Socrates Educa International Private School

• Location: Tarragona, Spain,
• Year of foundation: 2012,
• Language of instruction: English, Spanish, Catalan,
• Type of studying: mixed.

Socrates Educa Private School is an international school with multilingual instruction, several high school programs, including the International Baccalaureate (IBDP).

A few years ago, a group of influential people, businessmen, intellectuals, artists and professionals from different fields met to discuss the development of culture and knowledge in Camp de Tarragona and in the south of Catalonia. In 2007, the Socrates Educa Foundation was created, and in 2012, Socrates Educa International School opened its doors. Today, it offers programs for all school levels of education: preschool, primary, middle and high school. Students have the opportunity to receive one of three qualifications upon graduation: Baccalaureate from the Generalitat de Catalunya – local baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate, American Double Diploma.

Education at Socrates Educa is built on its own pedagogical model based on four important aspects of student development: knowledge, new technologies, being, coexistence. Students gain academic knowledge and skills while learning about world diversity, tolerance, adaptability, compassion, and teamwork. Teachers support students at every step of the educational path, providing academic, psychological, specialized support, carefully guiding them to achieve their goals, enter universities.

Some programs are available for online learning. The distance format of obtaining knowledge allows students and their families to receive a quality education while in their country. The student receives constant support, individual attention, recommendations in full, as well as students who come to campus.

Online programs can be:

• 100% online with the support and guidance of a school teacher,
• 75% online, 25% face-to-face,
• American Double Degree: Combined Academic Program In-Person and Online.

The education takes place on the Socrates Educa online platform, forming an individual curriculum adapted to the pace and abilities of each pupil. Student attendance, participation, and academic performance are strictly monitored. Attendance is assessed by the time a learner connects to the platform, as well as by submitting tests, projects, and attending live classes.

There are several academic departments, each of which is focused on the education of students of a certain age: preschool, primary, middle, high school. Seasonal programs are also organized: winter, spring, summer.

The school's buildings, which have received the highest ranking in terms of sustainability and environmental friendliness, are equipped with rainwater harvesting to irrigate the campus gardens and vegetable gardens.

Socrates Educa International School offers students two accommodation options: on-campus residences or in a host family. Children can choose the time they want to be accommodated: a full school year with no departures or a week-long boarding with weekends at home.

In the residential buildings on the educational territory, excellent conditions for accommodating students of 12-18 years old are provided: rooms for one/more students, common rooms for recreation, games, outdoor areas for walking, sports. Some teaching staff live in the same building, who monitor the order, the condition of all pupils. The residence is located a few minutes from the academic buildings, on the seashore, in a quiet area and a safe environment where you can ride a bike, walk and enjoy the natural beauty.

Nutrition is an important element of students' lives. Kitchen staff not only encourage the adoption of healthy habits, including eating fruits and vegetables, but also understand the dining room as a space of socialization and culture. The school has a modern kitchen, several canteens: for the youngest and for the oldest. Residents  are provided with a balanced three meals a day: in addition to lunch, snacks and breakfasts are offered. Special menus are available for individual needs, such as gluten-free, vegetarian and others.

Living with a host family is a great option for those who would like to be in a caring, warm atmosphere while studying at Socrates Educa International School. Host families are carefully selected and regularly inspected to provide students with the best conditions. The student can choose the options that suit him:

• Place to stay: in the city center or in a quiet area,
• Distance from the school,
• Housing with a married couple or a family with children,
• Accommodation with other students or alone,
• The presence of pets or their absence,
• Religious or other preferences.

By agreement, the student is provided with a private room, three meals a day, combined with those offered on campus, transport to school, etc.

After completing academic classes, pupils can devote time to their interests - excellent conditions have been created here for creative, sports and social activities. Various events are regularly organized on campus: music concerts, theatrical performances, art exhibitions, master classes, seminars of invited specialists, in which students can take part as spectators and as speakers. All extracurricular activities are scheduled in two time slots: noon and afternoon. Each semester, the leisure schedule changes, offering new directions for development.

Sports are represented by team, individual types, allowing students to participate in competitions between schools:

• Soccer
• Yachting
• Tennis,
• Dancing
• Swimming
• Basketball
• Judo
• Yoga
• Speed skating,
• Volleyball.

Creativity is an equally important branch of leisure activities. In the process of doing their own creations, participating in groups, students gain important skills in communication, language learning, and personal development. The groups perform both at school holidays and at external events.

Students perform special tasks inside and outside the school that benefit society, complement their education – in this way, they learn the value of effort and develop solidarity and generosity. This activity leads to the academic improvement of students, the creation of an important base of values, abilities for their future, highly valued by the best universities in the world.

• Own pedagogical system,
• Accreditations for teaching the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program,
• A wide choice of seasonal programs for additional development,
• Three types of the certificate upon completion of education,
• Opportunity to study online,
• Multinational composition - students represent about 50 nationalities,
• 99% of high school students successfully obtain final qualifications, 40% of them enter foreign universities, colleges,
• Admission of new students without entrance exams,
• Several accommodation options.

Socrates Educa International School is considered one of the most modern schools in the country. It was designed to accommodate up to 1,200 students on an area of 30,000 square meters. Classrooms occupy about 8000 square meters of the entire territory:

• Classrooms for theoretical classes,
• Specialized laboratories,
• Self-study classes, teamwork on projects,
• Multifunctional conference hall for events,
• Art studios,
• Classes of Robotics, Technology,
• Several dining rooms,
• Gardens, 
• Multifunctional gyms for individual, group exercises,
• Outdoor sports grounds, courts on an area of 3100 square meters for team games,
• Pool.

The rooms are designed in such a way that there is always natural light in them - large windows give a lot of light even in winter, and sun blinds allow you to cool the classrooms in hot weather.

Students can use public transport – stops are close to campus, with Socrates Educa itself owning several buses to ensure safe transportation of students to host families' homes on excursions. Buses are tracked by the BatOnRoute application, which can be used by parents and teachers to track the movement of pupils.

The academic year at Socrates Educa International School is divided into three semesters, starting in September and continuing until the end of June:

• Autumn: September-December,
• Winter: January-March,
• Spring: April-June.

Academic classes are held on weekdays: from Monday to Friday. Students rest on weekends, national and international holidays, Easter and Christmas holidays.

Depending on the chosen accommodation option, the number and amount of additional fees may vary. Approximate list of additional costs includes:

• Accommodation, meals,
• Individual needs: special meals, additional academic support,
• Some extracurricular activities, clubs,
• Passing external exams,
• Medical expenses in case of illness,
• School uniform,
• Transfers, use of school buses,
• Excursions
• Annual fees,
• Pocket money.

Applicants go through several stages before being enrolled in Socrates Educa International School programs. Families of prospective students fill out an online application and provide the required documents, if desired, they can take an entrance test to assess their knowledge. Be sure to attend an interview with the admissions commission. Admission of candidates is carried out on the basis of personal communication with the commission, since it is individual attention to each child that gives a complete understanding of his personality, goals, ambitions and intellectual abilities.

Socrates Educa graduates achieve good results in high school exams, thanks to which they enter leading universities in Spain and other countries:

• University of Exeter,
• Oxford Brookes University,
• University of Kent,
• University of Navarra,
• University of California, Berkeley,
• Queen Mary University of London,
• The University of Chicago,
• Imperial College London,
• Sorbonne University,
• Brunel University London.

Prospective students must provide:

• Personal documents: passport, health insurance and health certificates, visa or residence permit,
• Official transcripts from the last two years of study,
• Language test results: English, Spanish. There is no specific acceptance rate based on language skills alone, but knowledge of these languages is important for effective learning.

Socrates Educa International School has a scholarship and financial aid program, helping students from all backgrounds get a quality education. The school has a fund for assistance in the case of special situations and needs, discounts for large families and for those who face special difficulties. Scholarships and grants, which are awarded annually, encourage students who have achieved success in certain areas of study, extracurricular activities.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision