Escola Livre do Algarve - Associação Pedagógica de Estudos Waldorf

description of organisation

The Escola Waldorf - A Oliveira is a basic school,  based on Waldorf pedagogy, which wants to wake up in the child, the spontaneous will to learn, the spirit of investigation and a disposition for creative activity. We place a special emphasis on the integral development of the individual, particularly in his intellectual, artistic and social capacities, valuing the rhythm and the contact with nature.

In addition to the Portuguese Language, Mathematics and the Study of the Environment, which are part of the curriculum of the school, our regular activities with children also include Painting, Form Drawing, Music, Handicrafts (with natural materials), teaching of foreign languages English and German, Sport,  Physics, Eurythmy, Choir and Arts.

The Escola Waldorf - A Oliveira started in 2009, with 8 children and now has currently 85 children from different nationalities and in 7 different grades with ranging ages from 6 to 14 years old. It is based in Vila do Bispo, a portuguese village in Algarve region, with about 6000 inhabitants. The municipality counts with 179km2 in area and its south and west borders are part of the Natural Park of Sudoeste Alentejano and Costa Vicentina.
Vila do Bispo council has put to the disposal of the school a former primary school building in Figueira which is the school main building. On that building the school has 6 class rooms, some of them at the moment still temporary class rooms build to received the growing demand of the families wishing to have this pedagogy for their children. Last school year the school rented a new building in Vila do Bispo to embrace the new 7 grade class and to open our classes to the 8th grade which is the end of the 1st Waldorf pedagogy cycle.

The school is a non-profit organization ruled by the Board, Pedagogical Council, College of teachers and Parents council.
The Board consists of 2 teachers and 3 parents with the functions of President, Secretary, Treasurer and 2 more Members.The Administrative Board is elected by the General Assembly of the Association, which meets at least 3 times a year, can be members of the Association parents, teachers and friends. The board in accordance with the Association's statutes, have the legal power to act on behalf of the association defending the School's interests.

The Pedagogical Council of the school consists of teachers who have been working for at least one year at the school, (exceptions may be approved by the teachers' college). The Pedagogical Council has the freedom and responsibility to guide the pedagogical mission and is responsible for supervising the fulfillment of the Waldorf curriculum and its own plans according to the specificity of each class and taking into account the individuality of each child. The Pedagogical Council has the pedagogical duty and responsibility to make decisions about the activities and actions carried out on the school premises during its operation.

The College of teachers is constituted by the Class Teachers and Specialties Teachers.The teaching staff is the “heart of the school” and as a work team, it has full autonomy to develop its pedagogical work according to the best interest of the child. Each teacher has the individual freedom to develop the Waldorf pedagogical curriculum and each class's own plans, in accordance with the pedagogical options of the Pedagogical Council. This means cultivating a continuous process of self-training and evaluation. The college of teachers can define its own organization by regulating and distributing the different pedagogical responsibilities among themselves. The college of teachers meets weekly, on Thursday, after the lunch period, at a time to be defined annually.

The Parents' Council should be an active and participatory organ in the life of the school, being made up of parents who are in the present academic year and who apply for this function. It is intended that at least each class has one parent in the Parent's Council, this group meets according to their needs and is the most direct bridge to the Board and Pedagogical Council. The parents council is a facilitator of the practical and functional life of the school, taking care in partnership with the Board and teachers of the entire school environment.

The Escola Waldorf A Oliveira is a non-profit association that depends financially on tuition fees paid by parents.
The fee amount for each student is fixed according to the level of contribution to which each family belongs. The fees are assigned through financial evaluation and documentation presented by the family in a requested document and are revised annually.
The assignment of special fees is based on Rudolf Steiner's proposal to guide Economic Life by the value of the Fraternity, that is, to assist each family in their individuality with their individual and specific needs. Special fees are an exceptional and temporary support for families who are in situations of need and / or vulnerability.