About Us

This is where we start from.

We are a school born from a conscious way of looking at childhood, learning, and our relationship with the world.

Who We Are

CRIAR is a holistic education school that places relationships, attentive listening, and intentionality at the heart of the educational process. We believe in meaningful learning, experienced with rigour, care, and close support, where each child is consciously and thoughtfully accompanied throughout their educational journey.

Two pupils sitting on a wooden cable reel reading in the Escola CRIAR playground

Our Story

From a Living Intention to a School with Its Own Identity

CRIAR was born from a living intention. From people, relationships, and an attentive listening to what children needed and what adults felt could no longer be ignored. 

It all began in the 2021/2022 school year, with a group of families and Sofia Borges, who began to recognise the value of a way of learning grounded in closeness, listening, and intention. A way of approaching learning that respected individual rhythms, nurtured relationships, and placed the child at the centre — and that called for continuity.

This journey took shape at Quinta da Ponte, in Cascais, where the project was born as Aldeia Nova Terra. From the very beginning, it was experienced as a learning community: small groups, close support, shared decision-making, and a daily life in which nothing was incidental and everything had intention.

As the community grew, it became clear that this way of educating needed structure in order to remain true to itself. It was in this context that Mariana Garcia and Teresa Noéme, together with their families, took on a central role in the organisation and continuity of the project, strengthening its consistency and sustainability. This marked a new stage of maturation, in which practice, educational thinking, and structure became increasingly aligned.

Later, already in Torre, also in Cascais, the project took a natural next step and became CRIAR, formally establishing itself as a school. Not as a break with what had come before, but as the natural consequence of a journey lived with coherence, care, and commitment.

Today, CRIAR is a wider educational community that has grown without compromising what matters most: meaningful learning, pedagogical rigour, close relationships, and thoughtful support for each child. We remain grounded in the same foundations that were there from the beginning: educating with intention, nurturing relationships, and respecting each child’s integral development.

Our story continues to be written every day, in the way we choose to be present, to listen, and to accompany. Not because we seek to be different, but because we believe that educating in this way makes sense.

Our Mission

To create the conditions for each child to learn and grow with meaning, rigour, and care.

We accompany each journey closely and consciously, respecting the uniqueness of each child and promoting their holistic development: academic, emotional, relational, and human.

Our Vision

We believe in a coherent, human, and ambitious school, where learning makes sense because it is connected to life, relationships, and the world.

We want to continue growing without losing closeness, maintaining the quality of the support we provide and the coherence between pedagogical thinking and daily practice.

What Guides Our Work

These are the principles that guide our decisions in the school’s day-to-day life and in the way we relate to children and families.

Holistic Education

Learning involves the body, emotions, thinking, and our relationship with the world. Everything is part of the same process of growth and learning.

Rigour with Humanity

We set high expectations with intention and care, respecting each child’s pace, without compromising the quality and depth of learning.

Meaningful Learning

Knowledge arises from experience, context, and genuine questions. Not from empty repetition, but from a process lived with time and meaning.

Close Support

Each child is supported continuously, regularly, and attentively throughout their entire journey at the school.

The People Who Make CRIAR.

Our team is made up of passionate educators who believe in the power of curiosity and creativity to transform lives. Each member brings experience, dedication, and love for what they do.