Lindtz

Hello, we are not a British famility (Turkish), when I googled this topic the most useful comments were listed here (a bit out of date though) so I signed up and here we go:
My husband has a permanent job offering from Iveco (I guess located in north side of Turin) and I am kind of hesitant on 8 years old son schooling alternatives from what I have read. He can speak, read and write in English but we are at ground zero for Italian yet, and 7-8 months ahead to settle and start schooling. We can start with an international school (which seems like the safest choice) until the tax advantage blows out in 5 years therefore considering biligual instead of international and then maybe switching to local if we decide to stay. There are couple of bilingual schools in Turin, BEST, Saint Dennis, Buddies and Vittoria. None of them had responded to my mails inquiring info, which I guess is kind of typical for Italy from what I have heard from word of mouth. So I would really appreciate some recommendation here. Are bilinguals good also in academic and pedogic education? And does anyone has any experince/recommendation with these schools or anyother? Many thanks in advance to those of you who spare the time to read and reply.

Lindtz

Isn’t there anyone with kids at school age in Italy as an expat?

Lorna at Vicenza

Plenty of us have had kids go through school here, one of mine is still in school, but you are asking about specific bilingual schools in Turin. My kids and most others went through the normal Italian state school system. I can tell you everything you need to know about primary school, middle school and high school.

Lindtz

Thank you for reply. We will consider switching to national system eventually. If there is any particular tips (like selection of neighbourhood, etc) that would be helpful to identify good schools I would appreciate the help.

philat98

You might find something of use about living in Torino here https://www.tripadvisor.it/ShowForum..._Piedmont.html

ChelseaMum

Hello, I am in a similar situation with two kids. I was wondering how everything worked out for you and which school your son ended up going to? Thanks!

Lindtz

Hi, we gave up on the idea of moving to Italy, so sorry can not help any further. Wish u best luck

SanNico

If you're also looking at Turin I would suggest asking around the other employees. Otherwise, to give a brief overview of Italian schools Vs International schools; in my experience the Italian state schools are much better once you get your head around the hierarchy, nepotism and occasional bout of xenophobia. The system is old fashioned in the sense they are taught the 3 R's using the rote method and only begin meaningful learning in middle schools. Mine hated it but it actually works.

For under 10's I would put them straight in to the state schools. They'll figure it out. My 2 youngest did this and did very well. For 10-13's I would look at dual language schools as opposed to the internationals. For 13+ you're really left with 2 choices; international or boarding. My eldest went to an international, then dual language and ended up boarding in the UK. The boarding route is not as expensive as you may think. If you want a recommendation please PM me.

In local state schools you are likely to experience the 3 downfalls I mentioned. Your kids will have a different foundation to the locals so will struggle in some areas and excel in others. If your child excels in one area, don't be disappointed if this isn't reflected in their grades. It means nothing and they will see their true potential later on. A prime example of this is in the English language lessons. Your child will not get top marks, it's not seen as fair to give them top marks, even if they are given lower marks in other subjects because their Italian is not perfect.

ChelseaMum

Ah ok, thanks so much for replying and letting me know!