The Olive Tree School

What The Good Schools Guide International says

Founding headteacher

Since 2010, Audrey Reeder BA PGCE (both Oxford). School’s success is widely seen as down to Audrey’s (we’re all on first name terms here) creativity, personal touch and caring approach. Parents report that ‘there’s a lot of happiness,’ so it seems this ‘alternative head’ is getting it right. A love of learning leads the way and she firmly believes students can excel in more than one area - herself a case in point, as a former French and Spanish teacher, turned English literature and drama teacher.

The Olive Tree School is her baby - she has been at the heart of its growth since its foundation in 2010. Her enthusiasm is contagious - she talks fluidly and passionately about child centred education, pupils setting their own agenda, sensory learning for the young, the need for teenagers to be heard, and everything in between. Her clear and determined vision (of each child being taken along their own learning path) is laudable though she freely admits she’s less a businesswoman and more a teacher and a mother with an academic approach to pedagogy – indeed, decision making is always pedagogically led and comes from the heart. So, she runs a ‘beautiful school’ but keeps her distance from the business administration side.

When not teaching drama, she can be found in her cosy office, shelves crammed with books and artefacts and a Fran Lebowitz quote on the wall: ‘Think before you speak. Read before you think.’

Entrance

While the founding pupils were all native English speakers, the student community now is more diverse. Still, pupils get a full English immersion from the off, so a good level of English is needed at entry. Non-native speakers are encouraged to join in the early years.

Exit

Students leave after IGCSEs, the majority heading just down the road to The British School of Barcelona (BSB), although a handful to the American School of Barcelona (ASB) or Benjamin Franklyn International School (BFIS) (for an American curriculum) and a minority onto state schools.

Latest results

In 2022, 52 per cent A*/A or 7-9 at IGCSE (38 per cent A*). In 2021, results were similarly high - 66 per cent A*/A (32 per cent A*). These results are well above the national average.

Teaching and learning

The school is known for its creative approach to learning, a high standard of teaching and an emphasis on thinking skills. Learning is project based, with literacy and numeracy woven in. Personalised teaching is key, as reiterated by the many parents and older students we spoke to. Teachers work closely with, and motivate, students. Lesson plans evolve in the classroom with activities geared to bring children out of themselves. The downside: a lack of choice of subjects for IGCSE. But the overwhelming feeling is that the benefits of small class sizes (all that interaction, for instance) outweigh this. It’s a school where children settle in easily and quickly, feeling cared for. ‘A kind school’, ‘feels like home’, and ‘the school has a soul’ are phrases repeated often by parents and students alike.

Noticeable lack of screens and technology. Old-fashioned white boards abound, though teachers do use computers and projectors too. Primary students use laptops in IT classes. Secondary ICT room has 18 Chromebooks (one for each student). The general consensus is that high-tech is superficial – previous trials not felt to have added value to classes or curriculum.

Importance instead is placed on inspirational teachers who are keen to seek out the intelligence of every child. Education is larded with art, nature and performance. Subjects interconnect and individually encouraged. Projects completed from a student’s perspective - a PowerPoint with facts, an artwork or a performance.

Spaces are integral to the overall feel. Primary walls full of great wall displays, the library a delight with huge green murals and comfy sofas. Years 3, 4 and 5 classrooms are large and split into formal and informal sections. No textbooks, no homework (except reading) in primary. The ever-popular forest school incorporates problem solving, collaboration in nature and learning about natural resources. Paddle boarding and sailing enjoyed in warmer months. The secondary library another delight - shabby chic with mixed sofas and tables and a very relaxed atmosphere.

Science week is well loved - students applying what they have learnt and understanding why they are learning it too. Olives harvested and cured for a science experiment. Year 8s cultivated the vegetable patch and made Moroccan style preserved lemons from a tree in the school grounds.

Teachers chosen for their loving, warm and welcoming approach, forming a caring atmosphere in which children can experiment. No assessments - teachers know when a child is ready for the next challenge and there is room for constant dialogue.

Learning support and SEN

Two SEN teachers - a dyslexia specialist and a ‘general’ SEN support teacher. Individual education plans for those with eg dyslexia or needing help with literacy or speech therapy. Support offered both within and outside of the classroom. Diagnosis and additional support charged as extra.

Language support

Non-native speakers who join in nursery or reception benefit from total immersion language development and they don't normally require additional language support. Indeed, by the time they start in year 1, English language skills are sufficiently developed. ESL classes for children who do need language support - run individually or in pairs. Conducted separately from normal classes and charged per hour. Extra support very carefully targeted.

The arts and extracurricular

Drama and performance integral to the school’s approach and introduced from the off, encouraging confidence and self-esteem. Every opportunity taken (in primary) for a small show. In secondary, theatre (Shakespeare) introduced formally within the curriculum. Those not comfortable performing may be a set designer or lighting technician. Drama seen as a discipline that teaches expression, team work, timing and choreography. Understanding Elizabethan text is demanding too! The 150-seater theatre is impressive, considering the size of school. LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) offered as an after-school activity.

Sport

As part of the PE curriculum pupils play basketball, volleyball and padel (they have access to courts in the padel club next door). There is also an outdoor football pitch.

Football club - junior and another for senior - is by far the most popular of all the after-school clubs. Taekwondo also popular - children start from as young as 6 and many achieve their black belt before leaving the school.

Ethos and heritage

Founded in 2010 (by current head while her children were still young), starting with two mixed-age primary classes (around 20 children) in Sitges. Rapidly grew into larger premises in Sant Pere de Ribes, before landing in its current location in 2012. This is a relatively small school with a maximum of 18 students per class, one class per year. Plans will see student numbers increase up to 20 students per class and two classes per year. The maximum capacity of the school will ultimately hover around 400 children (roughly double the current pupil numbers).

The current playground will be partially built over to become the secondary building with a separate entrance to the road, allowing primary years to spread into the secondary floor above. A large building will be rented from the adjoining sports club to make up for lost play space.

The school is keen to point out that the theatre, arts and culture ethos and community spirit won’t change. This planned growth will certainly bring more space and modern facilities (including a proper dining area) but we wonder at what cost. The phrase ‘feels like a family’ was overwhelmingly used by parents and pupils - and it will be interesting to see, therefore, if the school will retain this.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Welfare is a huge part of the school. Highly personalised mentor system in secondary (fortnightly meetings) and head of welfare available at all times. Mentors provide support and a safe space for open dialogue: - how can I help this person? how can I help them reach their maximum potential? Less, ‘How are you doing in maths?’ and more, ‘What do you want to talk about?’

Mentorship starts with the head and is reflected in her deputies and teachers. With small year groups, there’s a crossover of ages in the patio (used for playtime) with older ones looking after younger ones - this mix between year groups encouraged at every opportunity. ‘Audrey feels like a second mother,’ one student told us. ‘She taught me how to love education and love learning, how to be a good human being and how to be kind.’

Primary school council held once a month - one boy, one girl from each class attend. Ideas are debated and voted upon. Oldest boy and girl take the results to Audrey. Previous changes have included creating a peace garden which the students planted themselves, improvements to the library and a change of location of the table tennis table. Students feel listened to: debating encourages good communication and mutual respect. A recent request for a volleyball net was being delivered just as we finished our tour of the school.

Pupils and parents

No PTA, but twice a year the school holds an open forum inviting parents to raise questions or put forward suggestions (although note parents don’t have any formal decision making authority). School picks up on trends and if several parents say the same thing, it acts. Recent examples include improving changing facilities for PE and reactivating the programme of parent volunteers helping in the library.

An active, friendly, parent community organise walks and family outings. Parent volunteers as class carers, contacting new families and organising a beach party as a welcome. Even parents whose children have left the school often stay on the WhatsApp groups for social events. It’s ‘such a great community,’ parents told us.

‘Well-run school with good communication,' say parents. Regular newsletters with excellent updates, open classrooms once a month for primary and during science week (one of the most popular events of the year) and parents invited in to see secondary student displays. Moving from primary to secondary, parents are invited in to see classes and think about options.

Countless testimonials from parents and students agreeing that teachers go above and beyond to give individualised attention and most students thrive. However, a few students move to bigger schools for secondary. The school excels academically but for some students, the social aspect can be limiting.

Money matters

A one-off, non-returnable registration fee is payable on admission. A second child and any subsequent siblings pay a reduced fee. No registration fee for children entering at nursery level, which is a significant saving.

The last word

Described by one parent as ‘a creative, inspiring, curiosity invoking little haven,’ The Olive Tree School is a small welcoming school.