We live in a society where success is often tied to the amount of education one has received. However, there are many people who lack access to quality education for their children's schooling, limiting their future opportunities and chance of improving their living conditions.

Our vision is that all children receive high quality education which produces communities that flourish.

Here in the UK, it is easy to take for granted the fact that our schools are run in a certain way. There are established ways of operating, which have been in place for many years. We have the Department of Education offering guidance and making decisions about policy. Then there are various organisations that support individual members of staff, from head teachers’ associations to teaching unions. 

For many developing countries, the picture is very different. Schools may have to start from scratch, coming up with processes and policies as they go. Head teachers very often do not have an industry body or network of peers to support them. Teachers may lack sufficient training.

As you can imagine, this makes life much harder for schools. For example, if there is no process in place to track the achievements of pupils, how can a head teacher know that the children are learning effectively? Without a support network in place, where can a teacher turn for advice if there is a disruptive child in class or if they have to deal with up to 120 children in one go?

There are so many barriers that can prevent schools from delivering a high-quality education.

This is where Aprender fits in.

We help schools to find solutions without spending money, highlighting instead on the value they already have, respectful of their context and culture, and sharing best practices from around the world.

We focus on shifting mindsets because when we think differently, we behave differently. This shift empowers them to sustainably improve their school.

We train in-country educators, who are already paid by their government, denomination, or NGO (Non-Government Organisation, such as a charity), using our model to become education development coaches with ideas and strategies that improve the quality of their schools, whatever the culture. These coaches then use the same model to train their head teachers, giving them the education know-how and supporting them as they learn to think and act differently.

Here's a quote from a PHD student who independently looked at one of our projects, Casa Semente, running an education support project in a favela in Rio de Janeiro.

“Comparing my experience at Casa Semente between 2014 and 2016, I can say that the active learning approach of Apto has indeed made a positive difference in the lives of the children. Using the Apto methodology, Casa Semente has established a healthy and sustainable program in the community that attempts to give them part of this childhood back by giving them a safe place to play as well as food, toys, and the loving care and supervision of responsible adults. In addition, they have adapted their program to include supplemental basic education to accommodate for the shortcomings of the public school system. This pedagogy has led to quantifiable improvements in the children’s lives such as literacy rates as well as qualitative improvements such as self-esteem, temperament, and cooperation. These adjustments may not have been possible without the emphasis that Apto places on collecting and evaluating data.”