Educating for excellence

Why do we at Agora Lledó International School place so much importance on education in excellence from the earliest educational levels?

We don’t understand educational excellence as astonishingly high grades, but as personalised education, which focuses on the pace of each pupil and which, in addition, also prepares them to be good citizens in the world which awaits them. That is why, at Agora Lledó International School, excellence is one of the basic pillars of our comprehensive education.

“An excellent school is one that seeks to awaken the creativity and originality of the students, as well as one that maintains a great spirit of cohesion and union with the families; we believe that a school that seeks excellence is one that schedules tutorials with parents, even when the students do not present problems, thus anticipating any conflict that may disturb them,” says our director Luis Madrid. Furthermore, he believes that a school that takes excellence into account is one that fosters student creativity by keeping the mind active and always looking for critical thinking. “In this way, we foster in them the idea of creating culture as well as consuming it,” he explains.

This is why at Agora Lledó International School we encourage creativity from Infant Education onwards. Furthermore, we place great importance on respecting the learning pace of each pupil and paying personalised attention to their needs.

Going a step further, at our school we also teach students critical thinking, helping them to have their own opinion and decide for themselves from the time they enter the first levels of education, until they finish their academic life with us

How do we work towards educational excellence at Agora Lledó International School?

According to Julio Gallego Codes, psychopedagogist and school counsellor, educational excellence aims to ensure that children are able to think with judgement and for themselves in the future. According to him, there are different points that help to achieve this excellence:

• Children’s enthusiasm for learning must be encouraged.
• Advocate for their freedom and discourage training.
• Help them to be able to reflect
• Have optimism and hope on the horizon
• Encourage self-esteem and self-knowledge
• Build their character
• Work on values education
• Have objectives and goals to strive for

At Agora Lledó International School we work towards educational excellence based, among other things, on what Gallego says: “in order for pupils to reach this level of excellence, we must generate self-confidence, and collaborate with families so that they trust in their children’s potential and influence them by encouraging them in the culture of effort”, says our headmaster

Moreover, in his words, excellence is a personalised education to ensure that each student achieves their place in society and that what they excel in allows them to collaborate in designing the world that awaits them. “For this, finally, it is necessary to have adequate training plans for teachers and to be aware of the lines of work that they must contribute and transmit to their students, and in communication with the family”, summarises the director

How do we do this on a daily basis? By working from the earliest stages of early childhood, to students preparing for the end of their school life with a common idea: that they learn about critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, innovation, research, collaboration and leadership.

“Of course, this is in addition to the personalised attention given to each student to guide them on their way to their full potential,” says Luis Madrid.

The importance of excellence in the International Baccalaureate

Agora Lledó International School was the first school in Castellón to be authorised to teach the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) at Baccalaureate level. What is the aim of this baccalaureate? To develop students who are committed to their future and to the world around them. It does this by encouraging students to think independently and to lead their own learning, by helping them to be aware of cultural differences through the learning of a second language, and by enabling them to interact with others in an increasingly globalised and changing world. “This model creates a habit in students for study and research and prepares them in an outstanding way not only for university entrance, but also for their future employment, developing in them the different skills and abilities that go beyond the content, and that must be applied successfully in problem solving and creativity in everyday life”, our director tells us.

The IB student profile can be described as ‘inquiring, thinking, critical and reflective young people’. It is therefore logical to think of the relationship with educational excellence.

Our students have the good fortune to work on creativity, critical thinking and to practice personalised learning adapted to their pace and needs from the early stages of Infant Education. What does this mean? That those who decide to take the International Baccalaureate will arrive at this level with this educational excellence integrated into their daily lives and, therefore, they will have a head start when it comes to getting by without any problem with the content and demands of this educational level.