About St. Dominic's International School
St Dominic’s International School is an inclusive school, providing an exceptional level of academic, social and emotional care to our students of over forty nationalities. We recognise and value the differing academic abilities of students, which are met through the three academic programmes of the International Baccalaureate. This, together with the diversity of our sporting and artistic heritage, enables each student to thrive in his or her own field of excellence. has a proud tradition of being a supportive and caring community that delivers outstanding educational opportunities.
Your child’s academic progress is kept foremost in our minds and our committed staff display enthusiasm, dedication and high level teaching skills. We constantly strive to create an environment in which every student is supported to achieve the highest levels of success. St Dominic’s International School creates personalized programs to support students with learning difficulties and for students who are new to the English language. Students with special gifts and talents are challenged and encouraged by our experienced teachers to achieve their full potential.
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Find Out More >Curriculum
IB
Primary Language
English
Ages
3 to 18
Max Class Size
Unknown
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Good staff, good teachers and a good environment
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More Info >37 Reviews of St. Dominic's International School
Average Ratings
Reviewer Nationalities
How would you rate St. Dominic's International School?
The school has no respect for standards. Employs substandard teacher
I worked two years for Saint Dominics' International School. I really enjoyed Lisbon and its people. It is a lovely and charming city. The school teachers are mostly Portuguese and they are very friendly. But I am writing to warn international teachers not to work for this school and parents not to send their children there. The management has no leadership and very little academic background. They offer all three IB programmes but the school culture does not follow the IB principles and values at all. It is run as a business, not as an education center.
Had a very cohesive cohort and that was a very strong platform that facilitated my adaptability in the school. Was also very fortunate to have encountered some very good teachers, which is very important!
Multi-cultural environment with a solid track record. My experience at St. Dominics Int School was second to none and has helped me progress in life with the right mind-set and skillet needed to succeed. Joined in 1996 and graduated in 2010 completing the IB programme before moving to the UK. The education, the teachers, the culture and the opportunities provided were invaluable, giving us all the space to grow our own ways without limiting our capabilities and investing on areas we're strong in as well as supporting us on areas to develop further. A school to remember and recommend to any future student.
I attended St.Dominic's from ages 6 to 18, and my experience was a tale of two schools. The very positive valuation below of the facilities, teachers, academics, reflects the majority of my experience - even without rose-tinted glasses, it was truly great. Although we did have some teachers that were not as good - particularly in IT and DT -, the teachers were overall wonderful educators. I loved to learn here, to participate, and to do community service - and I can say that my classmates (even the rowdy ones) did too :) I would say the school embodied the IB pedagogical approach and more. The nuns who led the school (shoutout to the lovely sister Patricia) with the then headmistress, took care to make the school a loving, multicultural, thriving educational community. It felt like a little village or family. However, when the management changed, unfortunately the quality plummeted, and this was during my last 2-3 years at this school I believe. It was a palpable change, which visibly affected our teachers (many of whom left at the time), and the management's obsession with profit decreased the care and quality provided to students. The school environment in itself also degraded - from taring down green spaces, 'getting rid' of the pups the community had adopted, to erecting 'container' unproperly insulated classrooms (that seem to have proliferated since I've left)... If I were to classify the last two years, it would be given a Poor performance - and only not 'very poor' because of the teachers who made sure to give us the best they could despite the difficulties. I wish the best for this school, I truly hope that it will re-establish it's former pedagogical, educational and nurturing excellence, but from what I have heard it has been difficult. From the pictures I've seen, it seems like the play areas and green spaces are mostly gone, being replaced by 'container' structures.. I would kindly remind the current management that a school is not a 'factory'. Overall, if I was living in Portugal and had school-age children, I would pay a visit to St.Dominic's and try to understand its current state, pedagogical approach, and the school community's environment. However, if the ship has stayed the course it was setting when I graduated, I would most definitely opt for another school.
I attended St Dominic's from Nursery to Year 12 and have the fondest memories from this school. What stood out was the teachers and pupils, to the point that 12 years later we are still in touch. It was a happy place for me which I enjoyed going to everyday and learning a variety of disciplines.
I taught at St.Dominic's for four years. As soon as I arrived I knew I was "home". Although I left to go teach in other countries, I returned every summer and recently came home to stay. I was invited to the 10-years+2 reunion for the class of 2010, a wonderful group of individuals who provided me with some of the most rewarding experiences and opportunities for growth in my career. It was the first time I had been at the school in 12 years. That the school would support the efforts of these former students by providing the venue and making the catering arrangements reminded me of the "welcome home" atmosphere I encountered when I first arrived. I was welcomed graciously by the school's Principal, Steve Blackburn and other teachers who are still on staff at the school, whom I knew from our days as teacher colleagues. I would say to anyone thinking of joining the school as a teacher or as a family, this is who St. Dominic's is - a welcoming family you can always come home to.
Quality staff who are IB experienced whose first consideration is for the students. Students are happy and well behaved have a strong ethos of working to the best of their abilities. The school has over 40 nationalities of students and 21 for teaching staff. The school has a calm atmosphere with students having good opportunities for sports, arts and cultural activities. My children are very happy at this school.
The establishment is totally business oriented, very poor academically, no one with Pedagogy or Education background in the management level to support a strong curriculum. I have never seen an international school so disorganized! I removed my kids from there as soon as I got places in another school.
Amazing this is the best school ever i recommend and all these bad reviews are lies i go there and its dedicated to child safety and education.
Reviews from Google
Recent reviews posted on Google.
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Lm C, a month ago
just writing to say I am flabbergasted by some bad reviews left here. Is the school perfect ? No Does it deserve one star ? No The school have already started a major overhaul of their installations in the last couple of years, have pulled out from the ground the new senior building in less than 4 months in order to be ready for September 2018/19 It might take a few more years for the school re-do to be finished but it is getting there. We also have traveled around the world and went through a bunch of international schools, here my kid in senior is thriving , very satisfied with the curriculum and would not want to go to any other international school to pass her diploma. I know the school for the last five years, in my experience St Dominic always have been trying to improve and always have done their best to address issues. More is coming and I am sure they will resolve management matters in the future.
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Stefan, a month ago
Our son is at Saint Dominic's since 2 years and he is happy there. The education level is very similar to the other international schools he has been at. Some teachers are better than other, but this is normal. The results of the school seem to be within the average of international schools. A comment to the 1 * ratings: I find it very strange that nearly all of them have just one rating posted in Google, this looks like they have just been created to bring the school rating down. Please have a look yourself. Definitely 1 * is not correct or fair.
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Raquel Maille, a month ago
If you are looking for a school that gives strong academic foundation or progress for your children, this is not the place to look. Its below average. Will children be happy here? Oh yes. A school without rules, standards and expectations - usually quite hard to find children who don't like this Can you compare this to the standards of the International Schools that all have waiting lists ? Absolutely not. There are great schools, average schools and then schools like St Dominics that are below average and below standard. But that works for some people. If you are not expecting university entrance for your children and have very low standards for them this place will work.
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Martim Almeida, 3 weeks ago
St Dominic’s has for the many years lived on its past good reputation but that is fast coming to an end. It is a for profit school that is now full of locally hired teachers, many with poor English and also with no IB or international teaching experience. Some can even be questioned if they have any teaching qualification. The owners employ many family members in key positions to keep tight power. There are many stories from past teachers of poor treatment of staff and unfair labour practices relating to salaries and compensation My advices is to scratch the school off your list.
