chopera

This is of particular interest to me. I'd like my kids to experience some of the British system, and I guess the ideal time to switch over is when they start secondary school. However the concertado my kids currently attend can take them through secondary school as well, so it would save me a lot of money if they stayed there to do ESO, and then switched to a British school to do A levels. My concern is that the jump in difficulty in going to A levels, combined with the jump from going from one system to the other might be a lot to ask of them. Also I wonder if the British schools would be prepared to take children with ESO, as they usually specify entrance requirements in terms of GCSEs. I guess that is something I could ask the schools directly when the time comes, but any other insight would be appreciated.

Also what were your thoughts on Hastings and English Montessori? Thx

coralsoft

We only put our children back in to the British system at the start of GCSE and A level courses, so 2 years at Montessori and then, because TEM didn't do A levels, 2 years at Hastings. I don't know about requirements to get in to A levels but I expect there's a certain amount of flexibility over entry, rather than a rigid dependence on GCSEs. Having just been to second lad's graduation from Hastings, they seemed to have quite a diverse bunch of backgrounds with some having been at the school right the way through, to some who'd joined later. A very strong community spirit, though and a lot of focus on getting people to achieve their potential to get in to a lot of high-level British and international establishments.
On that basis, I don't think you'd have a problem keeping them in the concertado option until necessary for starting the syllabus. Whilst there are probably differences that might need some filler tutoring, it should be possible to switch over.

rachelk

FWIW (from someone who has taught in british/int schools in spain)

Some Brtish/international schools in Madrid are very international in intake, some are almost fully Spanish.
An advantage of the 2nd is that while the formal education is in English leading to IGCSE and A-level (or IB), pretty much all of the socilalsing is in spanish so children quickly become fluent in Spanish. The british (and other foreign) students I've known in such schools have all been perfectly comfortable communicating in Spanish.

As for continuing with ESO and then transferring to A-level, it's difficult to give real advice. My feeling is that the academic level should be a good match but it may take a short while to adjust to using academic or subject specific terms in a new language - even when that new language is your native one (based on what spanish students have said, having studied in british schools then gone to spanish universities). As a teacher I don't think I'd have any concerns accepting a student on those terms - ESO completed and native english language.

Regarding entry requirements, I think only the over-subscribed schools can afford to be too fussy in that respect - the fees paid by an A-level student are pretty hefty and some schools would bite your hand off.....

chopera

Many thanks for the replies to my question. Since I originally asked I visited the new Hastings secondary school in Arturo Soria and was quite impressed. The woman who showed me around thought there wouldn't be much problem getting a place later on. I had been concerned because a few British schools, such as the British Council school don't teach A-levels so I imagined there'd be a bit of a scramble for places amongst students wanting to continue onto A-levels. She also mentioned that Hastings is still trying to expand and mumbled something about plans to set up a dedicated centre/campus for 6 form students. My other concern is that all this expansion needs to be paid for somehow, and their fees appear to have shot up in recent years.