The story behind the inception of International Sharing School (ISS) has a historically rich backdrop—a former university professor and his primary school teacher wife acquired a British school 17 years ago. The institution’s management was later passed onto the couple’s children, who have added new dimensions to the school for its further growth and development.
“At ISS, we focus on developing intercultural understanding and mutual respect. Besides the valuable academic preparation, we believe the International Baccalaureate curriculum is the framework which allows our team to go above and beyond in promoting the soft skills needed to face an increasingly globalized world,” shares Miguel Ladeira Santos, CEO of ISS. The institution is an accredited IB Continuum World School where the students follow a curriculum that is academically challenging yet rewarding, flexible, and student-led. It is also the only international school in Portugal that enrols students from 4 months old up to 18 years.
What sets ISS apart from Other Global Institutions?
ISS is driven by a team of visionaries who are genuinely dedicated to providing a unique and unforgettable educational experience for all the stakeholders of the community: students, parents, and teachers. Moreover, the institution’s IB curriculum delivery has been developed, bearing in mind the 3 core values of the school: multicultural, care, and hospitality.
“At ISS, we believe in learning through sharing, growing together, creating together, and succeeding together,” proudly mentions Miguel. Hence, the team resonates with the school’s motto by greeting their students each day with a smile on their faces and a feeling of joy, knowing they are making a difference in their student’s academic journey.
A Student-Centered School Infrastructure
The infrastructure of ISS was designed by Rosan Bosch in a complex project that involved designers, architects, engineers, teachers, psychologists, and other educational specialists. The institution is built to depict its sharing spirit that drives the community to work in shared spaces, creating hubs for individual working, the group working, lounging and relaxed working areas, formal lecture-style learning areas, and many small focus pods spread out around the school.
ISS’s CEO Miguel further explains, “We believe in embracing the different preferences on each student’s working styles, which enhances the quality of work they develop and gives students a comfortable and exciting working environment to improve their overall happiness and well-being.” As a result, ISS students and staff are regarded as happy and motivated members of a learning community, where the school’s facilities play a significant role.
Regarding class size and student to teacher ratio, the primary class at ISS consists of 8 students with one teacher and one teaching assistant and further goes up to a class of 20 students. The overall student to teacher ratio is 1:5. ISS’s CEO Miguel also mentions that the institution offers differentiated learning to students who require exceptional support, as ISS is an inclusive school.
Offering Professional Development Opportunities to Teachers
At ISS, all teachers hold an IB curriculum training certification and an average of 9 years of teaching experience in the IB curriculum. The staff is also further encouraged by the leadership team of ISS to expand their knowledge base and skillsets and take on new roles and responsibilities within the school.
“There are also plenty of leadership opportunities at ISS, and we always prioritize investing in our team members for these roles rather than outsourcing,” adds Miguel.
Hands-On Learning Approach to Promote Innovative Thinking
When it comes to promoting innovation and creativity in students, ISS has developed a unique learning methodology based on one of its core values i.e. Creation & Experimentation. This experimental learning approach allows students to use their creativity for problem-solving, develop communication skills for effective leadership, and acquire time and resource management and mind mapping competencies.
Moreover, students as young as 5 years are taught coding and robotics as part of their curriculum connected to math. This continues all the way up to game design and development for the older students as part of ISS’s Lego Academy.
Involving Parents in their Pupils’ Learning Journey
Understanding the role of parents in their child’s education, ISS encourages parents to participate in the school’s day-to-day life. The school’s leadership also communicates with the parents every week to update them on their child’s progress throughout the week and as do the tutors from each group. This is because Miguel and his team of ISS believe that active and effective communication solves 80% of the community’s concerns.
Aiming for a High College Acceptance Rate
This is the first year ISS has an IB Diploma Program Graduating class, and the teachers are confident that all their students will be placed in the universities of their choice.
“Throughout all the IB programmes we offer, our students graduating from ISS are equipped with a qualification that is recognized and highly valued by the best universities around the world and the personal and social skills to become good leaders,” states Miguel.
Significant Mileposts
Since its establishment, ISS has had many happy and proud moments to reflect and rejoice in the days to come. In addition to its IB Continuum World School accreditation, ISS is also certified by Pearson Edexcel. The Portugal-based school is a Polygon Education Certified Center, which trains teachers from other international schools to deliver the Singapore Maths Curriculum. “We are also a LEGO Academy and accredited to teach the Rock School programs in our Music Academy,” adds the proud CEO, Miguel.
Whether it is winning mathematics competitions with academic elite international schools to receiving awards from the United Nations to acing Basketball and Volleyball tournaments, to performing musical creations and exhibiting artworks in professional art gallery settings, students of ISS have also earned a name for themselves and represented the school on the global platform.
Better Sharing, Brighter Future
Revealing his roadmap for ISS’s future, CEO Miguel says, “Our plan for the future is to grow the community, increase resources to further develop our programs, and share our experiences, knowledge and best practices with all the learning community around the world, whether they follow local or international curriculums.”
For More Info: https://admissions.sharingschool.org/
About Miguel Ladeira Santos, CEO, International Sharing Schools
Miguel Ladeira Santos is the CEO of the International Sharing Schools group, a young and enthusiastic leader and entrepreneur with a passion for innovative working solutions and follows a high-end customer service culture. With a background in Luxury Hospitality Management and Corporate Finance, Miguel has been running the International Sharing School in Oeiras since the beginning of the project. He is the driver of the innovation and familiar community spirit lived within the organization. Miguel also invests and manages other ventures in sports, media and hospitality.