Parent
My son struggled at school for many years. Either he did not fit into the existing school systems or the school systems did not fit him ;-) Since he joined BGA he is very happy. He can focus on the disciplines he is interested in, after school he has lots of time left for his hobbies and other interests. And he can learn at his own pace. What I like about BGA is that through their platform students and parents can see at any time the progress. You can see if targets are met and where there might be a gap. In case of the gap the learning coaches support the students. The students learn to set manageable targets and to track their achievements. This makes them more confident that they can handle school without getting stressed out. Furthermore I love the social projects that BGA offers and are part of each students goals. Whether you help to cook for a soup kitchen or you help an animal shelter organization. This forces them to watch outside their privileged bubble and to contribute to society. Everybody wins! What convinces me about BGA is the mix of support they get from the school team, the way of learning, the transparency about their process and the contribution to social project and also private projects according to the students´ interests and skills. I am aware that this system might not fit for everybody. But it is a great alternative to existing school systems that a lot of students are struggling with. The world is changing and so do existing systems. Also school systems. Therefore BGA is a great opportunity. And if you want to achieve change in any way one needs to be brave :-)
4 other reviews for Brave Generation Academy, Lisbon - (Reviews aren't verified )
Showing 3 reviews by parents and students.
Student
BGA offers alternative pathways to education normally offered in international schools, but there is a lack of clear information about what they actually provide. They do not offer some basic IGCSE subjects such as English Literature or Double Science, which are usually required in many schools. Since I was planning on changing schools for A Levels, not having IGCSE English Literature made it difficult to find a school that would accept me for A Level English Literature.
Learning coaches were often misinformed on basic things such as grade boundaries and assessment objectives, which made getting useful feedback difficult. Because of the large number of learners, follow-ups were sometimes missed and I was overlooked since I did not have alarming issues like some other learners.
Feedback was also very limited, mostly 20 minute office hour slots, short conversations with teachers,... read full review
Parent
Poor academic support, poor IT platform, slow feedback, little teacher involvement, may be a good hangout for kids to do the minimum but not for kids wanting to learn. The concept is amazing, the execution is awful. Far more interested in expansion than quality. Defensive and unwilling to listen to concerns. Oh and not legal to be enrolled here, Portugal does not recognise it as a school nor as homeschooling.
Student
Brave generation is definitely brave in thinking they’ll survive as an establishment . Whilst I was a student there it was like I was a ghost. No one could care less if you’re actually doing work. The “learning coaches” are either children themselves or failed adults who need to meet ends meets. The learning coaches have no prior education, no prior work- experience and are genuinely idiotic. Hiring people just because they speak English shouldn’t be the only requirement.
Uninspiring, unmotivating, and you should only come here if you want to waste you time and ultimately fail.
The platform is poorly designed and most of the online teachers haven’t even heared of A-Levels before.
The noise levels are out of control. The owner of BGA is delusional. BGA is very cultish.
The learning coaches force you to do weekly checklists which they lie on so it seems like there’s no probl... read full review
