How we do it

Languages

In pre-school, the students of Colégio de S. Tomás start learning to read and write through listening to stories and increasing their phonological awareness. Throughout the other levels, studying works of literature that narrate life and illustrate the great cultural adventure of the Western world helps develop vocabulary and the logical articulation of ideas and concepts. Thus, alongside grammar, students acquire the ability to think, understand and communicate.

Great Math®

Great Math® is a specific method, created by the Mathematics Department of Colégio de S. Tomás and inspired in successful international educational systems. It is a step-by-step process that allows concepts to be worked starting from the concrete to the abstract, in line with the stages of child development.

Every school teaches Maths, Science, or English, but not all schools teach us mathematical reasoning, how to be scientists, or give us the tools we need to be writers.

Marta Diogo

Alumnus

Own Curriculum

Starting at pre-school, Colégio de S. Tomás designs its own curriculum for art, drama and music, which provides each student with the training of artistic expression and contact with the great works that develop taste, sensitivity and creativity.

Languages

The teaching of English is daily, intensive and an integral part of the routine, starting at pre-school. Outside the classroom, several activities such as Drama, English Week, Oral Presentations and Essays, help students improve their mastery of the language. The following goals have been set for students of the School:

Due to its focus on teaching English, Colégio de S. Tomás is a Cambridge recognised school for examinations in English. Since 2013, several students have done A-Level exams – the best preparation to access the best international universities – in Mathematics, Biology and Physics. The A-Level curriculum is an international qualification in which the curricular content is taught in a bilingual system.

I always wanted to study outside Portugal. So, for me, the A-Level in mathematics was an essential extracurricular subject. It not only showed me how maths is taught in the United Kingdom but also enabled me with an internationally accredited examination.

Afonso Passo de Sousa

Alumnus

Languages

Starting at Pre-School, students are prepared to reach the maximum level of fluency in English. From year 5, students can choose to learn Latin and German or Latin and Mandarin.

I chose Mandarin because everything is new, a challenge, and I love challenges. I think it is wonderful to have Mandarin because Colégio de S. Tomás is probably one of the only schools with a teacher of Chinese nationality.

Teresa Furtado

Middle School student

Hallo! For me German is a new language and is very interesting. My lehrerin (teacher) Susanne teaches me a lot of things. Learning a new language is a good challenge that I hope to overcome with my teacher's help.

Gonçalo Dias da Silva

Middle school student

For me Latin was a unique opportunity to understand Portuguese and other Latin languages. Even English and German have a lot of words of Latin origin and a similar grammar. Also, I understood better the basis of our organisation and culture.

Francisco Brito

student at Liceu S. Tomás

Curriculum

With the aim of creating culture, history as a subject is part of the humanist approach to the school curriculum. History is presented based on the lives of real people so that each student can better understand their value and realise that we can all make history.

Outside school

In 2018, a group of students won the Sakharov Prize of the Euroscolas contest promoted by the Portuguese section of the European Parliament. As a result, at the end of the same year, that group of students visited the European Parliament in Strasbourg, for the European thematic debate in the Euroscola session

My experience in Strasbourg gave me the opportunity to get to know a great institution and its way of working from the inside. It was very interesting to be able to sit in the same place that the MEPs sit and use the electronic voting system, getting to know people of other European nationalities and having to adapt to working in a group.

Madalena Nascimento

aluna do Liceu S. Tomás

Scientific Method

Colégio de S. Tomás focuses on an approach that allows students to experience the scientific method. Inside the school, the lessons from year 1 to year 12 are taught in laboratories and teachers encourage field observations and study visits. “From awe to understanding” is the motto of our Sciences

Outside school

Since 2015, Colégio de S. Tomás has been placed 1st in the National Sciences Championship.

Catholic School

As a Catholic school we try to understand the meaning of our lives and of reality through the Christian Revelation. Students are called upon, using reason, understanding who they are, who God is and what is the Church.

Physical Activity

“The body obeys intelligence”. With this goal we want to promote physical activity among our students, because we see sport as a key area for the development of physical, personal and social skills. Outside the classroom, Colégio de S. Tomás provides an opportunity for students to practice several team and individual sports.

Outside school

The girl’s fencing team from Colégio de S. Tomás has an individual two-time national champion and in 2019, for the second consecutive year, and became the national Sword champion. The boy’s team won the third place in the championship and the school was the second most medalled club in the Sword category with five medals (two gold, one silver and two bronze).