Tamethedame

Hi all - I'm new to posting but have been reading all your posts with interest for a while now.

We are planning a move to Spain next year with our 11 year old daughter. She's not too keen on the idea (which is only natural at that age) and I'm also a bit up and down about the whole thing.

We have been looking at International/British schools along the Costa Del Sol & have come up with a couple on the shortlist. What I really wanted to know was, which are the best areas for British families (with kids around my daughters age)? We obviously want to make the move as easy as possible for our daughter and would love if she had friends to play with in the area once school was out and once we were (hopefully!!) established after a few years, we would make the move into a more 'Spanish' area.

I was looking at the area of Mijas but have heard it's mainly retirees there.

We're hoping to go out for a visit in October so would love to hear the places you could recommend.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks in advance!!

Tamethedame

mrs teapot

Hello TTD,

Only advice I can give you (as I researched moving to Spain for years, but could not get Hubby and kids to move, grrrrrr), is that 12 years old is the cut-off point for learning Spanish easily. I think its a combination of a brain thing and becoming a cool teenager and especially for boys with their voices breaking etc, they HATE to speak or read outloud and feel a prat.

So, even if you are looking at English schooling, to give your 11 year old a head start, I'd ram Spanish down his/her neck ASAP. (which you probably are anyway).

Er, sorry to not be much help though.

Edit: oops, I see your 11 year old is a daughter. I still believe I have read a lot about both sexes finding it hard after 12 years, so advice still the same.

Ka Ora!

lock her in a cupboard.

Mitzyboy

My wife says she feels a prat, so I'm trying to stay at arms length.

Have you decided on a particular Costa as yet, i.e. have you any area in mind at all?

sunnydee

Even at British/International schools the majority of children will be Spanish. So your daughter will pick up the language in the playground. She would also have a certain amount of lessons in Spanish as the schools have to provide certain lessons e.g. Spanish history and cultural studies so that a child can go into the state system at any age if people's circumstances change. They would also teach how to read/write Spanish as well as a third language as children get older.
On the Costa del Sol many British ex-pats send their children to state schools and there are now special programs in place to enable children to speak Spanish to a certain level before they join in with their class in all lessons.
Hope this helps and welcome - I'm fairly new here myself.

Tamethedame

Hi all - cheers for advice up to now.

I particularly like the locking in the cupboard scenario. Is this allowed by the Spainish Social Services? If so, forget the original question!

One of the schools we looked at was St. Anthonys who have a bus service that runs through Riviera del Sol, Cala de Mijas etc. Riviera del Sol seems to be a bit on the expensive side though so this is why we thought about Mijas.

I'm still in the convincing stage with my daughter. It's really difficult. If it were just my partner & me, it would be plain sailing (on a decision that is!) but I really feel for her. She's at her friend's party/sleepover tonight & I feel really bad tearing her away from all of this, but she's really confident & I'm sure she would make friends quite easily.

We got a 'learn Spanish' course thing so we're getting stuck into that at the moment. My family laugh as I did my Spanish O level in 1989 & think I know all the lingo (I dont! _)

I'd love to hear how other families with kids of a similar age got on and which areas have a large percentage of kids my daughter could mix with.

Thanks again!!

Tamethedame

mrsjdr

St. Anthony´s is on the road to Coin from Fuengirola, depending on where you settle there are lots of "British" schools in the area. We live just below Mijas Pueblo, and the British International College is one way, the English College just out side Marbella and St. Anthony´s just up the road from Fuengirola, so lots of choices.

Tamethedame

Hi MRSJDR,

You say you live in Mijas Pueblo. Are there a lot of children around this area? i take it there probably will be with the schools being in such close proximity. Is this far from La Cala de Mijas?

We've been having such a laugh with this Spanish DVD tonight - a bottle of red, a bottle of white & how to say 'the quick cow wants deep curtains'!! Make of that what you will !!

Thanks!!

Tamethedame

lynnxa

Around here (costa blanca) the international schools have some spanish kids & from many other countries, but the majority are English. Yes, they do teach Spanish, but most kids I know come out of the schools barely able to speak the language.

sunnydee

Yes this is the case in some schools - I wrongly generalised about all schools. There is a big difference between the schools but this is good thing because it gives people a choice. Even on the Costa Blanca there is one school with 60% British and then Elians 60% Spanish and BSA 70% Spanish.
Personally if I sent my child to a majority British school and found they were not picking up Spanish I would pay for private lessons. Some schools also put a lot of pressure on very young children but I guess this is also a personal preference.
It's all very scary making sure you do what's right for your child.

mrsjdr

We actually live Benalmadena Pueblo, which is down the road from Mijas Pueblo. La Cala de Mijas is along the coast where Mijas Pueblo is up high inland a bit, overlooking the coast. It is lovely up there in the Pueblo but very touristy and expensive.All within 10-15 minutes drive from each other. St. Anthony´s is nearest school to La Cala. Have you checked their web site? There is also the British International College which is Nuevo Torrequebrada, just as you aapproachBenalmadena Costa on the coast road, they also have a web site. Difficult to say regarding children in the area you will be moving to, do find during holiday times lots of children around where we live, same ones come every year so get to know them and their parents. Family moved near us a year ago and put son (14) into British International College, he has made lots of friends, but they have now moved him into Spanish State school as he has picked up the language, he is very happy there and getting on well.