ᐅPrimary school in Setúbal, Palmela ᐅ St Peter's Primary school

St. Peter's Primary School

The Primary stage at St. Peter’s offers a distinctive curriculum in Portuguese and English, based on values of academic and moral excellence, making use of innovative programmes that transform teaching into a unique experience, such as CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning).

In Primary School, we seek to promote language proficiency in the English language; ensure a high pedagogical level; guarantee quality teaching, and provide students with solid personal training through the acquisition of the syllabus contents.

We also seek to foster the development of skills, values, and behaviours. Our priority and mission are to prepare students to be confident and responsible from a humanistic and intellectual point of view.

Why choose our Primary School in Palmela?

PROF. JOSÉ HENRIQUE

Head of Primary School

Located at our modern campus in Palmela. Primary School at St. Peter's International School is grounded in the principles of academic and moral excellence. We place a strong emphasis on promoting English language proficiency, maintaining a high pedagogical standard, and fostering the holistic development of our students. Our primary focus is to nurture capable, successful, confident, and responsible individuals, both intellectually and morally, who can contribute positively to society.

St. Peter's has students from over 40 different nationalities, providing a distinctive multicultural experience. Our Primary School is the perfect option for both national and international families seeking a leading and outstanding education in the Lisbon and Setubal areas. Our goal is to ensure the highest standards of education in Primary School, while fostering a deeper approach to learning.

From the first day at Primary School, students cultivate a more in-depth approach to learning. The new Edtech programme offers a highly personalised experience to each student with the help of digital technology. At the same time, the Maths Mastery course encourages specialised bilingual language skills through logical reasoning activities and creative Primary Mathematics exercises.

Primary School Programme

From The 1st to The 4th Grade

The Primary School curriculum matrix at St. Peter’s stands out due to the specificity and demand of the programme, as well as for the curricular organisation (multi, inter and transdisciplinary curricular matrix). In this sense, personalised teaching in the different subject areas is recommended, which translates into an individual or small group approach, according to the specific requirements of the students.

The Primary School follows the national curriculum while also integrating the English language across a significant portion of its programme. Additionally, we provide an introduction to Latin.

This set of principles is founded on an effective educational policy that emphasizes a continuous, consistent, and systematic approach to integrating values and emotions in addition to the cognitive aspect. We recognize the importance of nurturing ethical, aesthetic, and emotional dimensions of learning, ensuring a comprehensive educational experience for our students.

The CLIL Methodology

The CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) methodology provides students with the opportunity to learn content in English within the subjects of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. This academic approach allows for the exploration of specific subjects in English. Essentially, students have the chance to acquire new concepts in a language that is not their native tongue, facilitating language learning and fostering the development of other essential skills.

Primary Programme Evaluation

Assessment occurs at the beginning of each school year and whenever a new teaching unit is started, to allow the eventual adjustment of the teaching-learning process. The main guidelines and provisions concerning the assessment in Primary School, namely the connection between assessment and learning process and the expected competencies acquired, are based on the present legislation (Decree-Law No 55/2018 of 6 July).

Bilingual Programme & Certification

The subjects taught in Portuguese follow the national curriculum, as the subjects taught in English follow a programme adapted to meet specific requirements, in view of a more rigorous approach. Accordingly, our English programmes, which integrate different levels of study, are developed with the aim of aggregating the National English Curriculum to the University of Cambridge English exams, as it is our aim to certify our students through these exams.

Certification in Languages
In partnership with the British Council, from Grade 2, students have the opportunity to obtain entry-level ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) certifications, accredited by the University of Cambridge.

best elementary school teachers in Palmela

Primary School Teachers

Our team in the Primary School consists of experienced teachers who possess scientific and pedagogical training in various teaching areas. We take pride in establishing a warm, empathetic, and dedicated relationship with our students and parents.

Our English teachers are native speakers, providing a unique advantage in their ability to delve into the intricacies of the language and the cultural nuances both inside and outside the classroom. This ensures a comprehensive and authentic English language learning experience for our students.

Primary School Activities

Embracing a bilingual teaching context, we provide our students with the necessary tools to successfully achieve their personal goals in what is increasingly a demanding and competitive world where teaching English is absolutely decisive for both their academic and professional future.

In this regard, we provide a range of educational activities including EdTech, Maths Mastery, and Social Studies.

Additionally, we organize regular School Assemblies for Primary students, and offer various clubs and co-curricular activities, such as chess, as well as extracurricular activities, providing students with opportunities to explore their interests and develop new skills outside of the regular curriculum.

English Lessons

Throughout Primary school, from 1st to 4th grade, our students benefit from seven hours of structured English lessons per week so that the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are put into practice. Grammar content is taught in a variety of ways and written work is produced according to the children’s level of English. Fun projects, literature classes, creative writing and oral assignments are part of our students’ day-to-day English approach.

Social Studies

At this age-group, our students have a wide range of different subjects that allows them to gain skills in language competence as well as develop a real interest in the Anglo-Saxon culture. Social Studies is a weekly subject in which our students learn cultural, geographic and idiomatic content. Students address the different cultural aspects of Anglo-Saxon countries, including their festivities and historical events. They are also encouraged to discuss and reflect on moral values and their conduct.

Ed Tech

As students progress through St. Peter's International School, developing logical thinking and problem-solving skills becomes crucial. Recognizing the significance of technology and computational thinking in this stage of learning, we actively integrate EdTech (Educational Technology) and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) skills into our classroom activities and curriculum across various subjects. By doing so, we aim to equip our students with the necessary tools and abilities to effectively analyse and solve problems as they continue their educational journey.

To enhance the learning experience and cater to individual needs, we provide students with iPads for research and collaborative work. This cross-technology approach enables us to deliver a more personalised response to each student.

The EdTech digital platform makes knowledge accessible, fun and flexible while catering to various learning styles and promoting bilingualism.

Maths Mastery

The Maths Mastery programme is an Applied Maths subject in the Primary Years Curriculum. It is a teaching and learning approach based on the idea that everyone can succeed in Primary Mathematics, regardless of their previous performance. It is an inclusive approach that emphasises the possibility of exploring multiple methods to solve a single problem—understanding that access to various ways to problem-solve increases students' self-confidence, Mathematics ability and resilience.

Maths Mastery is implemented in a bilingual manner (English and Portuguese) in order to ensure the success of every student in mathematics. This approach aims to help all students joyfully and intuitively acquire the fundamental concepts of mathematics for their grades. The pedagogical approach utilises manipulatives and follows the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) method, allowing children to learn through hands-on experiences and visual representations for each concept they are taught.

Discover how your child can unlock their full potential with international opportunities and first-class bilingual education. Contact our Admissions Team to find out more.

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Primary School in Palmela, Setúbal