schools in quadamar

Hi, Im new to the website, and im seeking help for what type of school to put my 3 daughters in, aged 14,12 & 6. We are looking at moving to quadamar as soon as our property here in england sells. I am worried that they may not beable to cope with going to a spainish school as they speak very little spanish. We are coming out at the end of september to have a look around the area and for properties to rent and i would like the names of some good schools both state and international so i can arrange to visit them. i would also be grateful if anyone could give me information on the process i would have to go through to get a place in school for them. I would really appreciate any advice please.

Thankyou

Alison x

Hi Alison do you mean Guardamar ,I have not heard of quadamar.

The change to a different education system / language barrier etc may work out  for your 6 yr old but will be very difficult for your older children  . An international school would be a must as they are only a few years from important exams . International schools are hard to find and tend to be very expensive . MM

Maybe it's the same 'quadamar' these people have their rental property close to.

http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S4511.htm

You'd have thought they could spell their local town for their website, wouldn't you ?

(Sorry Alison, it's only because WE own outside Guardamar that I can spell it. )

I agree with all MM said. It's certainly going to cost you a lot to put your two eldest into International school. Mar Azul International school has quite a reputation for being illegal, by the way. Your 6 yr old should be fine. Lots of info on schools & kids in here. Also search 'schools' & 'international schools'. Good luck.

hi. thanks for your advice, by the way i do know how it is spelt, was very late when i put the post on and didnt check the spelling, I have been to the area a few times but only on for holidays. We have also been looking at villamartin, could anyone advise me if this is a good area to live with a family.

thanks

Hi Alison - I could write a whole thesis on this but will try and keep short !!

I agree with the comments below - your 6 year old is likely to be OK in spanish school.  However it will be difficult for the 12 and 14 year to integrate, learn spanish and then get educated.  All spanish schools (quite rightly) only teach in spanish and in addition there is a quite a long-winded registration procedure which has to be done at least 2-3 months before the start of the term.  If you can afford it I would strongly recommend British School Alicante (BSA) http://www.bsalicante.com/group_schools.php  which is relatively cheap (compared to english private schools) for the older 2.  There is a school bus to/from  Guardamar and Torrevieja.   See More's (Morerosado)  comments below re Mar Azul.  The other private school is El Limonar in Villa Martin which again has varying Reports.   My son was 13 when we came to Spain (5 years ago) and my twins were just 4.  He went to BSA and my twins (nearly 9 now) go there now.  It is a great school (and was very hard to get into but not as bad now due to Credit Crunch !!).   The older years are easier to get into but the younger years (bizarrely) are full of spanish.  It really is a fantastic school IMHO.

I would recommend Quesada which (5 mins from Guadamar) but I am biased ! but the actual town of Guardamar is very spanish and incidentally Villa Martin is the complete opposite. 

To be frank I would have a long hard think about your move as your older children are at a very difficult age to move abroad let alone a non-english speaking country !!   You should also be aware that it is extremely difficult to find a job in Spain at the moment.  You are right to rent first though.   Good Luck with the house sale and there is a lot of interesting facts and help on EOS and more importantly alot of very helpful people too !!  Unlike some other forums I have read !!!

Thankyou for your advice, it was very helpful, Ive sent off for a brochure for the BSA school. I have also been looking at the area you live in aswell, Im trying to gather as much information on each place before i decide on the area, i have been told that  Quesada is  nice , could you give me more information on the area please, ie access to Doctors,english communities, shops etc. It is a definate that we will be moving to spain as i feel England has turned into a nanny state and crime is increasing by the day, I want my children to have a better life, obviously we will have problems in spain im not under the impression that all our problems and stresses of life will disapear. I am looking into taking spainish lessons before we move. Thankyou again for the information you have given me. Alison

I would also say that the older children would definetely be better off in an international school whereas your 6 year old should be fine in state school.

My niece has lived in spain for 4 years now and moved up to secondary school last year (in Quesada).  Although she did really well at primary level she is finding it very difficult in secondary and will have to stay down a year.   Quesda has a very large english population whereas Guadarmar is predominantly spanish.  Villamartin also has a large english population.

To register at a school you need to go to the Town Hall of the area you are moving to.  You are required to register on the padron, for which you usually need passports and copies for all family members, a utility bill and proof of address in the form of bill of sale or rental agreement.  I am not sure if you need a residence certificate and /or nie as the rules on this keep changing.

Once you have your padron you can speak to the town hall about schools.  They will give you a form for your 6 year old so you can fill it in and take it back to the town hall.  The form will tell you exactly what you need to register at the school.  You do not usually get a choice of school.  You will then be told to got to the school (if accepted) to fill in some forms and find out how much you need to pay towards your childs school materials.  I think you will be too late to be considered for the grant.

If possible can you come out a little earlier as school would have already started in late September  and the children will miss the new school year?  They may settle better if they can start at the beginning of term, especially your 6 year old as this is the first year of formal education (or the second if your 6 year old is 7 this year).

Does your 6 year old know any Spanish?  If not then maybe start practising now with basic phrases on feelings i.e. I am sad, happy, need the toilet, etc.  Also basic colours, animals and numbers would be a good start.  I made flash cards for my dd (she was 3 when we moved to Spain) with simley faces on so she could express her feelings.  It really helped her settle in even though she already knew some Spanish.

Good luck with your move.  I wish you and your family all the very best.

Jed

Hi Jed, thankyou very much for the information you have given me. This has helped me alot. We are coming over for a look around different areas at the end of september. We are hopefully aiming to move over early next year, thats if the house sells!. I had a look at your daughters blog, i was very impressed and shes a very brave girl.

Also i have a 10 year old mongrel dog, is there an age limit for animals to travel to spain? im aware that she needs certain tests and injections to aquire a passport but was just wondering if there is an age limit.

Many Thanks again

Alison x

Hiya, Glad I could help a little.  I do not believe there is an age limit for animals to travel.  As long as your dog has his pet passport and gets the required injections then everything should be fine.

Thanks for taking the time to reading my daughters blog. It hopefully gave you some faith in the Spanish Health system, which has been amazing.

If there is anything else I can help with please ask,

Jed

xx

Hi Agrace

We moved over on 1st July from Scotland with our 2 boys, aged 12 and 14, and our dog.

Jedk is correct on the registration process for schools, you will need your padron and there is a mountain of paperwork to fill in once at the school.  You will also need photocopies of all your NIE's and passports, and lots of them, they love their paperwork here.

My boys are going to Almoradi to a Spanish State School and yes ok initially they were apprehensive and scared but 2 weeks in and they have a crowd of friends calling round to the house for them.  I enrolled them into the local football team (all Spanish boys) and I think that really helped them.  If you can do as Jedk says about the flash cards it will definitely give them a heads up when they come over, I used post it notes everywhere (even the loo!) and found that helpful.

The school books are quite expensive over here and you have to have a jotter for every subject.  Picking subjects can be quite hard also but we are under the impression that our 14 year old will probably have to repeat his year although his younger brother will probably not.

Check with your vet ASAP about getting a dog passport, some companies will not allow them to travel if they dont have at least 6 months on the passport.  We went over on the dover ferry and ours was fine.  We worried terrible about our puppy but she is getting on great (apart from the fireworks which are all the time during Fiesta season).

I wish you all the best and dont hesitate to ask as many questions as you want, Ive been there and done it and know how it feels.

Lorraine.