Schools in Buenos Aires

[TriDino]

I'd really appreciate any advice or tips you have on international primary schools in Buenos Aires. School fees are included within the package but we have heard such conflicting things from DH's new colleagues who mostly have much older dc so we're undecided. We have been in England during Covid but we will be moving to Argentina in February. DC1 will be starting year 3 in September and DC2 will be starting Reception. They do not speak Spanish and we will probably only be staying in Argentina for 3-5 years, so we are looking for an international school. We have no strong preference for curriculum and we will probably be moving elsewhere in Europe after Argentina so a smooth return to English schools is not a priority. We're looking for a secular (or Jewish) international school with a mix of dc who don't all speak Spanish.

I have a lot of questions!

1. We're leaning towards Northlands at the moment. I've heard it is the most similar to an English school but there is still a lot of Spanish and also a very high staff turn over and very few English-speaking teachers. Is that still true?


2. Is the IB PYP better than primary at a British-style school? Are the IB schools more marketed to USA citizens or locals? It's hard to tell from the websites.


3. Have we already left it too late to get into a good school for March? Would it be better to bite the bullet and put them in Spanish schools? They're little and would presumably learn Spanish quickly.


4. How does the transfer from a September-start academic year to a March-start academic year usually go? DC1 will have done 1 term of year 3 in England before we arrive. Will she re-start year 3 or be pushed up to year 4 without finishing year 3?


5. Reception seems to start much later, most schools say age 6. DC2 will be 4, nearly 5, when we get there and she will have done the first term of reception in an English school before we arrive. Will she go back to Kindergarten with children her age or go to reception class?

I'm so confused by all of this and it's all hapening rather quickly. DH and I have both lived and worked abroad before but way before we had DC. It's much more complex now!

I can't help with schools but IB, as a curriculum, is marketed at citizens of all countries who are internationally mobile and want a portable curriculum and qualification. I would expect a mix of nationalities unless the school is marketed as an American school. At primary level I'm not sure that there is a critical difference between IB/PYP and the British curriculum, as opposed to DP/6th form where there are distinct pros and cons between the models.