The English Educational Centre - a small school, big on quality

Established in 1986, the English Educational Centre is an excellent privately owned school, operated by the head mistress, Mrs Ann Plummer.

Converted from a traditional Canarian house, it is found in the San Blas area of Golf del Sur.

With facilities including various play areas, an assembly hall with video room, a church and a restaurant opposite the school to provide daily hot meals, it caters for children from Nursery through to Year Six.

It accepts children of any nationality, with its education system based on the English National Curriculum. This is the perfect grounding for children who wish to go on to continue their education through to full UK University degree standard and further.

Spanish is taught from the age of three, by qualified teachers and is the second language of the school. The Nursery is supervised by an experienced specialist and is open to children from 2½ years following the Early Learning Goals which are monitored and assessed in line with U.K standards.

There are future plans to eventually provide education for pupils up to 18 years or more.

The EEC offers a special facility for visitors to the island, including tourists. They can enrol their children for the duration of their stay. This is an invaluable resource for those parents who have taken their holiday during term time, so that their offspring can avoid missing out on their education.

Children also benefit from experiencing school in an interestingly different environment. Fees are charged on an hourly, weekly, monthly or single term basis, according to prior arrangement.

Classes are multinational and normally have less than 20 pupils. As the English National Curriculum is followed, there are SATs tests at age 7 and 11.

Full-time pupils wear a school uniform and benefit from a happy, healthy and caring environment. Sporting skills are encouraged and extra curricular activities include art, dance and cookery.

The EEC provides a blend of experience, fine teachers and modern methods and its aim is to provide a relaxed and effective English-Curriculum-based learning experience for children between 3 and 12 years of age - for both residents and visitors. Great emphasis is placed on giving children not only a happy environment, but an ethic of high work levels, producing, in the end, an effective education.