Doron explained the basis from which her method of learning was developed: “a newborn child has a natural predisposition to absorb an unlimited number of languages and so the secret is to acquire them in the same way as you would a mother tongue”.

A trained linguist, Helen Doron adopts a creative and natural approach to teaching. The emphasis is on playful activities in the classroom, creating a positive and fun-filled atmosphere that allows children to feel they are in a natural and comfortable setting, like being at home, leading them to approach learning English as if it were their mother tongue.

Her method is the result of years of research and observing babies and infants. She believes that the key lies in well-trained teachers and parents who get involved in stimulating their child to learn a language. With regard to Catalonia she added that it was fortunate to be bilingual, as it implies having “a neuronal flexibility which cannot be achieved with just one language”. There is, however, a long way to go before English is introduced as a third language.

Helen Doron Educational Group centres are attended by children between three months and 18 years old who learn a foreign language through prioritizing the oral level over the written one during their first years at school. While motivation is used to encourage older children to learn another language, with babies they turn to stimulation in the form of repeated sounds, colours and recreating everyday situations. Therein lies the difference and also the success of Helen Doron English, with a presence in more than 35 countries with 900 centres worldwide and around two million students. In Spain there are 85 centres and more than 13,000 students.