A PIECE OF BRITISH EDUCATION IN PARADISIAC AND PARTY ISLAND
Morna International College, 2019
Photo by: IbizaPreservation
By hearing the word “Ibiza”, the first thing who comes to mind is party, beach and sun, and that’s no different here in the UK. But that’s not the only thing that Ibiza has to offer. Morna International College is the first and, at the moment, only British School on the Balearic Island. Founded by Mrs. Mary Blackstad back in 1973 with the name “Morna Valley School” for the “free-spirited people that where flooding at Ibiza that time” as they describe themselves on their own website “The school was originally founded 50 years ago, so was a bit before my time. However in do know it started on a very small scale and was based in a finca initially with a few families. So almost closer to home schooling than an official English education system.” Said Morna college head teacher Bernie Cox. That’s also the first thing in which Morna is different to all other schools “Morna in itself already has its differences to other international schools, the environment is very multicultural and very free, due to the nature of Ibiza” says SEN and EAL secondary teacher Paula Heinrich.
The school as it is known now, opened in September 2004 with his actual name “Morna International College” and is located in the middle of the island of Ibiza, a few minutes from Santa Gertrudis. Since then, MIC has been growing, and currently counting with 620 students from three to eighteen years old from twenty different nationalities nationalities and eighty full time equivalent staff members.
The education system that MIC follows is the English National Curriculum, but with the difference of focusing much more on their choice of syllabus contents. Offering an international version of British education system, leading to qualifications which are recognized worldwide. All the lessons in Morna are taught in English apart from foreign languages as German or French. Not everyone who comes to the school are native English speakers, maybe some don’t even have an advanced English. So, what is the procedure with those children? “We have a dedicated EAL department. Students are assessed on their English ability prior to arrival. If additional support in this area is needed parents are informed and students are withdrawn from certain lessons, to receive extensive English tuition.” Said Bernie Cox.
What makes Morna different from other institutions is kids academic focus on the importance of the personal development and emotional wellbeing of its students, as Morna teacher Paula Heinrich told us “What really puts us apart from other schools that I have seen, is the fact that we value emotional wellbeing above all else” and a perfect example of that is on how they manage to handle with the ego clashes that can arise among adolescents in a classroom, “If you see ego in the classroom, or kids who are overestimating themselves, you don’t have to take that personally, but to find a healthy way to explain those subjects to them and handle it with care” That’s also the reason of why at Morna resorts to other type of methods than the typical, and in most cases, useless punishments “Making them small will not work, because you are creating a hostile environment where they think that something about them is wrong rather than showing them how to transform their believes into something they can actually stand behind”.
To complement its academic offerings, MIC offers a wide range of extracurricular activities ranging from sports and art to music and theatre. These activities not only encourage creativity and teamwork, but also give students the opportunity to discover and develop their individual talents.
Morna International College in Ibiza is much more than an educational institution, it is a home away from home for students from around the world looking a world class education in a multicultural environment. With cultural diversity, and student wellbeing continues to be a beacon of progressive and enriching education in the heart of Ibiza.