Struggling to adapt to the local education system

[Larry245]

I have lived in Spain for 10 years, son was born here and has just started his third year at a local primary school.

The school was our first choice and from the open day I was sure it would be a great school but I have been disappointed from the beginning and now going in to the third year with the school we have reached breaking point. I had a meeting with the school last week where they told me that it is obvious that I have no confidence in the school and it would be better for everyone if we look for another school.

They are right, I have little confidence in school but it is also the system in general that I am struggling to come to terms with. I have no doubt that the school is correctly following guidelines but I just can't get my head around why they do many of the things they do.

I have visited the other schools in the area but I doubt changing schools would make much difference. International schools are too far away from us and out of budget anyway.

Does any one have any advice of getting to grips with the local education system?

What are your main issues with it?

What do they do that disappoints you?

I have problems with pretty much everything unfortunately.

-Adult to child ratio
-Length of the school day
-Communication with the families
-very culturally closed and the children learn very little about other cultures and religions
-Amount Screen time
-Teachers well being seems to come before the well being of the children
-Little outside time and a lot of time spent in the classroom
-Attitudes towards healthy eating, sustainability, bullying
-Discipline

Can you be more specific eg what adult child ratio do think there should be, too much discipline or too little etc.

I don’t think there’s anything much you can do really, other than accept it, move or home educate.

I grew up in a Scandinavian country as you can guess from my user name and really struggled with the British educational system. I never expected it to be so culturally different from what I was used to. I still remember sending my 5 year old into school in non uniform clothes as I had forgotten to wash the uniform. I was thinking it was no biggie having never in my life worn a uniform, but of course all hell broke lose 😂 that’s just an example, but I honestly struggled throughout my children’s education so much so really understand OP. I think it’s generally much more difficult to bring up children in a country which is “not yours” than you realise before you have children.

Weeeellll from what I’ve heard of the public system here (also Spain, but my child is at a British private) these are pretty common issues that immigrants find with Spanish schools.

I don’t think you’re going to have much luck at changing the length of school day or the thing with screen time, it seems like putting cartoons on (or cocomelon for English learning 🤪) is very much the done thing in a lot of schools.

Have you visited other local schools yet to see how they compare? I found a great source of information for schools here in our city to be a local ‘babies and kids’ facebook group where parents basically dissect these sorts of issues with a fine tooth comb!

The time of year could be a bit awkward re changing schools - the generalitat where we are won’t consider a change mid-year except for a few very specific reasons, as far as I’m aware. It certainly sounds like they’re encouraging you to leave.

Is your child happy?

Home ed isn’t legal in Spain.

Which region are you in? Your school couldn’t be more different from ours so I wonder whether it’s a regional thing or whether other schools more to your liking might be available. We have now 5 years’ experience in semiprivate but the state schools in the area are also very good.
Our school is 9–5 and that’s a plus for us but we are in the catchment of a school that lets out at 15:30.

I guess it’s really a question of how much you’re willing to swallow despite not really agreeing with, and what are your non-negotiables for your child?

For what it’s worth some of the issues you mentioned were non-negotiables for us and we realised that all local schools were going to offer some variety of the same problem. Not the answer you want but we ended up going for a British school 😂 mainly because I’m too inflexible to contemplate that the local offer is comparable academically to what he gets there (and it’s not - in our region the PISA tests put locally schooled kids 1.5-2 years behind the average). Also because watching cocomelon to learn English was a cardinal sin, in my book.

I think you’re in the same city as us, judging by your username?!

I feel the same really. There are too many non negotiables on my list and I want out of the school and out of the system but can't see a way of making it happen. I do occasionally buy a lottery ticket and hope for the jackpot.

Ours get Peppa Pig to help them learn English. They also get Shaun the Sheep, I have never seen it but according to my son there is no talking. The school had no response when I pointed out that they were claiming to be teaching English using a TV show with no words.

I think I am going to have to have another crack and persuading son's dad to go halves on private school fees. Problem is that he is from a third world country and the Spanish system looks great compared to what he grew up with.

Surely Spanish kids do OK ar local schools. You seem a bit nitpicky, if that's the Spanish system then that's the system. Amd your dc presumably has the advantage of you speaking English.

I think you either have to a accept it or move. It looks like a cultural thing you can not change

Likely!

My daughter is at a concertado, in 1st year primary. I don´t recognise what you describe. There are 15 kids in her class. Have you tried looking at concertados instead of state schools?

Mine are both teenagers now and we are in Andalucía. There's a lot I don't like about the education here but a lot I don't recognise from your description. Where are you?
I would say my kids' primary was very good on the social side, a real little community and good on sustainability and environnentalism. They were good at educating the whole child. It is still quite currículum heavy learn by rote but that's the government fault, not the teachers. They have to get through the currículum they are given.
I think if you are a studious child who is reasonably good at learning a lot by memory you can do really well. If not then it's harder, hence the terrible rates of drop outs compared to other countries.
My 16 yo struggled massively but has just started an FP (state not private) and is loving it. Totally practical, opportunity to do a month abroad with Erasmus plus.

In Andalucía it's 9-2 at primary and 8-2.30 at secondary, sounds like you are in Catalunya where they have the long lunch and finish much later?

You need to acquaint yourself with the legislation that governs your regional state schools. Things like the teacher:student ratio, length of the school day, curriculum etc probably won't be at the school's discretion and there is therefore nothing to be gained by flagging them as an issue to the school management.