IES Ribera del Tajo is one of the six state Secondary Schools in Talavera de la Reina, a town 120 km away from Madrid.lt is one of the biggest educational institutions in the area (over 1,100 students, 76 teachers-including the senior staff-, 4 administratives and 4 caretakers) and provides both Secondary and Vocational studies at different levels. A great part of the older students attend our school because they could not find a job or vocational training after finishing school. That is why they often need special support for their motivation and commitment by our teachers. The drop-out rate is relatively high. Our school tries to reduce it by taking new pedagogical and methodical measures, e.g. by motivating and innovative Teaching methods.
As for the social context many of our students come from a background marked by the recent crisis which has left 40% unemployment in the area, so for us, that a European approach has become a matter of great importance in terms of competitiveness and social cohesion. There is a strong international flavourto IES Ribera del Tajo. Ourschool has established the international orientation” in the preamble of our guiding principles. So we are aiming at becoming a more international and open minded school and preparing students for the demands of globalization. This project can contribute a great deal to this. It will offer an opportunity to work together in an international setting to a large group of students and teachers involved in the project. This kind of European cooperation is an essential part of the strategy of our school to improve the skills of our students when communicating and working in a multicultural environment and to enhance the European awareness.