IA TECH
Awareness of the importance of being able to adapt to new technologies.
The digital competence of our students is one of the pillars of our school.
One of the responsibilities we have towards our students is that of helping them to become citizens who can integrate and respond to the demands of an ever-changing society, well-equipped with the digital skills that will be required of them.
The use of mobile devices in the classroom allows us to implement new teaching strategies in a much more effective and creative way.
This allows our students to produce higher quality work.
From the 4th year of Primary and through the whole of Secondary and Baccalaureate, we employ the “One to One” model, in which each student is given a device for personal use.
In the Early Years and other Primary courses, devices are a key part of school resources. We work with them during specific sessions or in groups, so that all students can benefit from using them to aid their learning.
Programme developed for outstanding students or those who want to study more technology and programming.
From the very first Early Years School lessons, our curriculum is tailored towards the progressive use of technology in the classroom.
Students begin studying the basics of programming in their first years at school, with innovative projects and devices that help them understand how machines work and how to get to grips with simple commands.
From Primary School they start working on more advanced concepts with circuit boards, sensors and specialised projects.
Programming, robotics and 3D printing are linked to projects across the whole school.
Work in each course is accompanied by sessions on Internet security and digital citizenship, as well as the use of the “Microsoft Office and iWorks” package for students to complete their work.
The introduction of innovative methodologies is vital for the full and individual development of our students. We have a team of expert teachers to put this into practice and uphold our school’s philosophy in each learning stage. They are experts in innovation and put us at the cutting edge of advances in education. The projects and resources employed in the classrooms are the result of many hours of training and pedagogical study by our teachers.
IA Methodology
“Responsible for their own learning”
We champion new methods which make the student the protagonist and the teacher the motivating guide. In this personalized learning process, each student works at their own pace to discover, investigate,, compare and draw conclusions.
We believe that every person has different intelligences, some more developed than others. Awareness of these differences and that not everyone learns in the same way nor at the same pace enables us to teach each student according to their own individual capabilities, optimising their learning and development.
Neurological development is crucial in students first six years of life, so it is important to expand the number of neural connections through sensory and motor activity. The quantity and quality of the stimuli received during this period determines a child’s academic success and personal maturity.
This educational practice demands greater motivation and participation from the students. They need to contrast their points of view with the rest of their peers and present their reasoning in each situation. This results in improved understanding, autonomous learning, generation of knowledge and a more critical mindset.
Teamwork and problem solving based on real life situations are two essential qualities of this methodology.
Individual and personalized online digital tool for eye and brain training through play. It is designed to increase reading fluency and comprehension, vocabulary and word count.
With Progrentis, students are able to work with new information and solve abstract problems through the use of creative thinking.
We promote social development and integration through sport. It generates a sense of belonging, instils values and virtues, fosters a good school atmosphere, stimulates the brain, raises self-esteem and discipline. This all this helps to reduce student stress levels.
We take care of the environment by putting the 3 Rs into practice: “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle”. ECO PATIO AND ECO GARDEN are school-wide projects which involve the entire educational community. The students do a range of activities that help protect the environment, starting with the place they share every day.
IA Multilingual
Ready to live in a multicultural environment.
A school-based phonetic and literacy method based on “Jolly Phonics”, where students learn sounds in a multi-sensory, fun and engaging way. This helps them to learn to read and write using the phonic system. We use it from the age of two until the third year of primary school.
The importance we attach to bilingualism is shown in the number of weekly classes for learning English and the number of subjects in which English is the language of instruction. Sessions in English in Early Years School take up between 22 and 35 hours, depending on the year. In Primary, the number of hours varies from 20 to 23 per week and in Secondary from 14 to 17 hours per week.
Subjects taught in English by native and/or bilingual and specialized teachers include Natural and Social Science, Music, ICT, P.E., Technology, Arts & Crafts, Biology & Geology and Economics, among others.
From the 5th year of Primary, we offer our students the opportunity to learn a second foreign language (French or German), with 2 or 3 sessions per week. We prepare our students for official exams: GOETHE (German) and DELF (French)
Our school is certified by the University of Cambridge as an “Exam Preparation Centre”. We prepare our students for the official Cambridge exams: Starters, Flyers, PET in Primary and First, Advanced and Proficiency in Secondary and Baccalaureate.
90% of the school’s students take these exams, and the results are better every year, with 100% of them passing and obtaining the highest score in speaking and listening skills.
Our international scope includes projects and collaboration with schools in Europe and the United States. We offer our students the option to study for a term or a school year abroad to experience total immersion in English, French or German.
From the 2nd year of ESO, students can start studying for the High School Diploma. This is an official program that allows students to obtain two certificates at the same time: the Spanish and the American Diploma, which is recognized by all universities around the world.
In addition to vastly improving the student’s level of English, this program provides candidates with a high degree of personal autonomy and increases their skills in using new technologies.
Programme for students in the 4th year of ESO and the 1st year of Baccalaureate who want to study at a university in the United States. Students may explore their chances of getting an academic or athletic scholarship, depending on their talents.
Depending on the results obtained in the different tests, students are advised on how to pursue this option.