What were the origins of the school?
Claire Cabré, a French professor at the French Lyceum of Barcelona, founded the school in Gavà in 1969, in a green environment with expanses of pine forest. She did it with a first class with 12 students from 3 to 9 years old working in workshops and with differentiated pedagogy. Today, LIB Bon Soleil has 1,450 students and 107 teachers and is an apolitical, secular, independent, humanist and European center approved by the Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale français (MEN), by the Spanish Ministry of Education and by the Departament d' Education of the Generalitat of Catalonia. It is also authorized to teach the International Baccalaureate program.
What balance do you make of these years?
Positive and encouraging. The fact that one hundred percent of our students pass the Bachibac tests (Baccalaureate and Baccalauréat at the same time) and/or the International Baccalaureate program and are able to continue their studies at the chosen universities, is a solid indicator of the quality of education and preparation of students. Another pillar is learning a working method and developing a critical spirit. We are committed to organized and demanding knowledge, not to rote learning, since we consider that in this way it is possible to carry out a real analysis and ensure that the student constructs himself as a citizen and as an individual capable of having the necessary intellectual autonomy that allows him succeed in college and reach your platform of success.
What is the current photo of the center?
Our center is located in Gavà, just 20 km from Barcelona, surrounded by nature, next to a pine forest and the sea. For physical education activities we have an outdoor space of 30,000 m2 with six multi-sports courts and an indoor swimming pool, as well as play areas for each age group and a garden. The center has an area of 40,000 m2, 10,000 of which are occupied by six buildings that house five science laboratories, two media libraries, a technology classroom with 3D printers, a music classroom, a plastic arts classroom and an auditorium with capacity for 225 people. We have our own kitchen with the capacity to serve 1,500 people a day, which is based on the use of fresh local and, if possible, organic products to prepare balanced menus following the advice of a nutrition expert.
How would you define the philosophy and educational project of the center?
Our philosophy is based on forming responsible and supportive future citizens. They receive a humanistic education that includes tolerance, freedom of thought, intellectual curiosity and equality between girls and boys, all based on the values of freedom, equality and fraternity.
The objective of LIB Bon Soleil is to offer students complete training so that they can develop both academically and personally. To do this, it is necessary to understand that each child is unique and has his or her own skills and talents that it is our duty to foster, in addition to developing skills such as decision making, initiative, critical thinking, commitment, leadership, cooperation. , tolerance, solidarity and altruism. Sport is another pillar, crucial for the comprehensive development of students, since it contributes to their physical health and their emotional, social and academic well-being.
What does this way of understanding education translate into the day-to-day life of school?
Our main objective is that our students can develop skills and develop strategies that allow them to face life in each of its facets: school, personal, emotional, social and professional. On a day-to-day basis we use a meaningful methodology, which allows each boy or girl to build their own learning and give it meaning.
How do you consider the importance of languages in the center?
The school's language is French, but, given our international vocation, LIB Bon Soleil's linguistic and educational project is based on multilingualism. Children begin to study French, English, Spanish and Catalan from the first year of preschool. Not only are four languages studied, but also the literature and culture of each of them. In English language and literature we offer a demanding linguistic level that allows Bachibac students to prepare to obtain the Cambridge Advanced certificate or the equivalent for the Toefl.
Does innovation have room in an area like education?
Innovation in education is part of the essence of French pedagogy. At Bon Soleil, we not only understand innovation from the use of technology such as digital screens, VR glasses, tablets or online platforms, etc., to improve teaching and learning, but we also implement extracurricular programs, workshops and activities that promote values, encourage creativity, problem solving and critical thinking. At the school we have a counselor and a pedagogical council that meet every week and the areas in which innovation is worked on to apply them in the classrooms are gamification, reverse pedagogy, collaborative learning, new technologies, learning by projects, sports and teacher training.
What are the future challenges?
Adapting to the changing needs of students, which may include more personalized and flexible learning approaches, prepare the citizen of the third millennium. We must prepare our students for challenges and opportunities by developing skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and solidarity, also promoting inclusion and diversity so that all of them receive an equitable, high-quality education in a safe and well-being school environment.
