Our Background Cénit School
Cénit School opened its doors in 1976, on the initiative of Mr. José Centella Herencia and Mr. Bernabé Tierno Jiménez, and its activity was dedicated to EDUCATION.
Mr. Fernando Gómez Cabrera, Ms. Joaquina Centella Herencia and Mr. Bonifacio Cadierno Alonso close the group of founders of our centre, and are still linked to it to this day.
Bernabé Tierno, psychologist, psycho-pedagogue, therapist and writer, was the director of Cénit School during the first ten years of the school. Bernabé Tierno was a widely recognised figure thanks to his research into the causes of school failure, as well as possible strategies for more effective teaching and learning. His legacy lives on not only in the more than sixty books on psychology that he wrote during his lifetime, but also in our school, where we continue to follow in his footsteps, seeking ways to bring us closer to providing meaningful and enriching learning for all our children.
The location chosen for our centre was the Madrid neighbourhood of Pueblo Nuevo. More specifically, our main entrance is located at 31 Vital Aza Street.
Like all educational centres, Cénit School is an organic space, which is fully linked to the circumstances of its immediate surroundings, adapting its methods and procedures to the different situations that arise in the neighbourhood over the years.
During the 2016/2017 academic year we celebrated the fortieth anniversary of the school’s opening. This is a very significant turning point for all of us who form part of this educational community.
Analysing the current situation of the centre, we find certain characteristics that shape its character:
First of all, Cénit School is a meeting place for cultures, races and religions. 95% of our pupils come from families in which at least one of both parents is of foreign origin. It is often in our classrooms where they have their first contact with the Spanish language.
The different and, in many cases, complicated circumstances of many of the school’s families have led to a low level of parental involvement in school life over the last few years. Similarly, these and other circumstances have resulted in low motivation on the part of pupils. Both aspects are closely related, so our main aim is to increase both the participation of families and the motivation of pupils.
On the other hand, and after having made a careful reflection on our own educational task, we are finally aware that nowadays it is necessary to introduce methodological changes in order to get closer to the teaching that students in the 21st century require in order to live in a complex and constantly changing society.
When we identify our difficulties, a very positive picture emerges: they are all modifiable. The factors in which we have the greatest weaknesses are precisely those in which we can intervene.
Finally, we know that we have a great strength, diversity, which in most contexts is synonymous with wealth.
Writer and educator Ken Robinson says: “(…) schools are not sanctuaries removed from the maelstrom of everyday life; they are fully immersed in the world around them. A dynamic school can nurture a whole community by nourishing the hope and creative energy of its constituents. I have seen the revitalising presence of great schools lift up entire neighbourhoods. Conversely, bad schools can drain the optimism of all the students and families who depend on them, reducing their opportunities to grow and thrive.
Our school has a spirit capable of becoming one of those institutions that are destined to stir an entire community.