The Secondary Project emerged as a collaboration between the already existing middle school 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 school offers a tranquil and inspiring surrounding environment. With a focus on secondary education 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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Immersion in nature is key to our approach, and we are fortunate to be located in such beautiful surroundings. We also emphasise the importance of physical education, with weekly access to a sports ground, with football, basketball, rugby and circus. Our students come from all over the world, and most of the teaching is in English, with bi-weekly Portuguese lessons by native Portuguese teachers.
As well as expertise in the core curriculum areas, our staff team have a rich background in music, drama, art, permaculture, dance, literacy, finance and human rights.
Our comm aims to set the students up for life after education in all aspects. To go out into the world as change makers, inspirers and confident whole human beings!
Meet our educators
Adam Bushell-Jones
Project Leader
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.
After finishing his Music Production 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
Geography, Maths & Curriculum Co-ordinator
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.
John Winter
Drama Teacher
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 Teacher
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.
Science Teacher
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.
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Art & Philosophy Teacher
Awen Teifi
Awen joins our school with a wealth of experience in both the arts and education. Originally from the picturesque region of Snowdonia in North Wales, she is a fluent Welsh speaker and brings a deep connection to nature and creativity. A graduate of the University of Westminster in Fashion Design, Awen worked with renowned designers such as Giles Deacon and Boudicca, with her creations featured at London Fashion Week and Paris Couture Week. After over a decade as Head of Art and Photography in UK schools, Awen moved to Portugal five years ago, where she enjoys the vibrant lifestyle and close-knit community. Her unique blend of creativity, cultural insight, and dedication to nurturing young minds makes her a valued addition to our school
Portuguese & Maths Teacher
Inês 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.
Ines is a qualified 'Educational Support Technician' (Técnica de Ação Educativa), reflecting her continuous commitment to advancing her expertise in education and child development.
