Spanish Primary Education System is it any good??

[saintpeta]

Can anyone point me to a forum where I can discuss the nitty gritty of children's education in spain? I would like to hear of other parent's real experiences

Oh, no, but I'll be waiting eagerly for other people's answers. Also, any Spanish mumsnet equivalent?

I can't make any decisions about moving to Spain unless I get a general gist of what the schooling is like- I don't want to take my son out of a mediocre uk school to put him in a worse school in Spain. That said, for them-being bilingual and having a more outdoor life is more appealing at this moment in time.

this is good

My son is too young for school but I have friends here that send their kids. They are all very happy. Like the UK it depends where. Sun and social life is a big plus

Oh, by the way. My friends came over and they didn't speak a word of Spanish, their kids are now completely fluent and were within no time..amazing!

Do you know where they located? I can't decide where I want to be until I find out if the school is good although the Almeria region is looking likely....are there many schools or is there the problem of getting your child into a good school like here in the UK? I speak Spanish so am going to send them to a public state school just want to make sure there are not 30 children in the class like over here? Any ideas apart form phoning the school is there anything published on the internet?

My friends are in Madrid as am I.

There are problems with getting kids into school like UK and sometimes 30 in a class, although that depends too. One of my friends kids has 14 in the class the other kid 28! I know that the Spanish system isn't renowned for being amazing so don't come if you've got high expectations. On the other hand it seems good in many ways. I'm sure someone else will have more info for you in a moment. There are a few people living in Spain who use mumsnet..also some Spaniards in UK!

My brother's children started their education in Spain. They were nominally bilingual, but in reality were Spanish speakers with some English (both parents spoke Spanis all the time even thought hey were meant to be doing OPOL)
The problem they had was that there lived near Barcelona and all state education there is through the medium of Catalan - so they had another language to deal with. Neice managed really well, but nephew found it a real struggle.

My observation is that it is a much more rigid and "work" rather than "play" based. My db and sil were horrified by what they percieved as the messiness of classrooms when they moved to the UK. They didn't like all the work up on the walls and the bright colours. Don't know whether this is Spain or Them - if you see what Imean.

I can only speak of the Costa del Sol. The Spanish system is quite old fashioned, lots of concentration on the 3 r's and not much in the way of the arts. The children on the whole tend to be noisier and more boisterous. My dd went to school for a year and didn't settle at all, in fact she refused to speak any Spanish at all. She was 4 at the time, she became very introverted, so we moved her to the international system, where she has blossomed.

On the other hand her friend has done extremely well under the Spanish system and can now speak Spanish fluently although her mother is also thinking of pulling her out as she feels that there isn't enough sport or art.

I know numerous families whose children are all getting along along nicely in the Spanish system. What you do tend to find though if you are in an area with a lot of other expats, not only Brits, the children do tend to stick together in nationality groups. Also there don't seem to be play dates etc within the Spanish community.

Seeker I agree, some Spanish schools can look quite stark in comparison. I took a Spanish friend into dd's school and she was blown away by the art work and the facilites within the classroom.

I worked in a new international school when we first came here and it was hard work convincing the owner that the school including the classrooms needed resources.

I really believe it depends on the actual school - my DS has been to 3 different Spanish state schools (due to having to move!!!) and he has got on really well in all of them. He is going to be 7 next month. The school environment where he is now (Seville) is certainly better than where he was last year for example (Marbella)- there are less kids in the class, there is a lot of emphasis on art and celebrating various cultural events/recyling projects/environment/music and sports. The school playground is brightly decorated, lots of outdoor toys for the younger children etc. His first school which was in Malaga was also very big on the kids having a bit of fun etc. although obviously he was younger at the time. So yes I think it does vary a lot. The actual schooling is quite good on the whole - obviously its not going to be like in the UK - its different and most probably the methods are different too (I can't compare with my school education from some 35 odd years ago!)and it took me a while to stop trying to compare the 2 and just accept them as they are. The school books are quite entertaining and not just boring reading and writing texts and endless pages of sums for them to do. With regard to class size, I thought legally there couldn't be more than 25 in a class - must check. Anyway, both my DS's are in classes of 20 so we may just be lucky.

My dd, is 4 and started in September at a state school in Barcelona. As mentioned above it is all Catalan, except for 2 hours a week of English. No Castillian Spanish until they are 6

The pre-school years are very play-based here. They seem to spend most of the time drawing a colouring, singing and making things out of plasticine. Her class, and in fact the whole school is decorated with artwork, and they always have different projects on the go- the environment, oceans, different holidays, etc.

I've been very happy so far. We had a slight issue with a boy in dd´s class repeatedly hurting her, and it was dealt with quickly and efficiently with all parents involved.

There are 25 children in the class and there are always two teachers in with them. This seems standard in our area. There is a big problem with places here in Barcelona, I don't know if that is the same elsewhere in Spain, but many parents have not been able to get their children into the school of their choice.

Children are a lot more boisterous than in the UK. Dd was terrified of the children when we first got here and now she is very much one of them.

Dd´s school has a very good reputation. But just like the UK, there are plenty of not so good schools. My biggest complaint is lack of sports/music facilities for when they are a little older, but parents tend to enroll their children in after-school classes for those kinds of activities.

after school activities seem to be a norm too, they hardly see their parents sometimes which is sad. Saying this they grow up very sociable souls and family is far more important to them than us Brits!

well, spanish schools were one of the reasons we returned to the uk.

early years is not very play based at all in my experience, and schools have less equipment and much lower staff ratios that english schools, so much of the children's time in all the schools local to where we lived (Andalucia) was spent colouring in. dd's teacher was lovely, but there is only so much that one lovely teacher can do with a class of 25 4 year olds (no assistant - this was normal for schools in the area).

Also in general teaching is much more didactic than in english schools, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can turn some children off learning, and means children's education is much narrower than UK children's education right up to A level (they don't do any project work at all until degree level, which shocked me).

thanks all -am doing my research at the moment seeing if I could move over with my family - so much to consider its driving me mad especially the education part i really feel I've got to get this part right!

Good luck, and like I truly believe, you shouldn't try and compare between the Spanish and British school systems - they are different and just like back in the UK you can end up with something not so good.

I know its difficult for you if you are in the UK now but talking to local people/parents about the schools available in a certain area is usually very helpful. It is also the best way to find out what sort of school it is because they do vary in their teaching methods - SenoraPostophe, DS2 is only doing projects in his class - they are not working from a book!!! OK it is for 3/4 year olds but they so far they have done about the family, the school and scary things (!).

And yes, legally there should not be more that 25 kids per class but if there are a few more kids that year they will increase class size (the Delegacion decides this not the school but it comes to same I guess!)rather than have another class (or linea as they call it).

costamum, I meant project work where the children find out their own information and write it up/make books or whatever - for older children. As I say, dd's teacher was great, but one great teacher cannot teach a class of 25 4 year olds well without an assistant (and pretty much all UK primary schools have teaching assisants up to 6 or 7 years). My comments are true of all the schools I know in the area we lived in (3 schools in total, and those were the ones with the good reputations).

also I meant staff ratios are higher than in the uk, obvioulsy, not lower (even though class sizes are smaller - lack of assistants)

Your child will learn another language.

They normally don't do that even after years of studying in the UK.

Why think more?

Senora - they are doing proper projects - obviously they are not writing up etc but we do have to help out providing info/pictures/photos or music etc - very similar to what I used to do at school but on a toddler basis if you get what I mean!!! Its pretty cute really!

Yes also true that a teacher with 25 kids to a class, especially up to the ages of 6 should have an assistant. My eldest DS first school did have one but for DS2 there is one 'floating' assistant between 4 classes which obviously is not enough.

I live in a tiny place and the schools vary within that. Yes, overall, the teaching is old-fashioned but my children 4 and 6 mix with those up to 11 and they expect to look out for each other.

My two have the three language experience - one is coping, the other not so well, but we have been given an immense amount of help, without a statement .

I would have chosen this school in the UK, had I been able. It is right for what I want from education - literacy, numeracy, staff that knows every single child, every single person (kids included) expects to be heard and participate. There are fantastic sport facilities, gardens and kitchen.

Pre-6, you are expected to pay for books, materials and bits and bobs. Saying that, my eldest's lunches (3 courses) cost 7 euros a month and smell divine .

I've been driving myself a bit crazy with all of this too. Selling house meant that we put DS1 (3.7) back in nursery for another year rather than start school (as we didn't know where we would be). From what I see in our local area there are small differences but as DH said to me this morning - we should chill out a bit, he's only small and seems quite bright, we can do our best at home because we are interested enough. perhaps we should all worry more about secondary education....

totally agree chica..DS muct be learning another language which is pretty good going for `such a yoiung boy!

Chicca, I've calmed down now but I read a report recently about the future of British children in spain, when they are older....will they be accepted in spain or always considered the "guiri" (spelling someone can correct me!) or what if we had to move back to the UK - will they be accepted back here? In addition they are from west indian heritage.....always wanted children to have benefit of 2 languages though!

I think it'll be a total lottery unless you take time out to thoroughly check and visit several schools in the area. Like Señoraparsnip the schools here are one of the reasons we are moving back to the UK. That said DD1 4.6yo is in a lovely nursery run by the council where they do project based stuff and it is fairly well-staffed. However plans are underway to privatise it and it's 3 sister nurseries .
In general I dont like the lack of imagination childen end up with here, it's all exam-based and parrot learning from a young age (primary level). Very little art. Almost no independant though encouraged as far as I can see. Ok you can make it up with after school activities but there is far, far less on offer here in that area.
By all means try it but I feel it is rather 'narrow' in terms of primary and secondary level.