The pedagogical action of the Secondary Project in our school puts the student as the protagonist. The objective is to acquire knowledge, develop their own skills and procedures that allow them to solve problems, and undertake and develop projects, in an international and global context full of challenges and opportunities.
Secondary’s Educational Project meets the needs of students in a key stage of their lives, adolescence, and therefore reinforces their education in values from three dimensions: civic, ethical, and solidary, offering a truly international education.
At our school, Secondary education is based on a participative and dynamic process where students learn, think, and acquire knowledge together with their classmates and an excellent team of professionals who educate, guide, and provide them with tools.
As an international Secondary school, we advance in innovative and proven teaching strategies, such as cooperative methodologies in all subjects in order to promote teamwork and interaction with their peers.
Innovative Methodologies:
Yago School’s educational project is bilingual English-Spanish. In this educational stage, we reinforce the number of hours of English, and we also teach most of the subjects in this language: English, Music, Physical Education, Art, Chinese, ICT, Technology, Biology & Geology, Physics & Chemistry, Geography & History, Business Management, and Digital Business. In this way, students learn the language in a deep and experiential way, significantly expanding content and vocabulary.
Spanish Language and Literature, Mathematics and Religion or Education in Values are taught in Spanish; and in the 3rd and 4th years of Secondary, Physics and Chemistry are also taught in English.
In addition, Yago School is characterized for being an international school where English is the main language used in hallways, recesses, gardens, the dining room, and at assemblies.
Thanks to the immersion in this language and the preparation for the Cambridge exams at the end of Secondary, students reach a very advanced level of communicative language competence, many of them finishing Secondary with official Cambridge C1-C2 level qualifications in English.
This past year, among the more than 400 students who sat the Cambridge exams, 100% of those put forward by the school passed the exams with flying colors, and 83.6% of them achieved the highest possible score.
We are characterized by the fact that the English classes in Secondary are divided into different levels and thus adapted to the needs, characteristics, and learning pace of each group, taking into account the personal and individual needs of each student. This system greatly favors the learning and teaching of the language.
From our foreign language department, our Head of International Exchanges , organizes exchange trips for students who are interested in having experiences of different lengths in a foreign country. Thus, our students live with another foreign family, and in a reciprocal way, that family will in turn receive a foreign student in Malaga. We offer exchanges in Ireland, England, the United States, Canada and China.
Students therefore have the opportunity to learn about the lifestyle, culture and language of the country they are visiting, without having to pay for accommodation.
Yago School has been committed to offering Chinese two hours a week as a second global language for all its students from the age of two through Secondary from the beginning. The objective is for students to complete their secondary studies communicating fluently in Spanish and English, and with a good level of Chinese and/or French.
Yago School prepares students to take the official Hanban exams to obtain the YCT and HSK titles, many obtaining the B2 level of Chinese. Some of our students have the opportunity to reinforce their Chinese level and enjoy a cultural and linguistic immersion in this country.
Students from Secondary onwards can choose between starting with French for two hours per week or to continue with Chinese as a second language. The reality is that mastering different languages has multiple advantages; it opens up future job opportunities, increases self-confidence, enhances social relations, increases the child’s interest in other cultures and knowledge, and makes children more open-minded.
That is why our students, who are bilingual English-Spanish, and have very good communication skills certified in Chinese, have the option of choosing French from Secondary onwards to achieve excellent levels in four languages in the last stage of Secondary.
Our French teacher is a native speaker and she prepares students to face these exams with all kinds of activities, adapting to the level of each student. The subject has a motivating and interactive approach.
At the teacher’s discretion, students will voluntarily sit for the official DELF-DALF exams of the Alliance Française.
Secondary technology focuses on the design process. It begins with inquiry and analysis of specific problems related to design. A series of phases follow starting with problem posing and solution proposals; students use collaborative platforms and organizational and visual thinking tools for this. In the second phase, they develop their own ideas, evaluating possibilities, justifying decisions to their peers, and creating visual diagrams and/or logical plans. Finally, they provide solutions. Some examples are suspension bridges, driverless cars using EV3 Mindstorms, hydroelectric dam models, board games, websites using HTML/CSS, APP prototypes with Xcode, recycled electric cars, Arduino prototypes, renewable energy proposals, and movie trailers.
The rest of the subjects also make regular use of technology in the processes of research, analysis, problem solving, and presentations.
In Secondary, the subject of Music is characterized by a clear search for the individual development of the student within this field, expanding styles and objectives in the teaching of what continues to be our main focus of learning: the piano. Therefore, our students choose to continue their preparation for the prestigious ABRSM exams, or on the contrary, decide to begin a stage of instrumental learning based on different musical genres, such as jazz, pop or soundtracks. .
In addition, and always in continuous search of cultural enrichment of our students, they begin to work on Music History in Secondary 1 through the Flipped Learning methodology, to continue in the second stage of Secondary investigating about music in our world today, through the analysis of soundtracks of all times, or the incredible Soundscapes of the famous composer Murray Schafer.
At the same time, they do not miss the opportunity to continue their vocal training, something that is extended by combining it with the active participation in Yago School Choir, as well as being able to learn other instruments such as guitar or percussion in our ever-growing Yago Music Club.
The school also has a band made up of Secondary and Baccalaureate students specialising in contemporary musical styles.
In this stage, our students in Secondary 1 and 2 study Visual Arts for two hours a week where they have the opportunity to learn new techniques and use new materials, such as ceramics, plaster, and large format painting, to develop creativity and imagination, use technology and develop previously acquired knowledge.
We bring concepts from other subjects, such as Mathematics, History, Design & Technology and Chemistry, to the extraordinary Art Lab.
This department encourages participation in art competitions in Secondary, opening a new window to the world of art, which in most cases is a great tool to stimulate motivation for the subject and a taste for the wonderful world of visual and plastic arts.
We want to highlight some examples of the activities done in Art at school:
Create a pattern putting knowledge of geometry and technical drawing into practice to make real tiles, learning a new artistic technique. It is a clear activity of this transversal learning and the results are very lucid and motivating for the students.
Through cooperative work, students have used this new artistic technique. They paint large-scale works, in which they put into practice their knowledge of mathematics and geometry to carry them out.
Working as a team in the art classroom is crucial because it brings many benefits, like working on group coordination, development and resolution of their projects, as well as letting their creativity fly, which is rewarding for everyone.
Ceramics is worked using clay plates, creating different shapes, and glazing them.
Cave Art in history is worked transversally with the subject of Art using materials, such as charcoal, pigments from spices, and fats, all to experience that moment in history.
In this project, students explore museums, galleries, monuments and works of art from their iPads and create their own customized tours of their favorites. Students have been introduced to the Rosetta Stone in the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery as an example.
At the Secondary level, students specialize in a wide variety of sports. We are proud to say that Yago School has one of the most complete curriculums in Andalusia. We work on a wide range of traditional sports, such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, etc. but also sports that allow our students to access new experiences such as Slackline, American Tag Football, FitBoxing and Parkour.
Through the school year, students put into practice the acquired knowledge received in their Physical Education classes. They participate on Field hockey, volleyball, soccer, and ultimate frisbee tournaments organized during breaktime.
Another branch that Physical Education develops is Outdoors sports.
There is evidence demonstrating the importance for the body and the mind deriving from exercising and being in contact with nature. The combination of the two is a fundamental booster for well-being. In that perspective, we organize school trips such as Ski Week in the Sierra Nevada. To enjoy winter sports with the help of qualified professionals, in this unique natural environment.
During 4 days our students, regardless of their technical level, have personalized attention according to their skills and needs.
We also organize hiking excursions through the Natural Parks of Andalucia or Sportive Beach Days at our beaches and coastline.
Our interest in sports is combined with solidarity during the traditional APU Solidarity Race, to raise funds for childhood cancer research. But also with students’ participation in several Malaga solidarity runs such as the Women’s Run or Colour Run.
Yago School has established the following values as a framework for the development of its educational activity in the community:
Intellectual. Critical and reflective people with active attitudes towards learning and research, with a culture of effort and work discipline that allows them to face challenges with initiative and open minds.
Personal growth. Physically and emotionally balanced people, with a sense of justice and responsibility, capable of working effectively in teams and acting with integrity, freedom and coherence.
Global awareness. People with a sense of solidarity, who are aware of the social and environmental needs of the world around them, and who are actively involved and participate in its improvement through and actively participate in its improvement through research, collaboration and commitment.
Expression. People with a sense of solidarity, aware of the social and environmental needs of the world around them, and who are actively involved and participate in its improvement through research, collaboration and commitment.
Mr. McCaffrey, Head of Citizenship leads the citizenship department, whose mission is to create a community in which students collaborate, work together and help each other, fostering positive values.
At this stage, tutorial action becomes especially necessary and since the tutor is the figure of reference for his or her students, he or she can work on values education in group tutoring hours, in Tutor time (from 8:35 to 9:00) as well as in the weekly Tutorial lessons.
Special emphasis is placed on the development of the individual’s personality to better forge their future and help them face difficult situations with ease. The aim is to provide students with the necessary tools to be in tune with the changing scenarios while attending to their social, moral, and democratic duties and responsibilities efficiently.
The importance of values education brings great benefits to students, as it attends to physical and emotional development, teaches them how to behave and develop a sense of collective responsibility, instills in them the spirit of belonging to a country or a community, works on respect for other ideas, cultures, races, gender or sexual identity, and enhances religious tolerance in the students.
Secondary students participate in volunteer programs through the school’s foundation, The Yago Foundation.
Each year, numerous activities are offered in which students are required to actively participate, among which are the La Oliva Project, the APU Solidarity Race, collaborations with the Food Bank, and visits to the Home for the Elderly, or to organizations for the disabled.
Secondary students have the support of the Counseling and SEN Department at all times and the entire school community works on three basic principles: prevention, intervention, and supervision that facilitate an excellent educational environment. It helps us to reinforce student education in values and awareness, improves motivation and academic results, and prevents cases of bullying and problems that may arise in these times.
The buddy system is a programme that allows for senior students to give back to the younger students. They are mentors, buddies and to share their own experiences throughout their time at school. It is an Anti-Bullying and inclusion program mainly done by students with proper supervision from a counselor. It is a program to help create global citizens and true leaders.
Students who want to enroll in Secondary must pass an interview and/or admission tests with the Stage Coordinator or Counseling Department, as well as the Global Languages Department, to assess whether or not the applicant can adapt to the school or if it is necessary to establish reinforcement measures.
In order to make an initial assessment, the student must previously present official academic records, a letter of recommendation from his/her previous school, and school or psycho-pedagogical reports.
After this initial process, the Admissions Department will communicate the decision and the recommended measures in each case.
It is important to have a good academic and English level, good behavior, and willingness to work.
The experience of our students is excellent, since our students and faculty have an international and open mentality that facilitates the adaptation of any student.
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YAGO SCHOOL MÁLAGA
C. Escritora Fuster Gallardo, 10
29018 Málaga
+34 951 01 29 90
secretary.malaga@yagoschool.com
