So with 3 kids of 17, one of 19 and one of 23, here at Perfect Place we are pretty much experts in the schooling system. We have now experienced the state system for 3 of the kids, international for one and online in the final stages for two of them.
We can give you our opinions, our experiences of each of the options. We are also really happy to chat about the options and give you more details. Between the five kids, there were many different needs to take into account, and as you’ll see it is definitely not one size fits all.
State education
Strengths
Price – It is free, apart from minor extra costs like books, supplies, and occasional cafeteria fees. This is a great advantage when you are arriving in a new country, no pricey deposits or uniforms to buy.
Language – your child will be fluent in Spanish, hard as it might be at first, you will without doubt be shocked at how quickly they take on a new language. This is not just essential for living in Spain, but a free gift that they will have for the rest of their lives.
Immersion – the country will not feel strange for very long when you are bumping into their friends and their families. Our kids are totally immersed in the local community, in a way that can only be achieved by attending a local state school.
Locality – your child will go to a school closeby, which you will probably be able to walk to. Their friends and probably teachers will also live closeby, so integration will be quicker and smoother.
Qualifications accepted at Spanish universities and throughout Europe – no qualifications which can never be used again unless you plan to live in the country. Spanish qualifications are widely accepted throughout Europe.
Weaknesses
Teaching methods – whilst your child will definitely receive a rounded education in state schools, it is still a learn and memorise system, or it was when our kids were there. It is changing, we have seen improvements in teaching methods and like most schools, there are some amazing teachers who know how to motivate even the most distracted students.
The language – it is difficult if you do not speak Spanish, or even if you get by. It is not just the child that struggles, I know we have found it difficult to not communicate freely like we can in English. But to look on the positive side, it is a great opportunity to improve our language skills. We know spanish words that only people who have helped with hours of homework would know!
International Schools
We must say here that we have had one experience of a local international school, and it was poor to say the least. So it is difficult for us to pull up many positives.
It has allowed us though to compile a list of questions to ask an international school when you do a walk round.
We also have to say that we have friends who have been very happy with their choice of international school, but they tend to be the very established schools, with high fees and waiting lists. If you want to know more about the ones we have had recommended, then we are very happy to chat.
So what questions do we wish we had asked?
here are a few;
What is the student turnover of the school? – our experience was that the students changed virtually every year with very few students making it through the 3 years my daughter was there. Most of the remaining students were staff children. It inhibited lasting friendships, although she now has friends that she met there, who left to go to other international schools. So it isn’t necessarily the case that they left the area, just the school.
What is their bullying policy? – in our experience, bullying is rife, it is the same of course, in many schools, but ask how it is handled? What safe guards are put in place, and most importantly, what is their complaints procedure? Does it stop with the head of the school?
What are their external measurements for academic excellence? – in my daughter’s case, her marks were getting higher but when measured against her peers at other schools the work was considerably lower. It is worth asking what measures they are using?
Check the class sizes? Whilst the first year of our experience the class sizes were low, the next two years got bigger and bigger as did the school. This made many of the classes disruptive and the teachers unable to cope.
Are the teachers qualified? Sounds like a crazy question, but we know several cases of unqualified teachers being offered or accepting teaching roles.
There are other questions that we can recommend, but for now, they should be enough to root out the good schools from the ridiculous ones.
Look through the marketing, all the schools have glossy brochures and instagrams accounts, listing words like kindness and excellence. The best way is to ask parents who have been at the schools for a few years, who have experienced issues, and had them resolved. Also, check whether the school allows parents to have their own Facebook groups, parent feedback is better than any marketing material, although do check that the parents are not also staff members!
So, now our latest venture is online schooling for two of the kids. So far, so good, the feedback is that the topics are more interesting and relevant but time will tell. Online schooling is illegal in Spain up to 16, although there are groups who are doing it successfully and thriving.
The drawback with online schooling is, of course, the lack of integration in your local community. In our case, it was already cemented, friends were established and language learnt. But in the case of newbies, it might be a drawback, although it could be rectified with lots of after school spanish sports and arts clubs.
With schooling, we have already helped so many of our clients choose their school, and we can help you too. Always happy to share our experiences, and their experiences, it is a confusing place especially when you have just arrived or considering a move, so any help we can give we would be happy to help.
Tracey – 0034 672212368
Suzanne – 0034 670236098
