Aljezur International School

Aljezur International School is the only international school on the Algarve's wild west coast, based in a converted farmhouse on seven acres of protected land a short distance from Aljezur. Descobrir Sonhos Lda opened the school in 2010, and it remains the sole full-time international option for families settled around Aljezur, Bordeira, Carrapateira and the surrounding villages. The school teaches secondary-age students only, from 11 to 18, following the Cambridge International curriculum. Students work towards IGCSE examinations under a "stage not age" approach, moving up when they are ready rather than strictly by year group, then continue with AS and A Level study in small tutorial groups. Aljezur International is an accredited Cambridge International Examinations centre and the only open exam centre in the western Algarve, so it also hosts external candidates from other schools sitting IGCSE papers. Class sizes are small and students are on first-name terms with teachers. The farmhouse campus includes an organic vegetable garden with chickens, ducks and turkeys, plus three hectares of ecologically protected land bordering a river, which the school uses for sustainability projects. A coach service runs from Alvor, Lagos and Bensafrim for families outside walking or driving distance of the campus.