GRAN ASOCIACIÓN COLEGIO is a private educational concern owned by the GRAN ASOCIACIÓN DE BENEFICENCIA DOMICILIARIA “NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LOS DESAMPARADOS” in VALENCIA, an institution which at all times strives to ensure that its ideological foundations and the purposes for which it was founded are faithfully safeguarded. In line with these principles, this document has been drawn up to sum up the activities in which its educational work is inspired and which define the actual nature of the School.

The ideal for education that we put forward is the full development of the human personality, taking into account the subject in its triple dimension: spiritual, intellectual and social.

Insofar as the development of the spiritual dimension is concerned, the education principles applied are based on the Christian conception of life in its broadest, natural and supernatural sphere, with the magisterium of the Catholic Church as a substrate.

As a result of this, it is considered vital to foster virtues, mainly sincerity and the sense of responsibility, which enable an education for justice, love and the genuine practice of personal freedom.
Special attention is given to the formation of the personality in order to attain the necessary maturity to face up to life firmly and resolutely, as well as giving similar attention to the acquisition of positive habits.

The intellectual dimension pursues the full formation of the individual. To this end it deals with all the aspects which develop the intelligence by means of exercising, studying and learning contents, seeking to attain the greatest capacity in the relation, application and creativity of the students.

This objective takes in all facets of the syllabus, both the technical and scientific sides and the humanistic- cultural aspects as well as the aesthetic-sports fields.

To deal with the subject’s social dimension, pupils are prepared for their adaptation to the conditions of genuine coexistence, amongst which priority considerations are the cultivation of the capacity for dialogue and the respect for others’ opinions.

The effective equality of rights amongst the students is guaranteed. This entails a rejection of any type of discrimination on grounds of sex, race, language, economic level, handicaps or beliefs, at the same time as advocating respect for all cultures.

The main responsibility as to children’s education always lies with their parents, whom the School assists in its important task of primary educators. This is why education work is considered as being delegated and done in cooperation with family education work, which it does not in the least attempt to replace.

The transmission of knowledge is handled with exquisite respect, without imposing criteria. It attempts to ensure the conviction of duty of acting with freedom in civil tasks to serve the common good, as well as the inclination towards practising solidarity with one’s neighbours.

The education centre is conceived as a service of social interest, given that it contributes to meeting schooling needs and makes it possible for parents to practise their right to choose a type of education consistent with their convictions for their children.

At the same time it helps to apply the basic principle of developing pupils’ capacities to the utmost by applying a personalised education to make the principle of equal possibilities a reality.

This is the way to succeed in allowing each individual to reach the greatest development possible of their capacities and skills, forming their own criterion and managing to make their decisions freely with integrity and proficiency.

The intention is nevertheless to provide a quality education by ordinary means for all pupils. The education process applied by means of each individual’s effort and study has to lead to personal improvement.

School work as a team, the exchange of experiences and active participation in research are essential requisites for a quality education at the same time as facilitating cooperation of students with each other.

Our education programmes incorporate the linguistic and cultural values of our environment, the Valencian Community, and insofar as this is possible, those of the nations with which we have stronger bonds. These values are fostered through contact and exchanges with these people.

We cultivate practical details of neatness, punctuality, cleanliness, taking care of material things and delicacy and human quality in outward forms of behaviour which enrich the development of personality and are tokens of respect towards others by improving the realm in which they all live together.

The development of the pupil’s personal responsibility is the foundation of school discipline. The corrective measures which are unavoidably required are not applicable if they do not lead students, by means of appropriate positive stimuli, to find the most effective means for setting right and improving their conduct. In this delicate procedure we flee from personal comparisons and of course from corporal or denigrating punishment.

Each Teacher is an educator inside and outside the school itself. His or her main task is that of stimulating pupils in work and personal formation. They feel responsible not only for the group of schoolchildren to whom they give particular subjects, but for all those of the School who they try to stimulate with their example, setting a pattern of honesty, brotherly love, mutual respect, understanding, warmth, friendliness and all the positive values which assist them in their work.

We feel bound to emphasise that this catalogue is of particular importance in the case of the teacher who is given the task of personal tutor. These tutors give special and personal attention to the students who are entrusted to them and take charge of their character formation and guidance in close relationship with parents.

The School helps teachers in their permanent training and professional refreshment process. For this purpose, not only do they have all facets of their teaching work structured in the legal framework, but also receive all the support required for proper performance of the education activity. In this respect, the school involves the teaching staff in meetings for swapping conclusions, ideas, tests and pedagogical experiences and improvement training courses.

Furthermore, we promote participation in the life of the school, along with that of teachers, pupils’ fathers and mothers, for non-teaching staff and pupils themselves, always according to their capability, their wish to cooperate and their degree of responsibility.

This participation can be made effective through ordinary channels and certain extraordinary ones.

The School’s aid to parents is materialised, quite apart from the regular or extraordinary interviews with the respective private tutors, at meetings of a general nature or by levels, depending on the matters that have to be dealt with. Consideration is also given to short courses which authorities in subjects give to make them see the role that pertains to them as parents and the way to set about this task.

This document for defining the nature of the GRAN ASOCIACIÓN-COLEGIO school in Valencia is published to be able to act as guidance for families at the point where the law allows them to exercise their option and choose the type of education that they prefer for their children.

Applications for pupils to join the school presuppose the knowledge and acceptance by the parents of the principles contained in the text of this definition.

This is similarly familiar to the teachers, who develop their educational vocation and their teaching work at the centre, whose postulates they make their own by freely accepting as professionals the responsibility for their application.

The non-teaching staff cooperates with their work in the goals stemming from the school’s own nature, in accordance with their function.