In the midst of the bustle of Plaça Universitat, some children dressed in uniform pass by unnoticed as they enter an old building through a small door on the west side of the square. It is the Sant Francesc school, which is popularly known as “the school of the Filipinos” because of the origin of the majority of students. But in these times of low PISA results, it could also adopt the name “miracle school”, because of the linguistic success that children achieve when they finish primary school. Despite the fact that the language of origin of the great majority is not Romance (in addition to Tagalog, Urdu, Bengali, Quechua and Chinese are spoken) and despite the fact that it is a center of maximum complexity due to the socio-economic origin of the students, they exceed the averages of the basic skills of Catalan, Spanish and English in the educational centers of Catalonia. “We are above ordinary schools”, says the director, Maite Vilalta, with pride.
How did this miracle happen? “The majority of students who enroll at the age of three have barely heard Catalan before arriving. They don’t go to nursery schools and, when they leave, they go to restaurants or hairdressers in their community”, explains the director as she walks around the spacious school. High-ceilinged classrooms with large windows that let in the light. The building was designed by the architect Elies Rogent i Amat, the same architect who built the University of Barcelona in 1874. The classrooms, spread over three floors, have been repainted, redecorated, rearranged a thousand times by the Franciscan nuns or by the current teachers to accommodate the students. It was a female school (the artist Mary Santpere was a distinguished student).
Today there are nine classrooms with 200 students aged 2 to 12, attended by 14 teachers. “In 2008 there were only Filipino students. There was a large community of Filipinos in the north of the Raval. They are families looking for Catholic schools, they like the uniform, a classical education. Then, in a class there could be about 22 children of this nationality and 3 natives”. Students from families from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Lithuania, China or Latin American countries have now joined, although there is still a Filipino majority. The Catalans have completely disappeared.
“When they start school, at the age of three or four – others are already older – they are surprised by the size of the building, the adults who speak another language, the taste of the food, they miss it even and, especially, his family… We know all this and we take care of the effect it can have on his emotional state”. They provide them with an affectionate, playful environment, they awaken their curiosity to learn, while they apply a personalized and timed language plan to each student. In some cases, they are separated from the class in some activities (such as a reception classroom), and in others they receive reinforcement. The director believes that the key is teacher training in language teaching strategies and emotional well-being. “Courses, courses and courses”, he emphasizes, “and go all at once”.
It is a job, he continues, to be done little by little, very planned, which requires close monitoring. The center’s language project points out that it is essential for students to master the language in order to learn other things and to become aware of Catalonia. “Some don’t let go until a year later, we see if it’s because of an emotional issue or because they have some kind of special need” (such as hyperactivity or dyslexia). “If you detect it in time, you help them a lot.” They have a psychologist who visits the center two or three days a week. This is an essential resource that is part of the 80 euro fee that families pay (“Those who pay”).
“As a chartered school, we don’t have a reception classroom or early childhood education technicians, everything is done by the team of teachers with the children in mind. Our resources are inferior to those of a public center, but we have very committed professionals, willing to continuously train and take on challenges” (in each classroom there are three to four students with special needs, mainly autism). “And that explains the results. It’s not a miracle.”
