
Informations

School hours
Classes begin every day at 8:30 a.m. The school day ends between 2:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., depending on the grade level. Students may remain at school until 4:30 p.m. every day.
Main lesson: this is a period of about two hours at the beginning of the day, dedicated to teaching a single subject in an interdisciplinary and artistic way, usually following a cycle of three to four weeks.
Specific lessons: Foreign Languages (English and German), Arts, Crafts, Music, Eurythmy and Physical Education.
Breaks: Adequate time to play, rest and enjoy healthy snacks.
School fees
Although our school is recognised by the Portuguese State, it does not receive any financial support. Tuition fees cover the school’s operating costs and are reviewed annually.
Registration fee (one-time)
75€
Registration fee (annual):
50€
Tuition fees (monthly):
415€
Deposit (one-time):
500€
School materials (annual):
170€
We offer financial assistance to families in need. This assistance can be requested from the Finance Committee. Please contact us during the enrolment process.


School facilities
The building of the former Figueira Primary School, where our school is located, was granted through an agreement with the Municipality of Vila do Bispo, which is committed to this new educational project for the municipality. This is the first private primary school in the municipality, catering for pupils residing both in the municipality itself and in the neighbouring municipalities of Aljezur and Lagos.
The school is connected to the village’s public electricity, water and sewage networks. The outdoor area, which is completely fenced in, has a total area of around 4000m2. In addition to a small vegetable garden and several beds of ornamental flowers, there are also some small and large trees (eucalyptus, cypress, olive and arbutus), shrubs (melaleuca) and some play equipment.
The 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes are located in a building in Vila do Bispo – Polo de Vila do Bispo.
Parents and students
The specific demand for Waldorf education, as well as its location in the Algarve region, are the most relevant factors in choosing our school. There are indeed many foreign families, both long-term residents and new arrivals, as well as migrant families from other parts of the country, who join the school community every year, enriching it with extraordinary cultural diversity.
Parents at the Oliveira Waldorf School play a truly fundamental role in its smooth running. By actively participating in working groups, which are formally organised and decided upon at the beginning of each school year, it is the parents who make the school grow and flourish.


Teachers
Class teachers are responsible for their classes and for monitoring each student in the teaching and learning process. They may have classes ranging from six to twenty students.
All class teachers are trained in Waldorf education or are attending the ‘Percurso Waldorf’ (Waldorf Path), an introductory course for Waldorf teachers, taught in Lisbon over a period of four years.
The school’s Pedagogical Council consists of five teachers elected by the teaching staff. Decisions regarding the curriculum are made within this Council, which meets every Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
In addition to the class teachers, the school is supported by several specialist teachers, such as foreign language teachers, craft teachers, physical education teachers, eurythmy teachers, music teachers, Portuguese as a foreign language teachers and afternoon supervisors.
Administration
A very important part of our school is our administrative team, which handles all matters related to our daily school life.


Board of Directors
The association’s board, composed of three parents elected at a general meeting and two teachers, meets every Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to deal with various administrative tasks and decisions. The treasurer’s work is supported by an accountant hired by the association, as is the work of the secretary, which, with the constant growth of the school, is no longer possible to do on a voluntary basis.