There are so many options when it comes to choosing a school for your child. For a lot of parents, it ultimately comes down to answering the question, 'How will my child feel while they are there?'

It's a big decision, and from the outside, it's hard to know how any school really feels once you're inside it. Videos, photos and brochures give you an impression, but one of the best ways to find out is to ask the children who are already there.

So that's exactly what we did.

We asked our learners to complete an independent student voice survey


242 of our learners, across our three Barcelona hubs, completed the Leaps Student Voice Survey. It's run independently by Transcend Education in the United States, and it measures how learners actually feel about their school across seven areas, from how much say they have in their own learning to how connected it feels to their life outside the gates.

Their answers were scored against a global benchmark drawn from schools worldwide. The scores come straight from our learners, measured the same way as everyone else's. The figures below show how many of our learners agreed or strongly agreed with each statement (a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale).

Here's how we compared.

Above the global benchmark on all 7 measures


Our learners scored higher than the global average on every single area the survey measures. Three of them really stood out.


  1. Autonomy. 71% of our learners feel they have a real say in how they learn. The global average is 45%. Our learners get a genuine hand in shaping their days. They choose parts of their schedule, work on projects that start with their own questions, and help build their own learning plans. 
  2. Real-world relevance. 57% feel their learning connects to real life, against a global average of 39%. It's common for children to wonder how a lesson links to the world they live in. Our learners feel that connection more often than most.
  3. Whole-child focus. 66% feel their school cares about their personal growth, beyond their results. Globally, that's 51%. Your child is more than a mark on a page, and ours feel that day-to-day.


The result that answers parents' most common question


There's one result worth pausing on. It's the one that speaks to the question we hear most from parents looking at a school built around choice and freedom. 

Can a school give children real ownership of their learning and still hold them to a high standard?

When asked about high expectations and rigorous learning, 73% of our learners say they feel genuinely stretched, compared with a global average of 61%. It's a fair question to ask, and the answer from our learners is resoundingly reassuring.

Learnlife's impact grows as our learners get older


Engagement often dips as children move into their teenage years. For our learners, it climbs. The older they get, the further ahead of the benchmark they sit.
Against the global benchmark for secondary-aged learners:

  • Autonomy: 75% of ours feel they have a say in their learning, against 40% globally. A 35-point gap.
  • Relevance: 59% feel their learning is connected to real life, against 34%. A 25-point gap.
  • Whole-child focus: 65% feel supported as a whole person, against 42%. A 23-point gap.

The teenage years can be when school starts to feel like a chore. Our learners tell a happier story.

A lot of that comes down to how the secondary years programme works here. Real projects with real impact. Mentors who stay with a learner for years. Young people taking charge of their own learning, with enough structure around them to get where they want to go.

Our youngest learners tell the same story


Across every area, our primary learners scored above the global primary benchmark. The widest gaps:

  • Agency (+17 points). Even at 6 years old, our learners have a say in how their day goes.
  • Relevance (+16 points). What they learn links back to the world they see around them, the questions they ask, and the people they meet.
  • Whole-child focus (+14 points). They feel happy, healthy, and looked after as they grow.


Put those together, and you get the start we set out to give young children. Ownership early. Learning that means something to them. A happy child who feels cared for in every part of their day.

What the numbers feel like for your child


A survey can only tell you so much when you're choosing a school.

So picture your child inside Learnlife instead. Trusted to make real choices about their day. Learning things that still matter once they walk out the door. Stretched and supported in equal measure, and seen as a whole person the entire way through.

That's what our learners told us they feel in an independent survey.

If that's the kind of school you want for your child, we'd love to speak with you.