spanish or international school?

Schools and Education in Spain Guide
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26 Jan 2008 12:00 AM by pknott Star rating in Costa Blanca. 142 posts Send private message

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HI
I am moving to spain in august and I am in a bit of a pickle I dont know if i should go to a spanish school or international
school !!!

PLEASE  can you tell me the differance between them? I can speak a little spanish and i am still learning so help!!!!


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26 Jan 2008 12:02 PM by georgia Star rating in Algorfa (As seen on .... 1835 posts Send private message

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You will have to pay for international school,i think the Mar Azul school is about 1500€ per term.

Also,they will teach different curriculums,state teach Spanish Curriculum,International you can do the equivalent Gcse's.

I chose State for my children(not because i am a tight git)but because i wanted to emmerse them in the country rather than being English Kids in Spain i wanted them to be Spanish,the whole idea of bringing them up here was for them to adapt and adopt the Spanish culture,they are taught as Spaniards not as foreigners.

The state school my children attend is fantastic and i would recommend it to any parent.

Again this down to personal preference,i dont think there is anything wrong with INT school just not my choice.



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26 Jan 2008 12:17 PM by morerosado Star rating. 6927 posts Send private message

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Hi again pknott

I've just scrolled through your posts to try to find where you're moving to & eventually saw a post where you mentioned you're moving to Moraira, CB north. Any chance you could put  Moraira on your forum profile so it shows on each post, please ? It certainly helps when members ask a certain question. Georgia spoke of Mar Azul International school but that one is in a different area to Javea/Moraira/Denia areas.

Also I saw you said you had secured a rental as you want to get into a certain school. Was that one a state school ? You say you have young children. Most parents feel state is better from what I read here. Young kids adapt so easily & are fluent so fast.

 



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26 Jan 2008 12:25 PM by georgia Star rating in Algorfa (As seen on .... 1835 posts Send private message

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you are a little out of my area up there in Moraira,The lady Elizabeth in Elche(int school) gets good reviews,two of their students have just got into either Oxford or Cambridge,cant remember which one.

There are a few in Alicante if you go down the Int route,other than that you will find the state schools in most towns.



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26 Jan 2008 3:46 PM by pknott Star rating in Costa Blanca. 142 posts Send private message

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Ah well....that was my daughter...12 years old writing on my logon :-) I will have to get her her own so she can post in the kids section....

I will update my profile as well......

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26 Jan 2008 3:53 PM by morerosado Star rating. 6927 posts Send private message

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Dar dar123 is doing ok on her own, bless her.

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26 Jan 2008 3:59 PM by pknott Star rating in Costa Blanca. 142 posts Send private message

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She's an absolute hon....just announced a few weeks ago that she wants to be spanish and not go to an Intl (English) school...she's doing very well with her spanish and is currently making pancakes with her 3 year old sister...there is flour everywhere...ahahhaha

Have a good one now....

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26 Jan 2008 4:43 PM by morerosado Star rating. 6927 posts Send private message

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Get her into state school then if that's what she wants & is doing well with her Spanish.

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29 Jan 2008 6:12 PM by morerosado Star rating. 6927 posts Send private message

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EOS newsletter has this in, written by Susan, Justin's wife.

British Children In Spanish School - Credit Where Credit Is Due

At the school where my children go they are currently running a free course in parenting. I have attended the course because I cheekily see it as an opportunity for free Spanish lessons and also because it gives an insight into another culture’s attitudes to child rearing. It surprises me how concerned the mothers are about the state of the youth just as we are in the UK.

Their primary objective is to nip it in the bud at a young age to avoid problems once they get into their teens. I have to say, as the mother of twin five year olds, I fully agree with this attitude. The most recent topic was the role of the family in the child’s upbringing. They went on to talk about the obvious issues which are issues in the UK too, leading by example, not shouting etc. More or less the types of things that programmes like Super nanny advocate which incidentally does exist in Spain, albeit a Spanish take on the original British version.

They focused on socialisation for a while. As we all know successful socialisation of a child involves agreeing common values and sharing similar habits, ideas and conduct themselves accordingly.  They went on about how a family has certain norms of behaviour in the home which may differ from expectations outside of the home such as school.

This got me thinking about the British children who are doubly expected to play two very different roles i.e. behave in a British way at home and adapt to a Spanish way at school. Of course, the fundamentals will be similar for both British and Spanish cultures but I am sure that there will be many differences too. It isn’t just down to speaking in different languages but it is actually down to more than that.

We are dealing with cross cultural socialisation. They will be expected to eat different types of food, at different times of the day. They are also in an environment where people generally speak much louder so not only will they have to speak louder to be heard but louder in a different language which takes a lot of confidence. It may be that some of their British ways such as queuing just don’t serve them well in Spanish school where you have to muscle in or get trodden on. Of course, they will adapt as much socialisation is indirect and learned by being with other people i.e. in the classroom.

When I was a child moving schools from one end of town to the other was traumatising enough for me and I couldn’t have dreamt of what it would be like to go to school in a foreign country. We don’t really give the British children the credit they deserve especially the ones who start Spanish school past the infant school years. When your parents decide to make the decision which totally turns your life around as an eight or nine year old, you are really going into the unknown.

Most of the British children that I know seem to cope fantastically despite their parents having very little input or communication with the school. Likewise, there doesn’t appear to be much “sympathy” on the schools part as the British children are expected to get on with it with very little emotional support. I have to say though do get on with it and nobody panders or makes allowances for them on the account of the upheaval that they are going through. Such issues simply aren’t recognised. Nevertheless, with regards to the role of the family they are obviously doing something right as these children are getting through school and doing what they are supposed to do.

Written by

Susan Pedalino
Women in Spain blog



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19 Feb 2008 6:58 PM by pknott Star rating in Costa Blanca. 142 posts Send private message

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Just back from spain...visited the local school...what a lovely place, really clean  and the staff were very helpful. We did however take a local translator with us who was a godsend and we would recommend her services to anyone who needs her help with a wide range of services..pop me a note if you want here details

We also dropped into the local Council and are on the Padron as well as having our formal NIE...so things are going great guns, just need to wait for the Scholl reg forms to come out in April and we  will have all the kids names down...only have to sell the house...but we live in hope...


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05 May 2008 5:36 PM by catbarber Star rating. 1 posts Send private message

 Help moving to Guardamar very soon! i hope, just got to sell my house. My son is 11 years old and my main concern is schooling, can any one recommend any schools in the area, even a simple bit of help will be a great, advice.

So please HELP!!!! 





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05 May 2008 5:45 PM by morerosado Star rating. 6927 posts Send private message

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Hi Catbarber, welcome.

At 11, would you be putting your son into private International school or Spanish ?

International schools in area are  Mar Azul international school at San Miguel, outside Torrevieja

http://www.marazulschool.com/

 El Limonar  Villa Martin   http://ellimonarinternational.com/



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21 May 2008 1:39 PM by anita29 Star rating. 2 posts Send private message

Hi, I am anita.
I will be relocating to Zaldibar, Spain in december.  My daughter will be 5 years old in december.  Pls recommend me some nearby good schools.  Thank you.



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22 May 2008 12:48 PM by morerosado Star rating. 6927 posts Send private message

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Anita, I answered you in >>>>> Schools

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09 Jun 2008 7:43 PM by anned Star rating. 2 posts Send private message

Hi there,

Looking for a little advice.  My husband and I are considering  to move out to Spain, in the Alicane area next year but desperately need some advice on English speaking schools in the area.  We have 3 children aged 5 years, 12 years and 14 years, and need to know what our best options would be.  Also of the approx school fees we are likely to pay per month.

I would have liked to send all 3 to a state school, but they have no knowledge of any Spanish, and having read some reviews on sending older children to Spanish schools was a bit reluctant to do so.  I think however the youngest one may be ok.

We need to get as much info as possible, before we make any definate plans, to see if we can afford the school fees.

Also my husband works offshore in the North sea, and has been told my some of his workmates, that he would not have to pay income tax when living in Spain for 6 months of the year.  Does anyone have any advice or information on this?

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks

Anne



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11 Jun 2008 1:30 PM by orchid Star rating in Costa Blanca _ Murci.... 5 posts Send private message

When i moved over here with my kids , my daughter had already left school. My son on the other hand had 1 year to go , as it was his decision we didn´t put him into school out here. We´ve been here 4 years now and regret that decision ! Although his Spanish is conversational , i made the wrong decision. My personal opionion is Spanish school rather than International , if you want to interact like a Spaniard then jump in the deep end.

International school are already quite full , plus the amount of time you´ll speak spanish there ... there wouldnt be any point ! 

:)

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11 Jun 2008 4:17 PM by anned Star rating. 2 posts Send private message

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.  I agree, I also would prefer that they went to Spanish State school, but am worried because they cannot speak any spanish, and would not be able to understand any of the lessons.  My oldest will be due to start her Highers next year, and my son will just be starting  to study for his standard grades.

My children wiull be aged 6 years, 14 years and 16 years next summer.

Do you know if the state schools, have teachers who speak English, and if there are many English children with no Spanish, in any of these schools?

This is our main concern and will be the deciding factor on whether we will be able to move to Spain next year.  I have had a quick look on the internet, at some of the
International schools, but the fees that have been quoted are too expensive for us, with having 3 children of school age.  Obviously the option of State schools would
financially be more favourable, but would not want to make a decision that would have an adverse effect on their education.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Anne





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11 Jun 2008 4:50 PM by lifeline Star rating in Murcia. 365 posts Send private message

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A tricky time to move with a 14 and 16 year old. Ideal time for a 6 year old. How do they feel about it and what careers are they interested in? It would be worth the outlay financially to attend an International school. Just find out about and visit every school in your area. You don't say where? There is a new (Sept. 2007) Kings College at La Torre, Murcia which has started  with very small numbers.
Questions I would be asking are- How good are they at picking up languages? How outgoing are they? Would they worry or be quite laid back at the idea of being a bit trailing behind initially? Would the social aspect make up for that? ie. do they make friends easily? it is reckoned that children take about 1 to 2 years to pick up the language. 
I think the new life style and willingness to participate in everything that a new culture offers could far outway any difficulties.
We are taking a 10 year old and a 17 year old to Spain next year so we have the same questions!

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02 Jul 2008 2:36 PM by orchid Star rating in Costa Blanca _ Murci.... 5 posts Send private message

You´ll find that in most Spanish schools there are alot of other nacionalities. In school you are made to learn english from a very young age , so its not as if no one will speak english. 

16 isn´t such a bad age , but ot does make life slightly harder. Eg. making friends there own age. As most of the classes get mixed with age ... if your spanish is not as good as it should be , you´ll be kept back a year. This is never a bad thing ! 

All thats required is that you pick a respectable school , my friends have been here 6 years and there kids 10 , 12 and 15 all speak excellent spanish. They all got thrown into a Spanish school and agree that it was difficult to start with , but now - there spanish is amazing.

I hope this helps :)


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02 Jul 2008 2:53 PM by georgia Star rating in Algorfa (As seen on .... 1835 posts Send private message

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Hi Orchid,
Not all schools speak English or teach it,at Algorfa school there is only one teacher that speaks anywhere near the English language and they dont teach it as a subject.
The first time they are taught English is when they go to Senior school.
At Juniors they must speak Spanish while at school and all parents evenings are conducted in Spanish.
This helps them and the parents to adapt to Spanish life a lot quicker.
Regards 
Georgia

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