Dear Parents,
At St John’s School, we’ve been inspiring young minds since 2001. Over the years, we’ve built a warm, nurturing environment where children feel safe, supported, and ready to thrive.
Our success is driven by a dedicated team of professionals, strong relationships between staff and pupils, and a stable, caring atmosphere where every child is valued.
We take pride in our personalised approach, delivering the English National Curriculum to a diverse community of learners — from Portuguese families to children from around the world. This inclusive and flexible teaching style ensures that each pupil receives the attention they need to flourish.
From an early age, our children develop a broad range of skills. By the time they complete Year 1 — at just five years old — they are confidently speaking and writing in English, exploring maths, ICT, PE, music, drama, and even swimming.
At St John’s, we believe education works best when home and school come together. That’s why we place great importance on building strong partnerships with our families, keeping you involved every step of the way.
If you’d like to find out more or arrange a visit, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to welcome you and show you what makes our school so special.
Warm regards,
Alexandra Mangas
Headteacher
OUR MISSION
At St John’s Daycare and Pre-school, our mission is to nurture every child’s unique potential in a respectful, inclusive, and values-driven environment. We are committed to providing high-quality early years education that encourages curiosity, personal growth, and a lifelong love of learning.
OUR VISION
We envision a caring and inspiring learning community where all children feel safe, valued, and empowered to thrive. We aim to develop confident, compassionate, and socially responsible young learners who are well-prepared to contribute positively to the world around them.
OUR VALUES
Rooted in the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), our values reflect our deep belief in the rights, potential, and individuality of each child:
St. John’s School began its journey closely linked to another school, St. George’s School.
St. George’s School was widely recognised for the excellence of its teaching, thanks to the educational methods introduced by its founder, Mr Patrick Hoare. After his passing, his daughter, Mrs Deborah da Silva, continued his work.
The success of St. John’s School owes much to the experience of Maria da Graça Moniz (“Tia Gracinha”), daughter of the distinguished teacher and pedagogue of the last century, António Corrêa de Oliveira. She began her professional career as an Early Years Educator in 1956 in Portugal and Angola.
With the support of her husband, Commander José Cardoso Moniz (whose family was also involved in education), she founded and directed the “Trevo” Kindergarten in Costa da Caparica, and in the late 1990s inaugurated the “Cachabiu” Kindergarten in Cascais.
Many of the teachers and assistants who are now part of the team at St. John’s School began their professional careers at these earlier schools. The blending of different cultures and approaches has been a great success, allowing for autonomous and cohesive work.
The premises of St. George’s School were located at Quinta das Loureiras, a beautiful 18th-century house at the entrance to Cascais. Initially, it was an exclusively British school, but it soon opened its doors to the Portuguese-speaking community due to the growing interest among residents along the Estoril coast in having their children learn the English language and culture. The curriculum therefore ceased to be exclusively British and instead became multicultural.
St. George’s School was acquired by Maria da Graça Moniz (“Tia Gracinha”) and the following year it moved to a building that had previously belonged to the American School, located in Vale de Santa Rita, in São João do Estoril. The school’s official opening on 30th June 1998 was marked by the presence of Mr Roger Westbrook, HM British Ambassador at the time.
With the growing number of pupils, Maria da Graça Moniz (“Tia Gracinha”) and her son Miguel Moniz took the initiative to establish St. John’s School, aimed at nursery and kindergarten pupils.
The opening ceremony of St. John’s School on 12th May 2001 was attended by His Excellency Sir John Holmes, the British Ambassador, who, in his speech, expressed his hope that the school would contribute to preserving and promoting English culture.
Our main goal remains to provide a high-quality and constantly updated service to our pupils and their families.
Since the pupils at St John’s School are aged between 1 and 5, the Moniz family recognised the need to ensure educational continuity for their students. Therefore, in 2007, they founded St James’s Primary School.
Our policy is to ensure the full development of the human person. Therefore, in all our educational activities, we support each child in developing their intellectual, physical, social, moral, emotional and spiritual potential, so that they may grow in freedom and truth.
We aim to achieve this in both Daycare and Pre-school by:
At St John’s Nursery and Pre-school, we aim to:
Beyond the classroom, we strive to:
