Read our feature in Island Connections

14
SPECIAL FEATURE
FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWS 005
Wingate School special
The magic 24
Since it was founded in 1982,
Wingate School has grown into
a prominent part of south of
Tenerife.
The privately-run school is still
going strong today; still providing children with a first-rate
education, and continuing by
the same ethos and values.
Chris Green, who sadly passed
away late last year, founded the
school with his wife, Margaret, in Cabo Blanco. Initially,
Mr Green continued to work as
the headmaster of the Yeoward
School in Puerto de la Cruz.
This was in the days when a single journey from the south to his
place of work could take up to
three hours, but the Greens had
a firm vision which they have
followed right from the start.
The couple’s two sons, Jonathan
and Damien, were two of the
original pupils. Alongside them
in the very first class were
seven other students and, notably, they were a mix of Spanish, Chilean, Dutch, Swedish
and Indian, as well as a youngster who was half German and
Argentinean. Not only multinational right from its very beginnings then, but demonstrating
nicely that Wingate has always
been much more than a ‘British
school for British kids’. Even
now, while children of British
origin form 40-50 per cent of
all students, a quarter of the
remaining number is of Indian
descent, with the rest made-up
of other nationalities, particularly Russian and Spanish.
This challenging mix doesn’t
detract from one of Mr. Green’s
strictest codes however. The
importance of maintaining a
high level of competence in the
English language has always
been one of the most important features of the school’s values. Classes are intentionally
arranged so that 80-90 per cent
of the pupils are fluent in Eng-
Hiking
TELEPHONE RATES for calling
UK landlines
Guide
35 tours on
208 pages
with detailed
information
on hiking
logistics,
safety and locations.
35 trail maps, 1 fold-out map
GPS based, tracks and
waypoints for free download.
ISBN 9783899537475, publisher:
www.michael-mueller-verlag.de
Available in many bookshops
or mail to our local distributor in
Tenerife, tel/fax 922 302 596
info@editorial-zech.es
lish, to encourage those who
speak it as a second language
to reach the highest standard
possible – even if means separating children from the same
Comparison of all premier telephone companies
in Spain per minute (as at: 01.09.2012)
UK TELECOM CANARY ISLANDS
922 384 255
928 145 334
from
1,00 Ct
Direct Telecom
902 107 111
from
3,30 Ct
BritishTelecom (BT)
900 811 800
from
4,81 Ct
Vicom
971 677 469
from
6,90 Ct
Midas
900 901 091
from
7,90 Ct
Tele2
902 500 090
from
19,90 Ct
Ono
902 012 220
from
23,40 Ct
Telefónica
902 012 220
from
23,87 Ct
902012220
from
31,00 Ct
Orange
All prices + IGIC
country or background so that
foreign-language ‘cliques’ don’t
occur in classes.
His other key philosophy has
also been upheld, despite continual demand and temptation
to make concessions: the magic
24. Mr Green firmly believed
that class sizes should not rise
above that figure - even at the
cost of profit. “We may be a
private school but our focus
has always been on education
rather than profit margins.”
explained Jonathan Green,
now co-owner of Wingate. “It
was a point my father was very
particular about and, despite
demand, we’ll never go beyond
24 per class. He believed that
was the maximum class size to
provide the best learning environment, and all our facilities
have been designed and built
to accommodate that number.
We know we could squeeze
“We may
be a private
school but
our focus has
always been
on education
rather
than profit
margins.”
that is a compromise we won’t
ever make. For thirty years my
father never took anything other
than a wage; all profit has been
put back into the school, and
little by little that’s how we’ve
managed to grow. We have a
waiting list and the demand for
it, but it’s all about improving
what’s already there.”
It’s a philosophy that has certainly served them well; their
results tables compared to
other UK schools are much
higher than the average, and
Wingate was recently included
in the top 300 schools in Spain
in an independent study.
To these impressive figures can
be added the ultimate demonstration of a school’s effectiveness - Wingate students leave
with a solid foundation, both
academically and socially, and
many have gone on to forge
very successful careers. One of
the first ever students is currently lecturing in physics at
the Imperial College in London
and also works on the Large
Hadron Collider project. Interestingly, one went on to work
at the European Patent Office
in Munich. Some have entered
the world of finance and banking, and one is the drummer
in Pete Doherty’s indie group,
the Babyshambles!
Some of this success undoubtedly comes from the fact that
more children into classes and
quickly expand to build fancy
football pitches and impressive
installations, but the quality
of education would suffer and
Wingate children are guaranteed individual attention: there
is one teacher to every 10 students at the school. Wingate
has over 40 staff members and
22.1.2015 – 4.2.2015
ISLAND CONNECTIONS 738
of extracurricular activities,
including clubs, classes such
as gymnastics, dance, drama
and music, and a number of
excursions throughout the
year.
“The staff here really are amazing.” Jonathan said with a sincere smile, demonstrating the
SPECIAL FEATURE
15
manage to grow naturally without overstretching resources or
succumbing to the temptations
of expanding class sizes for
financial benefit. The gleaming sports arena and modern
installations will have to wait
until they’re justifiably needed
because priorities lie with the
children and standard of education; and to their credit it’s
an ethos they’re unwilling to
budge on.
There is currently a waiting list
of two years for infant and junior classes – although openings usually come up in that
time – with spaces still available for senior classes, however, be sure to apply early.
For more information you can
visit their website: www.wingateschool.com; email them
at: theoffice@wingateschool.
com; call on: +34 922 720
102; or visit them at Mirador
de la Cumbrita, 10 in Cabo
n
Blanco, Arona.
Photos: Raico Rosenberg
provides education at all levels;
nursery, infant, junior, senior
and sixth form.
Of course, when considering the possibility of placing
a child in private education,
finance is normally the next
main concern after quality.
Here, there is another benefit
for parents: fees at this highperforming school are significantly less than a comparable
UK education.
Opportunities to prepare for
higher education also abound.
Wingate’s sixth form options
are particularly attractive at
the moment as current classes
are very small – sometimes as
few as two or three students.
This ensures plenty of one-onone time with teachers at a
time when students are facing their toughest challenges
yet. All qualifications obtained
are also recognised worldwide
– a very important point should
children wish to go to university, including here in Spain.
Students are well prepared
for their futures in many other
ways as well. The school has
always maintained a strong
code of discipline, consistency
and family values in order to
encourage the students to give
their very best.
Uniform is mandatory and
jewellery other than small ear
studs is not allowed. Even inappropriate hairstyles and fashions are simply not accepted.
This consistent attitude not
only teaches discipline but
also ensures that the ‘fashion’ competitiveness that can
occur between peers does not
take place, freeing more time
and energy for the important
matter of learning.
Built on traditional ethics,
the school was named after
a boyhood hero of Mr. Green’s
- Orde Wingate, an extremely
successful military strategist
who was renowned for his high
moral ethics.
The school’s curriculum is
based on the British National
Curriculum, currently undergoing changes at certain levels
which have been easily assimilated, and though traditional,
Wingate is also right up to date.
They are currently using tablets for each student in junior classes as a trial, with the
aim of introducing them to the
whole school if it proves beneficial to teaching, as well as
constructing a state of the art
computer room for infants and
juniors to be ready for the next
academic year. Lessons are
taught by fully-qualified and
caring teachers who expect and
encourage respectful and wellmannered behaviour from all
students, and hope that their
policies inspire parents to feel
confident that their children
are in good hands.
Students also have the opportunity to take part in a variety
family feel within the school
installed by his father, “We’re
very proud that we have top
quality teachers, assistants
and office staff, and because
of the pleasant environment
we have always been able to
attract good people to come
in and make a positive difference. I can’t speak highly of
them enough.”
Through intentionally keeping
things small and within a tight
moral framework, Wingate has
Wingate facts
The school was founded in 1982
It was named after Orde Wingate
Education from nursery to sixth form is available
Lessons follow the British National Curriculum
It is fully authorised by British and Spanish authorities
The school consistently provides better exam results
than in the UK
See: www.wingateschool.com
Email: theoffice@wingateschool.com
Call: +34 922 720 102
Or visit them at Mirador de la Cumbrita, 10 in Cabo
Blanco, Arona.