The next school year will see the Barcelona Education Consortium embark on a process to transform the Zona Nord area in the district of Nou Barris, made up of the neighbourhoods of Torre Baró, Vallbona and Ciutat Meridiana. The four schools in the area will become all-through centres, while the Institut Pablo Ruiz Picasso will gradually close its secondary school groups, eventually becoming a further education centre offering baccalaureate studies and training cycles.
The launch of this broad and systematic revamp not only means renewing and improving teaching projects at the schools, but also offering a wider range of education options. The three classes per secondary school year currently offered at the Institut Pablo Ruiz Picasso will be increased to six, distributed around the different all-through schools in the area (finally there will be five classes per year group as the Escola Elisenda de Montcada will switch from being a primary school with two classes per year group to an all-through school with a single class per year group). In addition, the Institut Picasso will offer vocational training, previously unavailable in this area.
Half a million euros from the municipal budget will be used this year for initially conditioning various spaces, with further investment planned through the Neighbourhood Plan to carry out improvements at the schools.
Students in socially vulnerable situations
The Zona Nord area has the highest rate of socially vulnerable students in the city, at 64.7%. Some 34% of all students are of foreign nationality, and of these, 75% are in socially vulnerable situations. The transformation aims to reduce segregation and assist with continuity from primary to secondary schooling by adopting the all-though model.
Adult training centre
The transformation also takes adults into account. The Ciutat Meridiana Adult Training Classroom will use the facilities at the current Sant Joan de la Creu Special Education Centre (which will move into the Escola Ramon i Cajal in Sant Andreu).
How has the Neighbourhood Plan helped the schools in the Zona Nord?
As part of the two editions of the Neighbourhood Plan in the Zona Nord area, social and educational professionals have been taken on at most primary schools and at the IES Picasso. The education and culture programme EducArtS has also been developed, bringing art closer to primary school pupils, as well as the Menjallibres project, promoting a taste for reading among second and third year primary students. The Institut Picasso is part of the Prometeus programme, which works for young people in neighbourhoods with below average university access rates, helping them reach university and pursue higher studies. The Neighbourhood Plan has also given the Escola Ferrer i Guàrdia a recreation area, strengthened parent and family associations at schools and promoted the role of the education community in neighbourhood activities.