Independent school tour — we visit, film and tell you everything a parent needs to know.
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Schools Reviews assessment
✓ What we like
A clear path for families settling in Portugal long term — the Portuguese national curriculum taught bilingually up to Grade 4, then Cambridge in English from Grade 5 through IGCSE, A Levels and the AICE Diploma
Strong results reported by the school for June 2026: 98.4% A Level pass rate, every AICE Diploma student passed with Merit, and 85% of IGCSE grades were A*–C
Tuition covers a lot: organic morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack cooked on site by a full-time chef, academic and non-academic clubs, curricular day trips, Summer School and university guidance
Green campus at the foot of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park: weekly forest outings for pre-school, a vegetable garden, chickens, yoga and meditation in the early years
Beyond the classroom: Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Model United Nations and Erasmus+ exchanges with schools in Denmark and the Czech Republic
◎ Worth noting
Up to Grade 4 Portuguese is the main language of teaching and English the second — families who do not speak Portuguese should ask how younger children are supported. Entry from Grade 7 requires an English test
The school says it is at full capacity: pre-registration does not guarantee a place, and accepted families have 3 days to pay the admission and registration fees
No school bus, no phones on campus and no food from home
No international accreditation (CIS, NEASC, COBIS) found, and the school does not publish its Cambridge centre number — ask the school
Aprendizes (“learners”), officially Escola Os Aprendizes, is a private, non-religious school in Cobre, on the green edge of Cascais below the Sintra hills. It opened in 2007 with pre-school and primary, added Grades 5–6 in 2014 and now runs from age 3 to 18. It calls itself an “International Active Learning School”, with the motto “Together we Educate for Change”. The school reports around 500 students from 38 nationalities; most families live locally and plan to stay in Portugal.
Pre-school (mixed ages 3–6) and primary (Grades 1–4) follow an enriched Portuguese national curriculum, with Portuguese as the main language and English every day. From Grade 5 students switch to the Cambridge International curriculum taught in English, sitting IGCSEs in Grades 9–10 and AS and A Levels — or the AICE Diploma — in Grades 11–12. Lessons are active and student-centred, with yoga, theatre, workshops, gardening and a social-emotional programme (SER) for all ages. Graduates have gone on to universities in Portugal, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, Brazil and the USA.
School profile
Programme
Portuguese · Cambridge
Students
~500 · 38 nationalities
Class size
Average 18 · max 22
School hours
Open 8:00–18:00 · lessons from 8:30/8:45
Programme authorisations
✓ Cambridge International exams · IGCSE, AS & A Level, AICE DiplomaErasmus+ project (KA122)Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Institutional accreditations
Portuguese education licence
✓ Private school network, pre-school to secondary (Cascais municipality list)
Owner / type
Private · independently owned · non-denominational
Academics
Pre-school (3–6)
Portuguese national curriculum · mixed-age groups · learning through play · music, yoga, meditation, English, PE, forest and garden
Primary (Grades 1–4)
Portuguese national curriculum · Portuguese main, English daily · yoga, theatre, three workshops a year (e.g. financial literacy, technology)
Middle (Grades 5–8)
Cambridge Lower Secondary · English-medium · Global Perspectives, Digital Literacy, sciences, Spanish or French from Grade 7
IGCSE (Grades 9–10)
Cambridge IGCSE · English, Portuguese, Maths, Coordinated Sciences + at least 3 options (e.g. Business, Computer Science, Environmental Management, Sociology, Music)
A Levels (Grades 11–12)
Cambridge AS & A Level or AICE Diploma · 3–4 full A Levels, no fixed subject combinations
Teaching language
Portuguese with daily English to Grade 4 · English from Grade 5
A Level subjects
Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Psychology, Business, Media Studies, English Language, English Literature, Portuguese, Spanish, Art & Design, Design Technology, Environmental Management, Information Technology, Global Perspectives
Learning support
Psychologists, speech and occupational therapists in house · individual plans for learning needs and gifted students
Exam results 2026
A Level pass rate 98.4% · AICE Diploma 100% (all with Merit) · IGCSE 85% A*–C, over 70% of students with at least one A/A*
Sport & activities within curriculum
Outdoors
Weekly forest outings for pre-school, school garden, chickens on campus
Sports club
Basketball, football, volleyball, cross country, mountain biking
Secondary
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Model United Nations, student council, Erasmus+ exchanges
Extracurricular
Music (Bliss music school on site), dance, karate, drama, parkour and more — extra fee
Fees · 2026/27
Grades 9–10 (IGCSE)
€17,292
Grades 11–12 (A Levels)
€17,589
* From the school’s fee schedule for 2026/27. Tuition is paid in 11 monthly instalments (September–July) and includes meals. Extracurricular activities are extra. Always verify fees directly with the school — they change annually.
Frequently asked questions
Is Aprendizes an English-speaking school?
Partly. In pre-school and primary (up to Grade 4) Portuguese is the main language, with English taught every day. From Grade 5 the school follows the Cambridge curriculum in English.
How much does Aprendizes cost?
For 2026/27, tuition is €10,923 – €17,589 a year depending on grade, with meals included. New students also pay an admission fee (two monthly fees) and every family pays an annual registration fee (one monthly fee), plus insurance, materials and Cambridge exam fees.
Does Aprendizes offer the IB?
No. The school follows the Cambridge pathway — IGCSE, then AS and A Levels or the AICE Diploma. To compare the two systems, see our guide
IB vs Cambridge.
How do admissions work?
Families pre-register by email, visit the school (about an hour, or an online interview), send previous school reports and may be invited to a trial day. Students joining from Grade 7 take an English test. Admissions open in the autumn before the start year; the school is currently full, so places are not guaranteed.
Source: school website and school documents — School Fees 2026/27, school news (exam results, June 2026); Câmara Municipal de Cascais (private school network)