What is Mayrit?

Mayrit Escuela Activa is an International School immersed in an accreditation process for pre-primary and primary education (3 to 12 years), authorized by the Community of Madrid (center number 28076848) which is developing an educational project in Madrid based on respect.

Beyond this more formal definition, Mayrit is a project with a strong educational and social model.

Educational model

Mayrit is a school where we give absolute priority to the attention of the real needs of the children: physical, emotional, expressive, motoric, social and intellectual.

Mayrit is a school where the children can grow and develop like the unique beings they are, exploring the whole potential that each of them possesses. A school where the process of learning parts from the curiosity of the child and from his native wish to learn, to experiment, to investigate, to feel and to do. A school where any kind of emotions will be attended and respected. A school where the timetable is flexible permitting that each child develops at his own pace, having time to express himself, to develop activities, to deepen in what he is interested in, to reach objectives, to explore to the full in what he is immersed, to stop and to restart at any time. A school where to make mistakes or to be mistaken is not considered to be a setback, but a fundamental part of the learning process and human development which permits us to try it over and over until we get it. A school where there is much time for free playing, because we believe that playing is the most natural and lasting form of learning, allowing the children to unfold their curiosity and creative power.

To develop all this we take care of the space, creating a calm, safe and loving environment where the children feel like being at home. We prepare inside and outside environments in which they can play, touch, wonder, create, learn and grow through experience. In these environments they can find materials specifically designed and intended for meeting the needs of the children and which are always at their reach and disposal. The groups are not divided by age, but children of different ages share different environments, learning this way from each other, prevailing shared and collaborative learning (social constructivism) accompanied by teachers to develop our educational practice. Furthermore, we believe that it is important to go out, to make trips into nature or to other urban areas, to visit other locations or to do workshops; contact with reality, sounds, landscapes, smells offer infinite opportunities for learning and developing.

The autonomy of the kids, their emotional support, free play, workshops and didactic proposals, individual rhythms and interests, respectful communication, felicity of learning and observation by the teachers are key to our daily life.

Our pedagogical project is protected by Spanish legislation and, at the same time, adopts elements of the very successful Finish educational system. It is based on an active pedagogy with different contributions from pedagogies like Montessori, Escuela Pestalozzi (R. and M. Wild), Loris Malaguzzi (Reggio Emilia) and Educación Creadora (Arno Stern) among others. The result is an innovative educational and learning model which is adapted to the social demand of today.

Social model

In all decisions we are prioritizing the facilitation of economic accessibility to the school for all families, fighting for a real democratization of the school.

We prioritize the guarantee of work ethic through decent conditions (salaries, hours, …) for the employees of the cooperative based on austerity (concerning materials, energy, etc.) as a proof of our solidarity with the impoverished economies (inside and outside of our frontiers) and on the awareness of the urgency of a profound change in today’s economic model. This is complemented by the daily ecological practice as a part of the dynamic of the project: recycling, environmentally friendly materials, …

We network with others, with other schools in the same process, and we want to take part of the “Mercado Social” (social market) and other cooperation networks in and outside the education sector.

Why choose Mayrit?

After reading all this you might ask yourself… And why choose Mayrit?

Well, …

Because we are parents and educators who want to take part in the education of our sons, daughters and pupils in a manner based on respect and dedication. Cooperating all together in a horizontal and consensual manner.
Because we believe that encouraging liberty, autonomy, cooperation and responsibility will generate persons responsible for their own growth and promote the evolution of critical capability.
Because we believe in a democratic school, not just for our children, but for the whole society.
Because we dream of an education which lays the foundations of another possible world which does not curtail our wings with which we are born to be creative and dream of other alternatives.
To fight for peace and liberty for all based on the peace and the liberty we live in school.
Because we believe that the culture of participation is the environment where our children will grow and this culture form the citizens of tomorrow.
Because we want to care of the educational processes and the rhythm of every person respecting their kind of being, because every person is unique.
Because we want our children to love themselves and to be capable to love others based on respect, kindly treatment, empathy and trust.
Because we believe that experience is the way to generate motivation for knowledge, curiosity and questioning.
Because work in the classroom is just not enough to reach all the kinds of experiences to enjoy the exploration of the world.
Because we believe that the whole society, other groups and associations and the environment of the school have something to contribute to education. And, at the same time, the school has much to offer as well in regard to social reality, environment and other groups.

If you believe in all this and if you want this for your children, this will be your space.

We await you with open arms!