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Europa School in Culham - Opinions

5 replies

Chemlover · 17/02/2020 13:51

Hi All,
I would like your opinions about the Europa School in Culham. I know a couple of people who have children there and they are very happy about the school.
But I would like more opinions, please. I quite like the idea of educating a child in a bilingual way.
I am undecided between the Europa School and an Independent school.
Thanks in advance for your answers.

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pfrench · 17/02/2020 18:52

I know a few teachers who work there. Are you a bilingual family? If so, then it seems like a reasonable idea. School is as good/bad as any state schools locally, it's not as 'good' as an independent if 'good' means small classes.

If you are not a bilingual family, then the feeling of the teachers I know (it might be just them, and not representative of all the staff), is that you are making school life tricky for your child. There are children who are SEN registered in one language, but not the other, for example, which might have self esteem and social impacts.

You'd also need to decide which language you want your child to be educated in at the school, and that can impact the experience your child has of education in general. Ie, the French side of things is very French, which is quite different to the German side of things. If you don't speak another language at home, then how will you make sure your child has opportunities to use it half of the time?

One of the friends who works there has sent her child there too, which is usually a good sign, but they are a bilingual family. They also moved nearby to ensure that friendships were easy to cultivate. The last few years have been fine with regard to the application process in terms of where you live - ie, even people living away from the admissions 'points' got in, but that's not always the case, so could be a bit of a gamble.

Chemlover · 17/02/2020 20:25

Thank you!
By "good" I mean that pupils learn. I taught Science in some secondary state schools in England and I was shocked by how little most of the students knew from Primary School.
I'm Italian, but I speak and understand French well. The only problem would be to support the child with either Spanish or German, even if I think I could easily learn Spanish. We're a bilingual family. I would make the effort to speak to my children in French, for example, or learn one of the second languages to help them.
Thanks a lot.

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LaMI · 30/10/2021 14:35

Hi @Chemlover would like to know if at the end your child did go to the Europa School or you decided for an independent. I am Italian too and my child speaks both + Spanish. What is your experience there? TIA

Chemlover · 30/10/2021 14:40

Hi @LaMI,
I don't have children yet Smile. I'm gathering information as we are planning to move house and also have a child. So, since it's difficult to find a house in the ES catchment area, I was wondering if it is worth it.

A few people I know are happy with the school. An Independent school offers a very good education, but it costs a lot! In my opinion, of course.

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JudithOx · 21/02/2024 04:08

Hello, a few years later, I'd like to have some more opinions on this school, and what the area is like to live in... Thank you!

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