School History

Brief review of SEK Chile history.

The SEK-CHILE International School opened in Santiago in 1983, becoming the first school of the SEK International Institution in Latin America. Thus, consolidating one of the most flourishing stages of the Institution. The organization has continued to grow with the opening of schools and universities in America and Europe.

The growth of the School was very important due to the acceptance of the families of the SEK Educational Project, so in 1986 the school year finished with 450 students enrolled.

In that same year, the construction of the new facilities began in Los Militares street, also in the Las Condes, with a unique avant-garde design at that time, which addressed the uniqueness of the Educational Project.

In 1987, the new building had two modern classroom buildings, a preschool and the other for the school offices, a kitchen, a dining room and play areas.

In 1988 the third “Pabellón de E. Básica” and the “Pabellón de Artes y Ciencias” were built. And in 1989 the construction of the dining room was completed and the “Carmen Olmo” building of Secondary School was also built.

Likewise, also in 1989 the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) began to be taught. This program, recognized worldwide, continues to be taught to this day and today has highly demanded and valued by the students who follow it.

The graduation ceremony of the first generation composed of 69 students who finished 12th grade, was held in December 1990. A very emotional and meaningful ceremony for the first generation of SEK students.

In 1992 the SEK International Institution celebrated 100 years. The School in Santiago also joined the celebration of this anniversary, and that same year the construction of the school’s sports building was carried out, which also included specialized classrooms for dance and martial arts, with which the school positioned itself with first level facilities.

In 1996, the School joined a pilot project of the International Association of Colleges (ISA), of which the Institution was already a part. With this, the existing study programmes are expanded and adapted.

In May of this year, the first videoconference was held between all SEK schools, with the participation of the President of the Institution, Mr. Jorge Segovia. It represented a great technological challenge for those times, it was unique event in the country.

In 1998, the heated pool was built, one of the most awaited projects at the School. In the following years, improvements were made in the infrastructure and notable investments in equipment, such as school furniture, digital library, networks for Internet use, educational programmes, etc.

In 2001, the Playgroup level was created responding to the great demand on the part of the families of the School.

In 2003, the School presented students for the Cambridge exams in PET and FCE, examinations that proved the good level in English of our students. Currently the school is bilingual and all students finish their studies fluently speaking English and Spanish.

At the end of 2009, SEK Chile was the host of the internationally recognized Quetzal Route, receiving 270 expeditionaries from all over the world.

The following year the musician Philip Glass, brought to Chile by the Institution, performed in the Municipal Theater of Santiago within its international cultural programmes.

In the last decade, the School has received many students from diverse countries confirming its status as an International Institution, favoring multiculturalism and respect for all nations.

From its beginnings, the School was interested in incorporating the most advanced technologies for student learning. However, in recent years this has been much more noticeable. Computers, digital whiteboards, projectors, iPads, electronic books, digital platforms and social networks are today at the service of teaching and learning in SEK Chile’s classrooms.

In 2019, the Department of Technology and Innovation began its formal work. This new department has helped give a boost to the use of technologies and robotics, an area in which teachers have been joining thanks to a sustained training programme and intensive courses.

This is nothing other than responding to one of the principles of our ideology: “The SEK International Institution, a human community, is open to any educational experience aimed at achieving its goals.”