Ponte de Lima, one of Portugal’s oldest towns, provides a fitting backdrop for a school that preserves traditions while opening toward the future. The Escola Secundária de Ponte de Lima, fully renovated in 2018, immediately signaled that here the learning environment is at the heart of education. With 1,200 students and around 300 teachers and staff, the school operates on a scale that reflects both diversity and community. From the very first moment of the visit it became clear that the school’s goal is not merely to provide modern spaces, but to create a humanized environment where everyone can feel at home. As one participant noted in their diary: “The walls are still new, but step by step, the community fills them with life.”

Democratic decision-making and community participation

One of the most inspiring practices at the institution is participatory budgeting: every class develops a project idea for improving school spaces each year, and students vote to decide which will be implemented. This process has already given birth to initiatives like the school’s bicycle program and student-led decoration projects.

In addition, students regularly express their opinions through satisfaction surveys, which are carefully analyzed by the technical team. Suggestions are then integrated into real changes wherever possible. As school leader Madalena Macedo put it:

Our goal is for the school to truly belong to the students. Humanizing is not just an architectural task—it is an attitude: to listen, to hear, and to act.

Architecture and functional spaces

The building’s complete rehabilitation was completed six years ago. While there have been no further large-scale structural changes since then, the reorganization of interior spaces is ongoing. In 2019, for example, a school-wide consultation led to the complete redesign of the cafeteria: today, it features a separate lunch area, a student bar, and a multi-purpose community zone.

One visitor described their impression this way:

The exposed concrete surfaces may appear cold at first, but the students’ artwork, colorful accents, and lively use of the common areas gradually bring warmth and vitality into the building.

Digital Transition and Technological Infrastructure

Digital development is a cornerstone of Ponte de Lima’s school. Every classroom is equipped with interactive whiteboards, and each student is provided with a personal computer, to be used not only in lessons but also for homework and independent study. Internet connectivity is available throughout the entire building, ensuring smooth collaborative work and the successful implementation of digital exams.

The vocational course classrooms are fully equipped with specialized tools, allowing students to practice in realistic professional environments. As one teacher explained:

Technology is not an end in itself—it is a tool. But it only becomes meaningful when access is equal for everyone.

Inclusion and embracing diversity

Portuguese legislation (Decree-Law 54/2018) stipulates that if two students with special educational needs are placed in a class, the group cannot exceed 20 students. This ensures more individualized attention. The school also employs three psychologists and a multidisciplinary support team to guarantee tailored guidance for every learner.

Cultural diversity further enriches daily life: 4.5% of the students are immigrants, representing 21 different nationalities. This multicultural context is not viewed as a challenge but as an opportunity. As school leader Macedo emphasized:

Inclusion is not a program, it is a culture. Every child has the right to learn in safety and with dignity.

Community spaces and shared experiences

The humanization of education is most visible in the school’s communal areas. Student-led decorations, board-game corners, functional cafés, and redesigned dining facilities all contribute to a stronger sense of community. In addition, the presence of an auditorium and theater space has opened new horizons for cultural and educational events alike.

As one Hungarian participant wrote in their diary:

This was the place where I finally understood what a humanized school means: when space is not only for learning, but also transforms everyday coexistence into a source of joy.

Final reflections – What can we take home?

The Escola Secundária de Ponte de Lima offers a clear message: a modern school is not simply about new walls and infrastructure. It is about cultivating a community culture, where students, teachers, and parents all have a voice in shaping both the spaces and the learning that happens within them. Participatory budgeting, democratic decision-making, inclusion, and humanized architectural solutions all combine to make this institution an inspiring model.

As one reflection summed it up:

The school of the future is not hidden in concrete—it lives in people, in the spaces that a community fills with meaning and belonging.

Partners

• Magyar Digitális Oktatásért Egyesület (Hungary – co-ordinator)
• IAL Toscana Innovazione Apprendimento Lavoro srl. Impresa Sociale (Italy)
• Previform – Laboratório, Formação, Higiene e Segurança do Trabalho, Lda (Portugal)
• Learnitect Design Kft. (Hungary)

Project duration: 1 September 2023 – 31 August 2025

Grant amount: EUR 60,000

Grant Agreement No.: 2023-1-HU01-KA210-SCH-000152699

LEARNITECT – Az innovatív tanulási tervezés és inkluzív tanulási terek találkozása c. projekt (Hungarian)

LEARNITECT – Meeting of innovative learning design and inclusive learning spaces (ENG)

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

GA Nr.: 2023-1-HU01-KA210-SCH-000152699.

With the main partner of the project, the Hungarian Association for Hungarian Digital Education, and with partners Learnitect Design Ltd (Hungary),  Previform Lda (Portugal) IAL Toscana carries out the project activities, financed by Erasmus Plus programme.