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As part of the celebration of its 50th anniversary, SEK-Ciudalcampo welcomed a visit from Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of the International Baccalaureate (IB), who took part in a special day alongside the President of the Institución Educativa SEK, Nieves Segovia, the school’s leadership team, teachers and students. Heinonen previously served as Finland’s Minister of Education and Science and later as Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI), where he promoted policies of innovation, equity and educational digitalisation that have become global benchmarks. He is internationally recognised for his leadership in education policies based on trust, teacher autonomy and student-centred learning—principles closely aligned with the IB philosophy and the SEK educational model.
During his visit, Heinonen was welcomed by students, who presented a range of projects developed within the IB programmes, and he also recorded an interview with an IB student. He later met with the President of the Institución and toured the school’s facilities.
“It has been inspiring to see how SEK-Ciudalcampo students apply IB values in their daily lives, learning in an active, collaborative way and with a truly international mindset,” Heinonen noted during his visit.
The Institución Educativa SEK was a pioneer in Spain in implementing the IB programmes, and SEK-Ciudalcampo currently offers all three: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP), integrating them with the Spanish national curriculum. This commitment forms part of the SEK Future Learning Model, which promotes flexible, personalised and competency-based learning.At SEK-Ciudalcampo, its status as an IB World School strengthens an educational approach that fosters critical thinking, creativity and social engagement among students. Through the IB methodology, students learn to inquire, reflect and connect knowledge with real-world challenges, developing essential competencies for their academic and personal futures.
A Half-Century Celebration Looking to the Future
The visit of the IB Director General was one of the most significant moments of the 50th anniversary celebrations of SEK-Ciudalcampo. Since its founding in 1975, the school has been characterised by pedagogical innovation and a strong commitment to educational excellence. The meeting symbolised international recognition of the work carried out by the SEK community over decades, positioning the school among the leading IB institutions in Spain and Europe.
