Our people

Dr. Helena Marsh is Head of School. She is responsible for Kanade International School as a whole: 640 students aged 4 to 18, Kindergarten to Grade 12, from about 40 nationalities, taught in English. The school was founded in 1994 and offers the IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes on the Lisbon campus. Families meet the school at an open morning or on a private tour before they apply.

Leila Haddad is Director of Admissions. She handles enquiries, open mornings, applications, the assessment and family meeting, and offers. Write to admissions@kanade-school.example or call +351 21 000 4800. The office replies within two school days. A complete application includes previous school reports and the €250 application fee. The enrolment deposit of €2,000 confirms a place and is credited to the final term. Open mornings in this cycle are 10 November 2026, 12 January 2027 and 9 February 2027, all Tuesdays, 9:30 to 11:00.

Tomás Ferreira is Head of Primary and leads the Primary Years Programme from Kindergarten through Grade 5. Teaching in these years is in English, with Portuguese from Kindergarten and mother-tongue clubs for languages spoken at home. Kindergarten tuition for ages 4–5 is €14,800 for 2026–27, and Primary Years tuition for Grades 1–5 is €17,600. The primary day uses the same hours as the rest of the school: arrival at 8:20, lessons from 8:30 to 15:20, activities until 16:30. He works with Mei-Lin Chou on the language pathway in the early years.

Amara Nwosu is MYP Coordinator for Grades 6 to 10. From Grade 6, students add French or German beside English and Portuguese. Grade 10 includes the Personal Project, which is presented at the Grade 10 Personal Project exhibition. Middle Years tuition is €20,400 for the 2026–27 school year. Science lessons use the laboratories, and a new science wing opens in September. The MYP years share the library, the music room, the dining hall and the sports spaces with the rest of the campus. Questions about a Grade 6 to 10 place still begin with admissions, not with a separate MYP office.

Jonas Becker is DP Coordinator for Grades 11 and 12. Diploma students work in English towards the IB Diploma, with IB exam registration included in tuition, alongside books and day trips. Diploma Programme tuition is €23,900 for 2026–27. The library is central to DP study, including the extended essay. Priya Raman, of the DP class of 2025, has described that essay work and the library from a student’s side. DP students follow the same school day as the rest of the campus and the same admissions steps as younger applicants. An offer is confirmed with the €2,000 enrolment deposit.

Mei-Lin Chou is Head of Languages. English is the teaching language of the school. Portuguese is taught from Kindergarten. French or German begins in Grade 6. Mother-tongue clubs support the languages of home in a student body of about 40 nationalities. The language pathway runs through PYP, MYP and DP, so she works with Tomás Ferreira, Amara Nwosu and Jonas Becker rather than inside a single year group. Language classes use the library as well as classrooms. There is no extra fee for the language pathway; it is part of tuition for the child’s year.

Rafael Ortiz is Pastoral and Wellbeing Lead for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Pastoral care sits alongside the academic programmes and covers the school day from arrival at 8:20 to the close of activities at 16:30. Parents report an absence by email by 8:15 so the morning register is accurate before lessons start at 8:30. He is the named lead families ask for when a question is about a child’s welfare rather than about a place, a fee or a subject. Admissions questions remain with Leila Haddad, and day-to-day office messages go to office@kanade-school.example.