FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

about hypha

Hypha is an established Cambridge International school operating in Sintra’s Natural Park, now in its fourth year. We currently serve families from roughly 18 nationalities who have chosen to Hypha for our distinctive curriculum and school environment.

Our campus in Colares, a former quinta, gives us the high-quality buildings, gardens, and woodland to deliver a rigorous, evidence-based curriculum fully immersed in the natural world. A partnership with our neighbors, União Mucifalense, ensures our students also benefit from a quality sports program, with large sports facilities.

Demand among our families for continuity beyond primary now exceeds what our current site can support — a sign of how far the model has proven itself. Therefore, Hypha will expand into Year 7 in 2027, with one additional year group introduced each subsequent year.

Hypha was founded in July 2023 by Jennifer Nava, an engineer and international parent who began by searching for the right school for her own daughters. She found that many schools seemed to ask families to choose between strong academics and a rich, nature-connected childhood. Hypha was created to bring both together.

Before opening the school, Jennifer trained specifically in nature-based education, including at one of the world’s best-known nature-based schools, and visited other innovative schools in Hungary, Spain, and Portugal. She brought an engineer’s mindset to the process: questioning assumptions, studying what works, and designing the school intentionally around evidence, structure, and child development with the collaboration of other educational experts.

Hypha opened its doors in September 2023 with its first Pre-Primary cohort, and launched Primary the following academic year.

Hypha is for families who want a school that takes academic rigor, creativity, and a nature-immersed childhood equally seriously.

Parents who choose us value real foundations in literacy and numeracy, and they want their children building resilience, adaptability, courage and independence through the outdoors. They believe these skills go together, and that spending time in nature is an essential part of building character, nurturing wellbeing and a true appreciation for the natural world.

Our families mainly commute to Hypha from Sintra, Cascais, Lisbon, Ericeira, and Oeiras.

What makes Hypha different is that we do not ask families to choose between academic rigor and a rich, nature-immersed childhood.

Hypha is an internationally accredited school in the Sintra-Cascais area where outdoor learning is embedded into the academic experience across year groups, alongside regular opportunities to build practical outdoor skills, confidence, independence, and a deeper understanding of the natural world.

Our Primary classes are intentionally small, with a maximum of sixteen children currently and two educators in each classroom. This allows for a level of individual attention that is much closer to a tutoring environment than a traditional class, while still preserving the social richness of learning in a group.

Academically, we use the Cambridge International framework in Primary to ensure strong progression and high expectations. At the same time, our classrooms are dynamic and active: children move, discuss, investigate, collaborate, and engage deeply with what they are learning rather than spending the day in passive instruction.

Our pedagogy is deliberately blended rather than tied to a single educational philosophy. In the Early Years, we combine the English Early Years framework with elements of Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and extensive outdoor and nature-based learning.

In Primary, our approach becomes even more distinctive. We use mastery-based learning in core subjects so children build secure foundations before moving on, while History and Geography are taught through project-based and inquiry-based learning that encourages curiosity, research, and real-world connections.

In primary we also use Socratic Seminars to develop thoughtful, articulate learners. Children engage with open-ended and provocative questions where there is not always one correct answer. In doing so, they learn to listen carefully, express ideas clearly, disagree respectfully, consider different perspectives, and think more critically. These discussions strengthen not only communication and reasoning, but also reading comprehension and intellectual confidence.

The result is a school experience that is academically ambitious, highly personalized, and deeply connected to the world beyond the classroom.

Absolutely. Hypha is licensed by the Portuguese Ministry of Education and accredited by Cambridge International Education, part of the University of Cambridge.

For international families, this provides important continuity and reassurance. Hypha’s curriculum is aligned with internationally recognized standards, making it easier for students to transition to other schools abroad.

Our families can therefore benefit from a distinctive Hypha education while remaining connected to a widely recognized academic framework that supports future mobility and progression.

curriculum and approach

In Primary, Hypha follows the Cambridge International framework, which sets clear learning objectives for each subject and year group and is widely recognized by international schools and universities around the world.

We use those objectives as the academic backbone of our program and deliver them through a distinctly Hypha curriculum: rigorous, carefully sequenced, and designed around how children learn best. We do not rely on the traditional textbook-heavy, test-driven, or homework-based model often associated with highly traditional Cambridge schools.

For core academic foundations, we select evidence-based programs with strong track records. Read Write Inc. anchors our literacy provision, while Singapore Math anchors numeracy. In other subjects, we choose curricula and resources that are academically robust, engaging, contemporary, and compatible with our outdoor and inquiry-based approach.

In Pre-primary, we follow the English Early Years Foundation Stage, alongside a blend of Reggio Emilia, Montessori-inspired practice, and outdoor learning principles. The program is grounded in strong foundations in early literacy, numeracy, communication, independence, and social-emotional development.

Across all age groups, our curriculum choices are intentional: evidence-based, developmentally appropriate, and designed to combine strong academic foundations with curiosity, movement, creativity, and meaningful engagement with the world around them.

Children spend at least three hours outdoors every day, including on rainy days. Outdoor learning is a core part of the Hypha experience rather than an occasional activity.

Throughout the day, children make use of a range of natural and purposefully designed outdoor environments, including our pond, open fields, shaded forest areas, and covered outdoor spaces. These environments support focused learning or movement, exploration, play, and connection with nature in all seasons.

The main language of instruction at Hypha is English. For children entering Primary, we have minimum English-language requirements to ensure they can access the curriculum confidently and participate fully in classroom learning. All Hypha teachers are either native English speakers or demonstrate English proficiency at C2 level.

Portuguese is an important part of the school experience. Children have dedicated Portuguese language lessons, and they are also exposed to Portuguese through specialist subjects taught in the language, including Physical Education, Music, and Art.

There is no minimum Portuguese-language requirement for admission to Hypha.

We do not rely on traditional high-stakes testing as the of measuring learning. Instead, Hypha uses continuous, low-stakes assessment throughout the year. Teachers regularly observe, document, and assess each child’s learning against clear curriculum objectives. This allows us to understand what a child has mastered, where they need more support, and how teaching should be adapted next.

Progress is tracked carefully by the classroom teacher together with our Instructional Coach/Curriculum Coordinator, with data maintained across subjects to ensure that learning is both visible and measurable.

At the end of each term, parents receive a comprehensive report outlining their child’s progress, together with personalized comments from each educator who teaches them.

Our goal is to assess rigorously without creating unnecessary pressure, while making sure that every child is genuinely learning and progressing.

Hypha does not assign homework. We believe children benefit from having time after school to rest, play, spend time outdoors, pursue their own interests, and be with family.

The one consistent expectation we have of parents is to support a strong reading culture at home. We ask families to read with or to their children for 15–30 minutes each day, helping to build fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and a lifelong enjoyment of reading.

Children at our school do not bring personal screens or mobile phones, and computers are not used until Year 4.

From Year 4 onwards, students begin using school-provided laptops in a purposeful and supervised way. Technology is introduced primarily for research, inquiry, and access to selected learning platforms, during designated periods of the school day and under educator supervision.

Our approach is to introduce technology when it adds genuine educational value, while protecting the many experiences children need to develop attention, creativity, social skills, independence, and a strong connection to the world around them.

Hypha’s small class sizes, teacher training and approach allow educators to know each child well and adapt learning to their individual level of readiness, pace, and depth.

Children who demonstrate advanced understanding, or whose cognitive assessments indicate advanced abilities, are given opportunities to extend their learning through more challenging material, higher-order questioning, greater conceptual depth, independent projects, and accelerated progression where appropriate.

daily experience

Hypha provides a morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack for all children.

Our morning snack consists of fresh fruit prepared in our kitchen. Lunch follows a Portuguese-style, whole-food approach, with meals based largely on traditional and locally familiar ingredients. Afternoon snacks typically include options such as yogurt, bread, or fruit.

We can accommodate a range of dietary restrictions and allergies. Families should share any specific requirements during the admissions process so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Hypha follows a no-added-sugar policy at school, including for birthday celebrations, in keeping with our commitment to healthy, balanced eating habits.

Yes. We offer transportation to/from Cascais and will add a route to Ericeira in September 2026.

Children are picked up and dropped off from a central location by a certified transportation provider.

Hypha has an exclusive partnership with União Mucifalense (UM), a local sports complex located within walking distance of the school. We use the facilities regularly for Physical Education and have dedicated access during the school day.

The complex includes a full-size football pitch, indoor gymnasium, volleyball courts, gymnastics studio, martial arts dojo, and yoga room, giving students access to a wide range of sports and movement activities.

Hypha also has its own swimming pool, which is used for selected extracurricular activities.

Hypha offers a broad program of extracurricular activities from Monday to Thursday, with a mix of included and paid options depending on the activity and whether it is led by an external provider. Each day from Monday to Thursday, students have access to at least one extracurricular activity included in tuition.

Recent offerings have included swimming, surfing, robotics, coding, gymnastics, violin, piano, taekwondo, astronomy, surfing, strategy games, crochet, gardening, science club, cooking, construction club, drama, sensory play, Portuguese club, and more.

We aim to provide a balanced range of sports, arts, music, STEM, outdoor learning, and creative activities, giving children opportunities to discover new interests, deepen existing passions, and develop skills beyond the classroom.

Clubs are led either by Hypha educators or by qualified specialists and external instructors, depending on the activity.

Hypha does not have a school uniform.

Children are free to come to school in comfortable, practical clothing that allows them to move easily, spend time outdoors, and take part in creative and potentially messy activities. For certain occasions — such as field trips, school events, or class photographs — children are asked to wear a Hypha t-shirt. Families are always informed in advance when the school t-shirt is required.

community and fit

No school is the right fit for every family, and Hypha is intentionally distinctive in its approach.

Hypha is designed for families who value both academic rigor and a nature-immersed, well-lived childhood. We believe children should develop strong academic foundations while also having outdoor experiences that build confidence, independence, resilience, and character.

Families seeking either a highly traditional academic model or, at the other end of the spectrum, an unstructured alternative approach that places less emphasis on knowledge, academic challenge, and character development, may find that another school is a better fit.

The best way to understand whether Hypha aligns with your family’s values and expectations is to visit the school, experience the environment, and speak with our team.

We expect families to engage meaningfully with the school and with their child’s education. That includes communicating openly with educators about your child, attending Learning Celebrations, and trusting our team to do their work in the classroom.

We do not require frequent attendance at meetings or constant communication. We do, however, expect parents to be available for important conversations about their child.

For parents who would like to be more involved in their child’s education, we offer many opportunities for parents to directly engage.

Hypha offers a number of meaningful ways for parents to engage with the school community.

Our Tuesday coffee mornings provide an informal opportunity for parents to connect with one another and with members of the team. Each year group also hosts a Learning Celebration toward the end of each term, where children share their learning, projects, and progress with their families. Camping Night is our termly community gathering and an important part of building relationships across the school.

Parents with relevant expertise, professional experience, or interests are also often invited to contribute to classroom life — for example, by leading an activity, sharing knowledge from their field, or supporting a particular project. These contributions are coordinated by the class teacher so that they connect meaningfully with the children’s current learning.

Our aim is to create a strong school community while ensuring that parent involvement remains purposeful, well-coordinated, and supportive of the learning environment.

Hypha is a genuinely international community, both among our families and our staff.

Our families represent more than eighteen countries, bringing a wide range of cultures, languages, perspectives, and life experiences into the school. More than a third of our families hold multiple citizenships, reflecting the globally minded nature of our community.

We are especially proud of how welcoming Hypha feels to families arriving from abroad, and of how naturally children learn alongside peers from different parts of the world. Diversity at Hypha is not treated as a separate initiative; it is part of everyday school life and an important part of how children learn to understand different perspectives and feel at home in an international community.

teachers and safety

All Hypha teachers are fully qualified and bring several years of experience either as homeroom teachers or within their specialist subjects. Our homeroom teachers also bring international teaching experience across a range of school systems and educational contexts.

Professional development at Hypha is ongoing and closely connected to the way we teach. Educators receive regular, high-quality training in the specific curricula and pedagogical approaches used across the school, including Read Write Inc., Singapore Mathematics, Positive Discipline, and our unique Socratic Seminar approach. This training is delivered by internationally recognized trainers as well as experienced in-house specialists.

We also bring expert trainers into the school regularly to observe lessons, coach teachers in classrooms, and work alongside the team to strengthen practice over time.

From the 2026–27 academic year, Hypha has also introduced an Instructional Coach and Curriculum Coordinator role. This adds another layer of professional support through co-teaching, instructional coaching, collaborative planning, and curriculum sequencing, helping ensure that teaching remains consistent, rigorous, and increasingly effective as children progress through the school.

Child safety is a core priority at Hypha. As a licensed school, we operate in accordance with Portuguese law, Ministry of Education and Cambridge International accreditation requirements, with clear procedures in place for safeguarding, emergency response, school access control, and student supervision.

Every member of staff has a defined role within health and safety protocols, and first-aid trained staff are on site at all times.

Access to the school is carefully managed and controlled so that we know who is on the premises at any given time. All staff are required to provide annual criminal record checks, and new employees must also provide relevant background checks from countries in which they have previously worked.

Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is reviewed annually and sets out how concerns raised by children, families, or staff are recorded, escalated, investigated, and managed.

Because Hypha is an active, outdoor learning environment, safeguarding also includes thoughtful risk management. Children may climb trees, swim, work near the pond, hike, and use nearby sports facilities. These experiences are carefully supervised, and staff are trained to balance appropriate challenge and independence with clear safety procedures and risk awareness.

Hypha works from a Positive Discipline framework, which treats conflict and mistakes as opportunities for learning and problem solving.

In our small classes, educators observe children’s interactions closely, so difficulties can often be identified and addressed early. Teachers support children in understanding what happened, repairing relationships, communicating effectively, and developing the social and emotional skills they need to navigate future challenges more independently.

When patterns emerge across classrooms or over time, we involve families in the conversation and, where appropriate, may recommend or engage external specialists to provide additional support.

Our goal is not to eliminate conflict, but to help children learn how to handle it well. At this age, developing skills such as self-regulation, empathy, accountability, perspective-taking, problem-solving, and respectful communication is an important part of growing up, and thoughtfully managed conflict is part of that process.

We take bullying seriously and approach it through a whole-school culture of prevention, early intervention, and clear accountability. Our small community allows us to know children well, notice changes in relationships or behavior quickly. We distinguish bullying from everyday conflict, act decisively when concerns arise, and work closely with children and families to ensure safety, restore trust, and strengthen the social skills and sense of responsibility that underpin a healthy school community.

admissions process

Visit our Application Portal to submit an application.

Yes; you can schedule an in-person visit or a virtual tour with us here.

View Fees

Yes.

For Primary, we accept children at the beginning of each Term: September, January, and April.

For Pre-Primary, we accept children in September and January.

Hypha’s adaptation period is designed for our youngest learners, typically ages 3 to 5, who may need additional support separating from a parent and settling into school.

For up to the first two weeks, a parent may remain on campus while their child spends time in our forest school area, where a specialist educator leads play, games, and outdoor activities outside the regular classroom environment. Children are then introduced gradually to the classroom over a period of approximately one to two weeks.

With consistent encouragement and the natural pull of curiosity and peer relationships, most children begin separating successfully within a relatively short period of time.

Our goal is to support a gradual, respectful transition toward independence, helping each child build trust in the environment, confidence in their educators, and a genuine sense of belonging at Hypha.

For our youngest learners in Pre-Primary who are not yet ready for a full school day, we offer the flexibility of half days, with pickup at lunchtime. Some families also choose a hybrid arrangement, with some full days and some half days, as a way to transition their child to the full school week.

We encourage families considering this option to visit the school and talk with us in person, so we can work out the right arrangement for your child.

Hypha welcomes children with a range of learning profiles. Our small class sizes, close observation, and personalized approach allow us to provide a range of support and accommodations within the classroom.

Where a child requires additional or specialist support, we work with the family to understand the child’s individual needs and determine what provision and resources may be appropriate. In some circumstances, this may include additional specialist or dedicated support, with arrangements discussed individually with the family.

As part of the admissions process, we ask families to share any relevant assessment reports, specialist recommendations, or existing support plans. This allows us to understand each child fully and have an informed conversation about how Hypha can best support their learning, wellbeing, and participation in school life.

Hypha understands that some families travel for work or other reasons. We are happy to discuss extended absences on a case-by-case basis. Please reach out to us in advance so we can work out a plan that supports your child’s continued learning.