Skateboard School Alentejo

Skateboard School Alentejo is a small skate school based in Vila Nova de Milfontes. It has no building of its own. Its coaches teach in the public skateparks of the Alentejo coast, from Sines and Santo André down to Cercal and Odemira, and across the border in Lagos in the western Algarve.

The school describes skating as a team sport more than a solo one, and its lessons mix skateboarding with team games and time spent getting to know the other skaters. Two coaches are named on the website: Wes, who runs the school, and Ozzie, who the school says has a talent for getting even the youngest beginners onto a board with confidence.

Everything a child needs is provided. Skateboards and protective gear are included in group, open and private lessons, so a child can try skating before you buy anything.

This is the school’s main programme for children aged 6 and up. A course is eight sessions of an hour and a half, one a week for eight weeks. Groups are capped at six to eight children so each child gets attention.

Each session follows the same pattern. It starts with a short explanation of the day’s skill, then a warm-up, then time on the board. Team games are built in, and the coaches teach how to wear and use the protective gear properly.

Children are grouped by skill level, not by age, so a confident 7-year-old might skate with 10-year-olds. There are also dedicated sessions for over-12s, for teenagers who would rather skate with an older crew.

Progress is tracked in the school’s Skateboard Passport, a booklet of levels with new exercises each week. Children can see what they have mastered and what comes next, which suits the kind of child who likes collecting badges or ticking things off.

The autumn 2026 courses started in mid-September at three parks:

• Cercal skatepark, Thursdays at 16:30 and 18:00, and Saturdays at 10:00 and 11:30. The school calls it a small park where you can practise a new trick over and over. Our page on the Cercal do Alentejo skatepark has the details.
• Green Skate Planet, São Martinho, Sundays at 10:00 and 11:30. The school describes it as a brand-new park built by a local skater and his friends, the rawest park in the Alentejo, surrounded by countryside.
• Ameijeira skatepark, Lagos, Fridays, with five sessions through the day from 10:00 to 17:30. The school describes it as a skatepark in the centre of Lagos with a big street area and creative obstacles.

The booking form also offers a Wednesday afternoon slot at Green Skate Planet. The school says the times you pick are preferences and it confirms by email. Autumn courses finish with a Go Skateboarding Day that brings together the school’s skaters from the Alentejo and the Algarve; in 2026 the dates given were 7 November in Santo André and 8 November in Loulé.

The course costs €90 for the eight sessions, plus €10 for the Skateboard Passport, with boards and pads included.

If it rains, that week’s session moves to the following week, so a child still gets all eight lessons.

Open lessons are the school’s taster sessions, for children who aren’t sure yet or families on holiday. They run every two weeks, last an hour and a half and cost €12, with board and pads included. Each one takes at least 5 and at most 8 children. The school lists Odemira, Sines, Santo André, Faro, Sagres and Lagos as open-lesson locations. The coaches use them to show how they teach and to help children judge their level before signing up for a course.

Private lessons last an hour and a half and can be booked for one person or a small group. The price is per lesson, not per person: €50 for one to three people, €60 for four or five and €70 for six. Three siblings sharing a lesson works out at under €17 each. You choose the time, the place and what to work on, whether that’s a first go on a board or a particular trick.

The price includes the coach’s travel to the Odemira, Sines and Santo André skateparks. Other parks may cost extra.

In summer the school runs a day camp with two partners on the river beach at Praia das Furnas, across the Mira from Vila Nova de Milfontes. It takes children aged 6 to 16, with drop-off at 09:30 and pick-up at 16:30, and skateboarding is only one part of a day that includes surfing, paddleboarding, building rafts and treasure hunts. The day plan, dates and prices are on our Praia das Furnas page. In summer 2026 the school also sold a stamp card of eight skate lessons for €90, or €20 for a single lesson.

Lessons happen in public skateparks, which older skaters and BMX riders use too. The group size and the coach beside them help, but a very nervous child might start with a private lesson. Falls are part of learning to skate, which is why the pads are there. The parks are outdoors and mostly unshaded, so bring water and a hat in warm weather.

The booking forms ask parents to accept that the school isn’t liable for falls or injuries and to authorise staff to seek medical help in an emergency. Birthday parties are listed on the website as coming soon.

Our pages on the local parks have the practical detail (parking, what obstacles there are, what’s nearby):

• Skatepark de Odemira, a small park by the municipal market
• Skate Parque de Sines, near the castle
• Santo André Skate Plaza, a big concrete park
• Cercal do Alentejo skatepark

If you’re in Vila Nova de Milfontes, the Jardim Público has a playground and water play for younger siblings. In the Lisbon area, Manolas Skate School teaches children from age 4.

What age can children start with Skateboard School Alentejo?

The group courses are for children aged 6 and up. Open lessons and private lessons are open to all ages.

Do we need our own skateboard and pads?

No. Skateboards and protective gear are provided in lessons.

How much do skate lessons cost?

When checked in September 2026, an eight-week group course was €90 plus €10 for the Skateboard Passport, an open lesson was €12 and a private lesson was €50 for up to three people.

Can I leave my child at the lesson?

The school doesn’t say either way for the weekly lessons, so ask when you book. The summer camp at Praia das Furnas is a drop-off camp, from 09:30 to 16:30.

What happens if it rains?

A rained-off group session moves to the following week, so you still get all eight.

Does the school speak English?

The website is in English and the school says its camps are for local and international children. The phone number is a Dutch one, so email or WhatsApp may be easier.