International School in Spain - Elementary to High Schools

El Limonar International School, Murcia:
El Limonar International School in Spain is a private fee-paying bilingual school founded in 1990 and governed by a permanent Board of Directors. The School is accredited by the Middle States Association and by the Spanish Ministry of Education. The student population is comprised of over 20 nationalities including, English, German, Japanese, French, American and Russian pupils although the majority are Spanish.

Infant, Primary (Elementary), Secondary (Middle & High School), Baccalaureate. The School provides a bilingual education for children of 3 to 18 years old, the languages of instruction being English and Spanish.

Four features are central to the delivery of education at El Limonar International Schools: a bilingual curriculum of high academic standards; social and moral development; personalized attention; and extra curricular and complementary activities.

Except for subjects taught in Spanish, which follow Spanish Ministry of Education programmes, the curriculum is based on the National Curriculum for England and Wales. It aims to prepare all students for both curricula of the final two years: one leading to the Spanish university entrance exam Selectividad (PAU); and the other leading to English A (Advanced) level examinations.

Student qualifications are, therefore, the Spanish "Graduate in Obligatory Secondary Education" certificate, at the end of Secondary school, and an American High School Diploma, the Spanish "Baccalaureate" certificate and English A level certificates, at the end of their Baccalaureate studies. In addition, students at Elis Villamartín sit IGCSE examinations, at the end of Secondary school.

El Limonar International School, ELIS in Murcia, is set in 63.000m2 of grounds with 9 tennis courts, 4 padel courts, a 25m outdoor swimming pool, sports fields, a gymnasium and playground. The buildings are purpose built, comprising an administration and three teaching blocks, all connected by a covered walkway.

Primary
The Primary buildings contain 12 classrooms each, activity rooms, a Primary library and IT room, audio-visual room, staff rooms, meeting rooms and offices.

Each Primary classroom has its own reading library but the main collection along with reference material is housed in the School Library. Pupils have permanent access to these.

Upper Primary pupils use the Secondary Science laboratories.

Secondary & Baccalaureate
The Secondary building houses 14 classrooms, 3 Science laboratories, an IT room, a Drama Studio, offices, a staff room and dining rooms.

Information Technology
ELIS has three separate IT rooms, two for Primary and one for Secondary. The computers are continually maintained and updated ensuring the most modern software is available. The Internet connection is via an ADSL line. There is one computer per student for IT lessons and the rooms are available for individual student use at other times.

Theatre
ELIS also boasts a magnificent open-air amphitheatre, with a capacity for 600 peoples, which is used by classes and groups from all levels, to perform plays, poetry readings and other activities.

Sports
ELIS offers excellent sporting opportunities with its tennis and padel courts, swimming pool and multipurpose sports fields. Pupils train for official sports competitions and take part in extra-curricular activities.

Dining Facilities
Dining is organised in several sittings depending on pupils' age and year group. A hot 3-course meal is cooked every day on the premises by ELIS staff. The menu is supervised by members of the Management and is based on the Mediterranean diet, although regional and international specialities are included. Special dietary requirements are catered for. A copy of the monthly menu is sent to parents in both English and Spanish.

The philosophy of El Limonar International School is defined by the following principles:

· To provide a safe and democratic educational community with maximum learning opportunities for all pupils while recognising each child's unique abilities.
· To develop pupils' sense of respect and dignity in order to be sensitive to an even greater degree of inner excellence
· To facilitate the development of personal and social skills that lead to mature citizenship in a diverse and rapidly changing world.
· To promote the mastery of academic skills and the understanding of concepts that will lead to a lifetime of meaningful application and personal excellence.
· To seek academic merit by stimulating pupils' potential.
· To encourage learners to think critically and logically and to process knowledge and information powerfully to effectively meet life's challenges.
· To optimise bilingual immersion in order to achieve linguistic excellence in a global society.
· To encourage high performance in logical mathematical thinking in order to accomplish academic excellence.

Our education is based on pupils' individual abilities, on their social integration and on academic success within the framework of the School Curriculum.