Not only do we have these clearly defined departments, there are also teachers who are responsible for other areas such as exam classes.
At Centro de Idiomas Macarena we have students from the age of 4 to 50+ and from complete beginners to proficiency level. We aim to make groups as homogenous as possible regards age and level, therefore we have a lot of different levels, nearly 40 in total. Each level has its own syllabus, materials and objectives. The school has the following clearly defined, well organised departments:
- Children 4-10. (Kids' School)
The children's department has 11 levels grouped by age and level with specialist teachers and materials. - Juniors 11-14.
The juniors' department has a further 9 levels again with students placed by age and level. - Teenagers 14-17.
In the teens' department there are 7 levels into which the students tend to be divided more by level than age. - Adults 18+.
The adults' department is split into annual and intensive courses. The students are grouped by level into one of the 12 levels in this department.
Not only do we have these clearly defined departments, there are also teachers who are responsible for other areas such as exam classes, IT and unlike most private language schools in Spain we have a social organiser who organises social events throughout the year for our students. We consider these to be an essential and integral part of life at our school in order to create a wider community and not just a place to learn a language.
We have a maximum of 12 students in all classes apart form the intensive exam classes, which have a maximum of 10.
- Groups are as homogeneous as possible. Students are divided by age and level and in many cases we take into account factors such as ability and motivation. With 35 different levels we are able to cater for a great variety of students.
- New students are given entrance tests. The tests, written, grammatical and oral allow us to place the students in the most appropriate level.
- Our structure of courses is designed to enable each student to advance according to their ability, skipping levels or going up "half levels" if necessary.
- There´s a system of Continual Assessment based on written and oral tests as well as class work. Students progress according to the recommendations of their teachers, not only exam marks.
- Individual records are kept on all students.
- Parents are given reports on the progress of their children.