DecoaSports Academy is a young and dynamic company that offers Distance Learning and modern language courses for young athletes. Based in Barcelona (Spain), we have strong links with American universities, international sports associations and private sports clubs in Spain and Catalonia.

In the highly-competitive world of professional sport, an athlete's education can sometimes be affected by time constraints, busy tournament schedules and travel obligations.

So that athletes can continue their studies, DecoaSports Academy provides tutoring in the following areas of study:

- American Junior and Senior High School (from 7th-12th Grade)

- Secondary school E.S.O and Bachillerato in Catalan with the Institut Obert de Catalunya

- Secondary school E.S.O and Bachillerato in Spanish with CIDEAD

DecoaSports Academy offers its international and national students the possibility of continuing their secondary school education through distance learning (in English, Spanish or Catalan). All our programmes are taught by experienced and qualified staff.

Junior High School and High School

Courses are divided into two semesters from September to January and from February to June. There are approximately twenty hours of weekly class time with morning and afternoon lessons. Academy classes have a maximum of 6-7 students and are supervised by our experienced and qualified staff. During class, the students can do evaluations, read the current unit, take exams and do projects under the teacher's guidance. Completed work is then sent online to the distance-learning centre in the United States. 

This learning system has the advantage of allowing personalised tutoring and the possibility of choosing between a wide range of subjects and levels. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, it allows students to continue their studies when travelling or at tournaments.

In 7th / 8th Grade Junior High School students usually choose English, Mathematics, Sciences, Social Studies and one optional subject (Art, Health Studies, Music, Physical Education, Career Studies, French 1, German 1, Spanish 1 or World Cultures)

For High School, students choose subjects in Arts and Languages, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Multicultural Studies and Finance. There is also the possibility of choosing a language (Spanish, French or Latin).

Spanish Secondary Education

For students who wish to enrol on 3rd / 4th year ESO (Secondary Education) or the 1st / 2nd year Bachillerato, the academy offers tutorial with the CIDEAD system (Spanish Ministry of Education). The course is divided into three trimesters with examinations at the end of each trimester to be taken at official CIDEAD examination centres.

Academy classes have a maximum of six to seven students in class, allowing for a more personalised tutoring method. These classes are spread throughout the week totalling approximately twenty study hours with tutorials in the morning and afternoon. In class the tutor explains the current lesson, resolves any doubts the student may have and reinforces the subject matter with supplementary exercises or material. Attendance and homework are also closely monitored by the tutor to ensure that the student is studying at the correct pace. 

ESO and Batxillerat in Catalan

For students of 3rd / 4th Year ESO and 1st / 2nd Year Batxillerat, DecoaSports Academy offers tutoring for distance-learning courses at IOC (the Institut Obert de Catalunya).

In classes of 6-7 students, teachers help the student with their current course and explain lesson content, resolving any doubts the student may have.

The ESO school year is divided into three trimesters and students must pass each subject either through continuous assessment and end-of-term examinations. The Batxillerat system is organised into two semesters, at the end of which students must take a final exam in each subject. In both cases, examinations are marked by IOC staff from the Catalan Generalitat's Department of Education.

There are approximately twenty hours of weekly class time which are organised into blocks of morning or afternoon classes, depending on the day. For course material, students have a textbook or access their courses online. If necessary, the tutor will set extra exercises or homework accordingly. Every fortnight, a report is sent to the student's parents detailing performance, behaviour and class attendance. 

Languages and exams

Preparatory classes for SAT I, SAT II, TOEFL and GED

Classes are taught in small groups of usually three to five students. Although teachers explain basic exam structure, the classes are focused on specific test preparation which involves timed reading exercises, and/or writing and speaking exercises. Time is an important factor in these tests so our main goal is to cover techniques and skills to help the student improve their speed and performance.

Our lessons are organised in two-hour periods and a minimum of three classes per week is recommended. For students taking the SAT or TOEFL, we usually have two English and one Mathematics class per week. This timetable ultimately depends on the needs and requirements of the student.

Homework is set every week and consists of vocabulary practice, reading comprehension exercises, writing tasks and maths problems. We feel that it is very important that students work at home in a consistent manner; half an hour's work per day can be much more beneficial than three hour's straight study. 

Class hours are agreed upon by the student and the academy according to Academy and student timetables.

Modern languages

The academy offers mainly English and Spanish language classes but can also offer other language classes on demand, such as French and Catalan.

Classes are taught in small groups (maximum six students). Our main objective is for learners to gradually acquire the capacity to understand and express themselves in the new language, both speaking and writing. As far as the syllabus is concerned, students follow a set textbook according to their level, with extra activities and exercises provided by their teacher. During class, students do grammar exercises, reading comprehensions, listening exercises and speaking practice with the teacher and / or their classmates. For young learners, classes are more play-oriented and involve games, songs and visual activities.   

We recommend at least four hours' class time per week in order to ensure steady progress. Class hours are agreed upon by the student and the academy according to Academy and student timetables.

For students studying Spanish, the Academy offers preparation classes for the DELE examination (an international certificate issued by the Instituto Cervantes). For learning for English, preparation classes can be given for Cambridge and other official examinations (Cambridge Preliminary, First, Advanced etc.).