International Schools Guide 2024

Finding the right school for your children is as difficult as it is essential.

With so many options, how do you choose the right school for vour family?

The international schools landscape in Portugal continues to grow and evolve. Investment by global school groups has maintained its upward trend in the past year, not only in the Lisbon region but also in Porto. The Lisbon region still offers the largest number of English medium international schools in the Country by far, followed by the Algarve in the South and Porto up North. The Silver Coast is drawing more families every year and as such the offer is expanding, albeit more slowly.


English medium international schools in the Lisbon region offer  American, British or IB curriculums in their entirety or parts thereof. In fact, most international schools mix and match curriculums, making it trickier for parents to truly understand what type of education the school will offer. By contrast, all of the English medium international schools in the Algarve are full-through British schools, culminating in A-levels.

 

Despite its importance, curriculum is not the only factor one should consider when evaluating a school. A great school will make the most of any curriculum to make learning enjoyable, to provide children with the opportunities to discover their interests both inside and outside the classroom and support them in their personal development so that they can flourish into compassionate global citizens, driven to make the world a better place.

Finding the best school for your family requires research, perseverance, patience, and most importantly, access to the right information.

I recommend that you:
1. Start your search as early as possible as the popular schools fill up quickly.
2. Visit all of the schools you are interested in and ask detailed questions.
3. Don’t blindly follow others. What works for your friends, may not be right for your family.
Best of luck with your search!

Nathalie Willis-Davis

Founder & Educational Consultant at Tendoria

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