AIS Altea International School

A Small School with a Wide World Inside

With 270 students and an average class size of just 18, AIS is intentionally small. But within that small number are representatives of 39 nationalities, creating a community that is genuinely diverse without being overwhelming. The demographic split — approximately 60% international students and 40% local Spanish families — reflects the school's position as both an expat-serving institution and a valued option for local families seeking an alternative to mainstream Spanish schooling.

The 'Family Feel' as a Design Choice

Founder Anja Traub has explicitly described the school's small scale as a feature, not a limitation. In her own words, the school offers a 'personal and familiar feel' that is difficult to replicate in larger institutions. This translates into:

• Teachers who know every student by name and can tailor support to individual needs
• A genuine pastoral culture where socio-emotional wellbeing is prioritised alongside academic outcomes
• Parent engagement that goes beyond formal events, with families described as active partners in the school community
• A psychologist and counsellors on staff to support student mental health and family wellbeing

Language as a Community Bridge

English is the primary language of instruction, but the community is multilingual. Spanish (Castellano) and Valenciano are taught as compulsory subjects, while German and French are offered as additional foreign languages. Spanish/Valenciano support classes are available as extracurricular activities for students who need extra help. This linguistic pluralism reflects the school's broader commitment to cultural openness.

Inclusive Ethos

AIS holds an Anti-Bullying Policy and a Safeguarding Children policy, both publicly accessible. The school is registered for Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision, with a team of specialist educators available to support students with additional learning needs. This inclusive stance means that the community encompasses students with a wide range of learning profiles, not only high-achievers.

A School Built on Blended Philosophy

At the heart of AIS International School is an educational philosophy that deliberately bridges two traditions rarely found together: the structured academic rigour of the British National Curriculum and the creative, child-centred ethos of Steiner-Waldorf pedagogy. This 'blended education' model is not simply a compromise — it is an intentional design, crafted by founder Anja Traub to address what she saw as a false dichotomy between academic excellence and human flourishing.

Academic Foundations

Students at AIS follow the British National Curriculum from the early years through to iGCSE (Cambridge) and Pearson/Edexcel A-Levels. This provides internationally recognised qualifications and prepares students for university entry across the UK, Europe, and beyond. The curriculum covers core subjects including Mathematics, Sciences, English Literature and Language, Humanities, and Modern Foreign Languages.

Waldorf Influence

Layered over this academic framework is a strong Steiner-Waldorf influence. This manifests in a number of distinctive ways:

• Arts integration: Art, music, drama, woodworking, and movement are treated as core developmental activities, not elective extras.
• Socio-emotional development: Equal emphasis is placed on emotional intelligence, empathy, and community-mindedness alongside academic achievement.
• Unhurried learning: The school resists excessive testing culture in the early years, favouring experiential, project-based learning.
• Environmental connection: The school's setting on a historic olive press estate with 7 hectares of grounds is not incidental — it is pedagogically meaningful, supporting outdoor learning and environmental reverence.

Mindfulness as Practice

Beyond Waldorf, AIS has integrated mindfulness as a formal strand of school life, reflecting contemporary research on attention, wellbeing, and learning readiness. This contributes to a calm, reflective school culture that parents and students frequently describe as 'family-like'.

Core Values in Action

The school's published values — Integrity, Empathy, Creativity, Enthusiasm, Curiosity, Connectedness, and Environmental Reverence — are not decorative. They are embedded in how teachers design lessons, how the community resolves conflict, and how student achievement is celebrated. Academic success at AIS is always celebrated in the context of the whole child.

For families seeking an international school that takes both university preparation and human development seriously, AIS represents a genuinely distinctive option on the Costa Blanca.

Origins: One Founder, One Class, One Vision

AIS International School was established in 2012 by Anja Traub, an educator with a clear vision: to create a school where academic ambition and human development were treated as inseparable. The school opened with a single Class 6 cohort — a deliberately modest beginning that allowed the founding philosophy to take root before scale was introduced.

The location chosen was not arbitrary. The school is set on a former olive press estate ('Almazara') in the hills between Alfaz del Pi and La Nucía, a semi-rural area of the Costa Blanca in Alicante province. The historic buildings and surrounding landscape — orchards, woodlands, and 7 hectares of grounds — provided a physical environment that aligned with the school's emphasis on environmental connectedness and outdoor learning.

Growth and Expansion

Over the following decade, AIS expanded steadily. The school now operates across two campus sites:

• Cami de l'Ermita 12, Alfaz del Pi — the original and main campus
• Cautivador 18, La Nucía — a secondary campus

By the time of the research, enrolment had reached 270 students from 39 nationalities, spread across seven buildings. Despite this growth, the school has consciously preserved what Traub describes as a 'personal and familiar feel' — class sizes are deliberately kept small (average 18 students), and the school community remains tight-knit.

First Graduates (2019)

A significant milestone was reached in 2019, when the first cohort of AIS students completed their A-Level studies and graduated. This was an important moment of validation for the school's founding promise: that the blended curriculum could deliver full British upper-secondary qualifications while maintaining the school's distinctive humanistic culture.

Today

AIS now offers a full pathway from early years through to Year 13 (A-Level), serving a multicultural community of expatriate and local Spanish families. The school operates as a private, independent day school with no religious affiliation, led continuously by its founder.

A Campus That Is Also a Curriculum

The physical environment of AIS International School is not merely a backdrop to learning — it is an active part of the educational experience. The main campus occupies a historic olive press estate ('Almazara') near Alfaz del Pi, a semi-rural hillside location with views across the Mediterranean coast of the Alicante province.

Grounds and Outdoor Spaces

The school sits within approximately 7 hectares of grounds that include:

• Fruit and vegetable gardens — maintained by students as part of environmental education
• Orchards and woodlands — providing space for outdoor play, nature study, and contemplation
• Outdoor adventure and games areas — supporting physical education and extracurricular outdoor activities
• Historic stone buildings of the original Almazara — renovated and repurposed as classrooms and specialist spaces

This outdoor orientation is directly tied to the school's Waldorf-influenced philosophy, which holds that connection to the natural world is educationally and developmentally significant.

Indoor Facilities

Across its seven buildings and two campus sites, AIS provides:

• Auditorium/Theatre — used for drama productions and whole-school events
• Dedicated music room — supporting the recorder ensemble and other musical activities
• Art workshops and studios — for visual arts and woodworking
• Dining hall — serving fresh vegetarian meals daily, prepared by an external caterer

Location and Access

The two campuses are located in Alfaz del Pi (Cami de l'Ermita 12) and La Nucía (Cautivador 18), within easy reach of the larger towns of Altea and Benidorm. A school bus service connects the campuses to Alicante, Xàbia (Jávea), and Benissa, making the rural setting accessible to families across the northern Costa Blanca.

Academic Qualifications Offered

AIS International School provides a clear British qualification pathway for secondary students:

• Cambridge iGCSE (Years 7–11 / Classes 6–10): Internationally recognised qualifications across a range of subjects, assessed by Cambridge International
• Pearson/Edexcel A-Levels (Years 12–13 / Classes 11–12): UK university-entry qualifications in selected subjects, charged on a per-subject basis

The school does not currently offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, though its holistic educational approach shares many values with the IB philosophy.

Small Classes and Personalised Teaching

With an average class size of 18 students (and a maximum of 22), AIS is able to offer a degree of personalisation in teaching that larger international schools cannot. Teachers are described as native English speakers, and the school's staffing model supports a student-centred approach.

For students who need additional academic support, the extracurricular programme includes dedicated KS3 Maths Support and KS4 Maths Support sessions, available weekly at no additional cost within the school's after-school programme.

Inclusive Entry (to Year 6)

One notable feature of AIS admissions is that children may enter up to Year 6 without prior English proficiency. This reflects the school's belief that language should not be a barrier to early education, and that children are capable of acquiring English through immersion in a supportive environment. EAL support is provided for non-native English speakers.

Assessment Philosophy

Consistent with its Waldorf-influenced roots, AIS takes a measured approach to assessment in the primary years, prioritising developmental progress, creativity, and understanding over test performance. As students move into the IGCSE and A-Level years, formal examination preparation takes on greater importance, but always within a supportive and low-pressure culture.

Languages

Beyond the English-medium academic programme, students study Spanish (Castellano) and Valenciano as compulsory subjects, with German and French available as additional foreign language options. This multilingual offer reflects both the school's location in bilingual Valencia region and its international student body.