u/sir-pink

Hi everyone, we're moving to the Cascais area in September and looking for the right school for our two kids (3 and 5).

A few things matter to us:

- English-language teaching (English is our working language), with the kids also picking up other languages like Portuguese

- Small classes and a project-based approach

- Takes kids from below age three all the way through to graduation

- A diploma that's recognized by international universities (e.g. IB or similar)

- A good balance between letting young kids just be kids, and helping them build strong academics and solid grades as they get older

- Some green space and nature on campus — we'd love for the kids to grow up around more than just concrete

So far we've looked at St. Dominic's, which we liked overall. Teachers were nice and overall the vibe seemed good. However there was no nature at all. IPS, we also found nice, but it doesn't take kids under three and didn't feel quite as tailored to younger children that are not English natives. Also it felt quite strict even for the young ones.

We are thinking to visit st. John's and Kings College. 2mmnd has not much pictures on the website, so hard to asses the location via web.

Any thoughts, advices and experience shares are more then welcome.

Hi everyone, we're moving to the Cascais area in September and still trying to figure out the best place to settle.

We're a family with two small kids (3 and 5). We're after a villa with a garden and a pool, ideally close to the beach since we surf. We really like the vibe in the West Algarve — a bit calmer and laid-back — so something in that spirit would be perfect.

Schools matter a lot to us, so being near international schools is a priority given the kids' ages. We're not looking for a gated community — more an area with other families around, where the kids can easily make friends. Nothing too posh or snobby.

Which areas would you recommend for us? Thanks!