Schools in Spain
When relocating to Spain with children, one of the difficult
decisions that you have to make concerns their schooling. Any
choices that you make will impact on your child's future and may
determine a very different outcome to what might have been, had
you stayed in the UK. For obvious reasons, the older the child,
the more difficult the situation. However, even moving with very
young children and trying to settle them into a new nursery may
be disruptive for a while.
You will likely hear all kinds of hearsay from other expats
about which is a good school and which is a bad one. You will
hear parents' stories about their children having nightmares
whilst at a particular school. I hear, especially, on the Costa
del Sol, tales of schools being used as a cover up for all kinds
of criminal activity. Try not to be influenced by other peoples'
experiences and do your own research.
As an expat in Spain, depending on where you are living, you
have a few options. If you want your children to follow the
British education system and ultimately take GCSE's and A-
levels, than you will be looking for fee paying international
schools. These tend to be bilingual, some with less emphasis on
the Spanish language than others. With regards to language, they
all use different timetables. Some might teach all in English,
with one or two hours a day being taught in Spanish, others may
do English in the morning and Spanish in the afternoon.
Such schools are increasingly popular with Spanish parents who
want their children to learn English to native level. Some
international schools are more 'international' with others as
nationalities generally include English, German, Russian, South
American, Dutch and Spanish. There are schools, particularly on
the Costa del Sol which are predominantly English. The age range
for international schools depends on the size of the school.
Some cover pre-school to sixth form i.e. 3- 18, whereas other
might only be 3 - 7. If at three, you feel that your child is
too young for school, there are also international kindergartens
that take children from 1 - 6.
There are also Spanish private schools, where children are
taught entirely in Spanish and most of the other children in
their class will be Spanish. They follow the Spanish system and
tend to be cheaper than the more British international schools.
Finally, the 'free' option is the state system otherwise known
as public schools. Again, children will only be taught in
Spanish with English taught as a foreign language as French and
Spanish are in the UK. The older the child, the more difficult
it will be for him or her to adapt to a new language, system and
culture. The attitude of the parents also plays a part in the
adaptation period. It helps if the parents can speak Spanish and
have an understanding of the Spanish culture in order to
communicate with class teachers etc. Likewise, the ability to
speak Spanish will also allow you to support your child with
their homework, you will be able to read letters sent home which
will not be in English and your child's school life will not be
so alien to you.
Many people who send their children to the local, public schools
are often very proud of the fact that their children grow up to
be completely bilingual. However, parents must not overlook that
speaking English is one thing but reading and writing is
another. At a Spanish public school and a Spanish private school
your child will not be taught to read and write in English. It
is up to the parents to ensure that the child learns to read and
write in English outside of school time, as it is not the
responsibility of the school.
Your child's education is one of the biggest decisions you will
have to make about life in Spain. Choosing a home is quite
simple in comparison. In Spain, it is illegal not to send a
child of six years upwards to school, so home-schooling is not
an option, as it is in the UK. Talk to those whose opinion you
trust, have a look around the different schools. Unfortunately,
you can't really go touring around the public schools as you are
lucky to have a look around even if your children are pupils!
There are so many advantages for British children growing up in
Spain that will no doubt benefit them in the future wherever
they decide to live. Nevertheless, I do come across people who
return to the UK for a free education system that they
understand.