Learning
Two mixed-age studios. IB-inspired inquiry braided with the craft disciplines that turn wonder into mastery.
The literacy shift
Critical Thinking
over instruction
We do not tell children what to think. We build their capacity to analyse, evaluate and decide for themselves — the single most in-demand skill in every future-of-work report, and the one thing AI cannot replace.
Transferable Concepts
over memorised content
Facts are free and infinite. We teach mental models, frameworks and patterns of thinking that travel across subjects, careers and technologies — so knowledge compounds instead of expiring.
Wise Discernment
over blind compliance
Obedience is a factory skill. We develop ethical reasoning, self-regulation and the courage to question — so children lead with integrity, navigate misinformation and choose wisely under pressure.
Human-led. AI-supported. Concept-based learning builds capacities that travel across unknown futures.
Curriculum
Inquiry-driven, concept-based and future-facing. Six transdisciplinary themes spiral through Studio 1 and Studio 2 — each one mapped to the full Programme of Inquiry.
Explore the full POI for Studio 1 & Studio 201
IB-inspired inquiry
02
youcubed Mathematics (Jo Boaler)
03
Writers Workshop
04
Project-Based Learning
05
Outdoor Learning
06
Design Thinking
07
Portuguese
08
English
09
Visual Arts
01
Music
02
Movement
03
Toddle portfolios
04
Human-centred technology (Harvard Project Zero · Common Sense Media)
Every inquiry begins with carefully designed provocations and expert guidance. As confidence grows, children gradually take increasing ownership of the questions they ask, the investigations they pursue and the actions they choose to take. Families, educators, community partners and expert practitioners enrich the journey throughout, ensuring every inquiry remains both academically rigorous and deeply human.
One unit of inquiry = 6 to 8 weeks. Eight clear milestones. A cycle that loops back and forth — even within a single day — so learners revisit, refine, and go deeper. Every learner reaches Stage 08 · Enterprise to share their learning before the unit closes.
Grounded in the work of Kath Murdoch and H. Lynn Erickson — two of the most cited voices in inquiry-based and concept-based learning worldwide.
Stage 01 · Week 1
Wonder — Notice. Question. Imagine.
The cycle loops back and forth
A learner might revisit Tune In after Experiment — or move from Make back to Investigate. This looping can happen in a single day or across a whole unit. What matters is that by the end of each 6–8 week unit, every learner reaches Stage 08 · Enterprise to share their learning with the community.
Different learners · Different paces · Same inquiry
Same cycle, listed linearly for clarity.
Wonder
Notice. Question. Imagine.
Week 1
Tune In
Connect to prior knowledge & passions.
Week 1–2
Investigate
Research, interview, observe, gather.
Week 2–3
Experiment
Test, prototype, iterate, reflect.
Week 3–4
Make
Build, design, write, compose, code.
Week 4–5
Share
Exhibit, perform, publish, present.
Week 5–6
Act
Service, advocacy, real-world change.
Week 6–7
Enterprise
Execute. Launch. Make a venture of it.
Week 7–8
Children gradually move from supported inquiry towards increasing independence, ownership and leadership.
01
Teacher Designs
02
Shared Inquiry
03
Guided Choice
04
Child-Led Inquiry
05
Agency in Action
Hover or tap a node
The curriculum provides the destination. Our community shapes the journey.
The Programme of Inquiry defines the concepts every learner explores. The people within our learning community — children, families, educators and partners — bring those concepts to life through their questions, strengths, experiences and contributions.
No two years at ISI will ever be identical, because no two communities are ever the same.
The research behind the cycle
Kath Murdoch
Author, The Power of Inquiry (2015)
"Inquiry is a stance, not a strategy."
Murdoch's cycle — tune in, find out, sort out, go further, make conclusions, take action — is recursive. Returning to earlier stages isn't a detour; it's where the deepest thinking happens.
Why it matters for our children: they learn to think in cycles, not lines. They get comfortable revisiting ideas, refining them, and acting on what they discover.
H. Lynn Erickson
Co-author, Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom
"Facts are the foundation. Concepts are the transfer."
Erickson's Structure of Knowledge shows learning becomes transferable only when facts and skills are synergistically linked to concepts and generalisations. Each cycle lifts thinking up the structure.
Why it matters for our children: they don't just complete a unit. They build durable, transferable understanding they carry into MYP, into enterprise, into life.
Sources
Cascais as our classroom
Located in the heart of Cascais, every beach, market and museum becomes a living learning environment.
Why Cascais
Cascais is not the backdrop — it is the curriculum. Ocean, marina, markets, museums, start-ups, sustainability labs and a multilingual civic culture line up — square by square — with our PPPP™ compass and WEITS™ pillars.
PPPP™ compass · how Cascais shapes the inquiry
Purpose
Civic life on display — town hall debates, heritage trails and community festivals give every inquiry a real audience and a real reason.
People
A multilingual, multicultural population of fishermen, founders, artists and scientists — children learn directly from the humans who built the town.
Place
Atlantic coastline, Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, cobbled squares and historic forts — a living geography lab within walking distance.
Practice
Markets, marinas, ateliers and labs become weekly studios — knowledge is rehearsed in the world, not just on the page.
WEITS™ pillars · how Cascais grows the child
Wellbeing
Beaches, forest trails and slow Mediterranean rhythms — nervous-system regulation built into the school week.
Entrepreneurship
Family-run markets, ateliers and a thriving small-business culture — children pitch, prototype and trade in real economies.
Innovation
Nova SBE, Cascais start-up hubs and design studios — proximity to people reinventing how Portugal works.
Technology
A Smart-City pilot town — sensors, mobility tech and digital civic services become hands-on case studies.
Sustainability
Marine reserves, recycling pioneers and the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park — stewardship is lived, not lectured.
One town. Two frameworks. Every walk becomes a lesson that future-proofs the child.
Founder's Tools & Resources
Human-led AI tools, parent resources, story books and journals — designed by our founder and woven into daily practice.
Research-grounded
The thinkers and institutions whose work shapes our daily practice — translated into something a six-year-old can feel.
A defensible system — not a programme.
Our Mission
Three commitments
“We hold one standard above all others: whether this ecosystem genuinely serves the child, the family, and the wider community — over time.”
In partnership with DeMontaigne Life Design ↗