Personalisation and development of talents

Thanks to the support of tutors, teachers and the psycho-pedagogical counselling team, we adapt the resources they need to each student (based on their interests and taking into account their particular learning pace) so that their results are successful and they achieve high motivation.

Critical thinking

In order to awaken interest, motivation and curiosity to learn, we work daily with thinking strategies (reflection, critical and creative thinking) that favour the development of effective and visible thinking in our students.

This intellectual challenge involves putting into practice a set of skills to know how to analyse, reflect, compare, discern, explain, decide on information and be able to make their own decisions.

By practising them frequently and flexibly, they become the natural way of thinking and operating, thus making them more reflective.

Scientific and mathematical learning

Our students learn mathematics applied to real situations through deductive and creative thinking.

Science is an important part of our curriculum, so we encourage the development of the innate curiosity we all have to know and understand and the natural interest in discovering objects and things.

That is why we encourage:

• Experimentation in the classroom, in laboratories and in natural environments to understand and access the knowledge of Science.
• Scientific and creative stimulation workshops in which different scientific skills are worked on.
• The development of deductive reasoning.

Art and culture

Through interdisciplinary projects we include cultural and artistic contents that allow students to express themselves and enhance their creativity.

We carry out art appreciation workshops at school and on visits to museums with the collaboration of external specialists to enrich curricular learning.

Technological Project

We work in perfect harmony alternating analogue (books and notebooks) and digital (devices) supports; we believe that both ways of working are the perfect combination for the learning process of our students.

We incorporate technology as a transversal tool in the student’s academic training, in a gradual, progressive and adapted way, because we understand that it provides the necessary nuances in their intellectual relationship with the world and because it helps our students to think critically and creatively, to communicate fluently and expressively, to face life with maturity and to participate responsibly in society.

Beginning of the transversal programme of digital competence – 1st and 2nd Primary School

In these courses, the aim is for the student to learn the parts and functions of a computer, to become familiar with the use of the mouse and keyboard, and to learn how to use the basic functions of some of the Microsoft programmes.

TechTalents Programme – 3rd and 4th Year Primary School

In the TechTalents room, pupils learn digital skills across the board by using logical reasoning to explain simple algorithms, working with programming languages adapted to their age, applying them to projects in different subjects in a collaborative environment. Different digital tools are used to structure content, communication -stop motion- and collaborative environments.

Tablet Assisted Learning Project- 5th and 6th Grade Primary School

The organisational model of this project has the following objectives:

• To promote several of the skills to be developed through our educational project, such as creativity, cooperation, curiosity to investigate and autonomy in learning.
• That students develop digital skills for the safe use of technology, whether for work, leisure or communication.
• Personalisation of learning, allowing different work rhythms and learning styles to be catered for.
• Throughout their school life, students learn about the three most common ecosystems on the market (Google, Apple and Microsoft).

Tutorial Action Plan

Our tutors together with the psycho-pedagogical guidance department and our discipline prefects develop a programme focused on accompanying the pupil, guiding them in their learning process and their integral development.

The Botín Foundation’s Responsible Education Programme

For the last 10 years, Highlands School has incorporated the Botín Foundation’s Responsible Education Emotional Intelligence Programme, which fosters the physical, emotional, intellectual and social growth of our pupils and promotes communication and improves coexistence in schools by working with teachers, pupils and families.

Christian life and spiritual accompaniment

As a Catholic school we live our faith with great joy, passionately seeking the truth and the good. We accompany our students as they discover Christian life throughout their school life. In addition to religion classes and other pastoral activities, we have a chaplain and consecrated staff for the Primary stage.

Parents’ School

The school encourages the family-school meeting to educate together. We offer different training courses, as well as talks with experts in education.

International Training

We believe in the importance of languages as an essential vehicle for our students to develop in an international environment.

We encourage participation in different events throughout the year to bring them closer to Anglo-Saxon culture. Some of them are: Thanksgiving Day, Own Clothes Day, Sports Day, etc.

Language teaching

We are an official Cambridge examination centre and prepare our students for the B1 (PET) exam.

Primary pupils are taught in an environment of 50% language immersion in English and 50% in Spanish, with three hours of French language from 4th year of Primary. Our pupils learn to speak, think and communicate in three languages: Spanish, English and French within a framework of international education and with teachers who are specialists in bilingual and international education.

Experiences abroad

We also offer academic stays outside the school for a term, school year or Summer Camp in:

• OAK ACADEMIES (USA, Ireland and Switzerland).
• American High Schools associated with our OAK Academies.
• Austin, Texas.
• Saint Louis, Missouri.

Virtues programme

We shape the will and emotions of our pupils through the acquisition of virtues which we work on through campaigns and educational activities in the classroom, adapted to the different grades.

We focus on a series of virtues that we consider fundamental for their development, dedicating each term thematically to two of them: sincerity, gratitude, joy, respect, obedience, order, responsibility, generosity, friendship, fortitude, humility and effort.

Formative discipline

Through formative discipline, our educators work so that the children discover the values that give rise to the rules on a day-to-day basis, so that they act out of self-conviction and not merely by the imposition of a regulation.

In this way the pupils come to understand the meaning and importance of respecting and complying with the rules in order to build a good school coexistence.

Education for love

With the contents and methodology of ”Let’s learn to love”, we educate our students in that which lies at the heart of our condition as people: our capacity to love.

Through a gradual and age-appropriate approach, we accompany them in the discovery of the true value and meaning of their body, affection and sexuality.

Social Action Campaigns

We seek to produce an effect on the world around us that is reflected in a change of attitude towards a cause or in a greater social development, thus achieving students committed to the transformation of society.

Sport

Through sport, pupils get to know themselves, learn to overcome challenges, build will and character and develop psychomotor, emotional, social and intellectual aspects.

At Primary level, there are 4 sessions of Physical Education every week. In addition to Physical Education classes, our pupils participate in sports programmes and activities such as:

• Padel, basketball, volleyball and football tournaments.
• Solidarity Cross.
• Friendship Tournament.

Digital competence

Digital environment backed by Microsoft

The Office 365 suite of educational applications turns the classroom into a collaborative learning environment that is secure, agile, intuitive and full of learning resources. It provides a more personalised, creative, autonomous and collaborative way of teaching that creates inclusive, participatory classrooms.

When students use Microsoft Office 365 they are developing the skills and competencies they will need in the future. Providing them with online applications for work from anywhere and desktop applications for advanced functionality both online and offline.

The key benefits are:

• Creating and sharing in entirely new ways
• Teaching and learning by doing and exploring
• Adapt to any learning style allowing for inclusive learning and true attention to diversity
• Focusing on results, not on technology

We have various electronic devices: Smart Boards, Digital Projectors and iPads as tools and supports for learning in the classroom.

Computational thinking

It involves a series of activities that facilitate problem solving. We work on the development of logical thinking, encourage creativity and improve reasoning among other skills.

We are committed to the Lego Robotix Programme in which students participate in experiential learning, persist in problem solving, embrace collaboration and work in a creative process with construction systems, mechanisms and manipulable robots that are designed, programmed and controlled to develop solutions to everyday problems.