At SIS, students follow programmes that expose them not only to the academic disciplines but also to a wide range of other educational opportunities. Through a rich diversity of experiences we aim to develop in students a spirit of adventure and discovery, a sense of social and environmental responsibility and an intercultural understanding. Through our pastoral and social programme, students receive advice and guidance to help them through the sometimes difficult path to maturity and adulthood and enable them to make sound moral judgements along the way.

We want our students to be the leaders of tomorrow committed to the ideals of peace, integrity, fairness and compassion.Whether you are a budding actor, musician, scientist, social entrepreneur or sportsman, all of you have a role to play at Sotogrande. We aim to help you discover for yourself what you are good at, where your passions lie and to follow your dreams.

21st Century Skills: New Kinds of Smart (NKS)

There is beginning to be common agreement about the type of tools kit of skills a students will need in a knowledge society where success depends on collective as well as individual intelligence and talent.  

	NKS: Creativity, Ingenuity and learning to learn It is fundamentally about cultivating personal and social skills in our students by developing deep learning, creativity and ingenuity .To do this, we need to teach our children not only to learn a prescribed body of knowledge called a curriculum but we also  need to teach them to learn how to learn effectively so that they develop their own strategies for success.
	NKS: Effective Communication, Personal and Social Development It is also about inquiry and research, so that our students learn how to be knowledgeable, resourceful, resilient and trustworthy independent learners. By working interdependently in networks and teams, they learn problem-solving, risk-taking and trust in the collaborative process; and through learning a second language, ICT, performance and media skills, they learn to be effective communicators. Most importantly, we do it in a way that makes learning fun and engaging. Inspiring learning and creating magic for our students is about orchestrating a rich and diverse set of experiences both in and out of school. The purpose of these activities is to  help our students label these different experiences to create meaning for themselves, discover their unique talents and develop these 21st century skills, knowledge and dispositions.
	NKS: International Mindedness and Global Citizenship Our approach is also about global citizenship and helping make a difference in the world. For us, this is to do with inspiring learning which opens minds, promotes intercultural understanding, international mindednessand enriches the lives of others. Using our metaphor for the learning journey, it is about helping our children move from ‘me to we’; from the sense of ‘self’ to the sense of ‘other’ Teaching beyond the knowledge Society therefore is about making it a life-shaping, world-changing social mission, which move learning beyond the citadel of the classroom and helps our children become active global citizens of the world.

The teachers

SIS has the sort of teachers everyone wishes they had had when they were at school. They are great communicators, passionate about their subject, inspirational, far thinking and sociable. They ensure that students achieve their full potential. As well as being an inspiring environment in which to learn, SIS is exceptionally supportive, with  a strong pastoral system, which means that there is a team of specialised staff who are there to look after you, sort out your problems and help you get the most out of your time with us.

In both an academic and a pastoral sense SIS staff act far more as mentors than mere teachers.