The Secondary Project emerged as a collaboration between the already existing River Flower along with dedicated families and educators seeking an innovative and nurturing educational path for their older children. Nestled in a stunning, historic schist house atop a hill and surrounded by a young oak forest, our project offers a tranquil and inspiring surrounding environment. With a focus on secondary education as part of a learning community, we provide a safe space where students aged 12-17 can follow their own interests as well as our curriculum including the opportunity to gain a selection of qualifications.
What we do
The Secondary Project is located in the heart of central Portugal and provides a unique and holistic educational experience. We work closely with families to create a warm, supportive learning space that nurtures the academic, emotional, creative and spiritual development of each student. Our curriculum integrates international perspectives with a focus on creativity, nature, and hands-on learning.
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Connecting with nature is central to our philosophy, and we are lucky to be based in such a beautiful environment. Like in the Middle Project, Physical activity is also a key part of our program, with students enjoying weekly sessions at a sports ground, where they can take part in football, basketball, rugby, and circus skills. Our community is truly international, with students from around the world learning primarily in English, while also benefiting from bi-weekly Portuguese lessons led by native-speaking teachers. We also engage with the local community through various cultural events, as part of an initiative to integrate families and children.
In addition to their expertise in core curriculum subjects, our dedicated staff bring a wealth of knowledge in diverse fields such as music, drama, art, permaculture, dance, literacy, finance, and human rights. Their varied backgrounds enrich the learning experience, inspiring creativity, critical thinking, and a deep appreciation for the world.
Our vibrant community is committed to preparing students for life beyond education, equipping them with the skills, confidence, and mindset to thrive. We empower them to step into the world as change-makers, innovators, and compassionate individuals ready to make a meaningful impact in their communities and beyond.
Meet our educators
Adam Bushell-Jones
Project Leader
Maths, History, Bushcraft
Adam has been involved in education, music/media and arts since a child. Workshops, performances and arts events inspired the growth into what he now sees as a vitally important role in the world, teaching.
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After finishing a First Class Music degree in Bristol, fundamental questions of life, learning and relationship came of deep importance and informed the coming years of travel, friendships and enquiry. After some time travelling, Adam became a residential teacher of music for two years at a holistic international boarding school in Hampshire. He then moved to Portugal in 2022.
Looking to come together with a group of people and help build an educational project he joined Waterfall Valley Education. With a background in music/production, body movement, wood working/sculpting, photography and arts he endeavors to bring these subjects to the schools curriculum. Currently, Adam leads the secondary project as well as teaching various subjects.
Naomi Foxcroft
Curriculum Co-ordinator
Geography & Maths
Naomi holds a first-class degree with Qualified Teacher Status from Lancaster University, UK. She has taught in primary schools throughout the UK and is also a literacy trainer with expertise in phonics and storytelling. As well as teaching, she has co-founded charities and non-for profit organisations that support street children and trained more than 100,000 teachers in sub Saharan Africa.
She has a strong interest in alternative education and holds a Montessori Teaching diploma as well as certificates in Waldorf education, including puppetry, painting and human development. As a mother of three girls, her passion is to find ways to achieve joyful and purposeful learning experiences for children to enable them to feel confident and free in adulthood.
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John Winter
Drama
John studied education at Durham and Penn State after a Gap Year in Kenya. After returning to the UK, he was a buyer for a leisure company and then did a post grad at the LSE in Personnel Management. He worked in the City, then delivered a 35 ft sloop to the West Indies before setting off for post-Independent Zimbabwe in 1982. After trading, teaching and bringing up a family in Africa, he ran a hotel in Central Edinburgh before working in a Prep School outside Cambridge. He came, looking for new adventures, to Portugal in 2017.
John has found the Waldorf approach to education refreshing and exciting as well as being a great vehicle to build confidence in young people. He studied in the United States and UK always trying to see life from as many angles as possible. He has a passion for choral music, trains, education and Africa.
English Language
Anna Kershaw
Anna recently moved to Portugal with her husband and two German Shepherd dogs. She has grown-up sons and two granddaughters. With over 20 years of teaching experience in schools across the UK, Anna has also written stories and play-scripts, which she continues to work on in her spare time. She speaks English and Welsh and is currently learning Portuguese, Hebrew, and Dutch. In addition to her teaching, she plays guitar and is learning the ukulele. Anna is proud to be part of the learning community and looks forward to progressing with the students throughout the year.
Sciences
Thetis Drew
Thetis Drewelus (also known as T) is a teacher and artist from the UK. She studied Neuroscience (BSc) at University College London, where she particularly enjoyed the cognitive and developmental neuroscience modules. Her dissertation focused on how neuroscience can be used to improve education for children, especially those with neurodiversity and neurodevelopmental disorders.
With experience tutoring biology and chemistry to GCSE and A-level students, Thetis’s passion for teaching has flourished since joining Waterfall Valley. Her enthusiasm and dynamic approach to teaching are evident in her interactive and creative methods. She actively incorporates teaching techniques developed during her neuroscience studies and is skilled at adapting her approach to suit each student’s individual learning style, whether visual, verbal, or kinesthetic.
Thetis is excited to continue her teaching career, with the aim of educating, inspiring, and sharing her passion for both science and art.
Portuguese & Maths
Inês Amado Antunes
Inês studied Economics with 4 years experience teaching Portuguese as a foreign language. Alongside her studies in Economics, she also pursued education in both Mathematics and Montessori language teaching, which has enriched her approach. Additionally, she has received training in Waldorf pedagogy, expanding her understanding of holistic and creative educational methods.
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Ines is a qualified 'Educational Support Technician' (Técnica de Ação Educativa), reflecting her continuous commitment to advancing her expertise in education and child development.