liveaboard

I heard a story of a french boy who was badly bullied in his Portuguese school, for years. There was no sympathy or support from the faculty. I think his family finally just left.

Another boy, in another local school, had the exact opposite experience; he was celebrated for being foreign, the local kids enjoyed his stories of a different place, he was popular and had a great time.

So there is no predicting these things.

Integration; how do we know that's a good thing?
It's the accepted wisdom. Integrate, assimilate, when in Rome do as the Romans do, etc.

I was home schooled, or perhaps unschooled.
A perpetual outcast, monolingual, antisocial, weirdo.
This worked out ok for me, I'm happy to be what I am. But I have to qualify a bit; other kids I grew up with didn't do very well.

fourmovetothealgarve

Thank you, that’s really interesting, I’d be keen to find out more.

dingg

https://www.weyeducation.com

may be of interest to you

GeniB

I am so sorry your daughter has suffered so much at the hands of bullies in the UK..I can understand your very natural concerns about that happening in Portugal.. You are a professional and I would assume then that you are taking up a post here? ( you don't say what the situation is that would bring you here with young children?)
To compare schooling in Portugal..even International schooling to that of the UK,would be like comparing chalk and cheese. This is a very small country with only 10 million+ people in it.. International schools are relatively small and close knit. State schools are also small by comparison to UK ones.
If you want your children to follow a British curriculum ( by and large) then International schooling is the route to take. I am assuming from what you say,your qualifications etc. that this would be affordable.?
I don't agree with a previous poster that that would exclude learning Portuguese .My children attended International schools in the Netherlands ,learning Dutch was obligatory and they were fluent within a year.I am sure its no different here. They loved their time in the International school system and have retained many friends from that period. Friends who proved supportive during times when they perhaps felt homesick,lonely ,anxious etc. We parents never know everything about our children and their feelings.

I would however agree with posters in suggesting you at least look at the idea of your children attending a school here. Try it and see... No child likes to feel different or isolated from their surroundings. You will be bringing your children to a foreign country ,which will be difficult enough for them, Curriculum apart, the social side can not be either ignored or underestimated. This is not a country where homeschooling is common,as in the UK.. The people here are warm and friendly ,do not have a culture of bullying ..
Meanwhile invest in Portuguese lessons for them(with native Algarve speakers if you can.. its different to Brazilian ) Wishing you success...

GeniB

Thats quite shocking to hear that Live. I do feel however that the boys parents were perhaps too passive about that.. accepting something like that 'for years' is totally unacceptable.. The idea that they 'left because of it' sounds a tad suspect....
Bullying happens.. wherever you live. Its a nasty side of human nature . What you do about it matters...

My youngest daughter came home one day in tears,saying her friends were bullying her. at the International School I was shocked and surprised as they had all got on very well up to this point. On questioning her further it turned out that a new girl had joined the class and wanted to be her 'best friends' new friend. As 8 yrs olds .. this mean't simple pushing the other girl away ( my daughter )
I decided to nip this in the bud.. Went to the schools head (not her teacher ..who had slight bullying tendencies herself. if truth be told ) and said I believed this was going on, tip of the ice berg . etc .He threw his hands in the air and said 'what could he do about it ? I suggested that my D's teacher be asked to confront the entire class and tell them she understood that some bullying ( explain what it was ) was going on..and she knew who was doing it..(look pointedly at new girl,amongst others ) and that it had to stop.It was not acceptable in that school.. If anyone was being bullied they were to come to her etc...Then discuss
It worked like a charm. The whole class 'discussed' bullying and the consequences and decided it was not on. New girl settled down and did actually remain friends with my D. All that was needed it seems was a little adult support.at the right moment
.Ironically the teacher called me afterwards to tell me about 'her idea' ..and that several other children had come forward to tell her that they were being bullied. or felt they were, especially outside school. She had been 'shocked' NO she had been lazy and indifferent. .. ( she later ran off with the French teachers OH ..but thats a different story... rather shows her shallow character though.. )

rollermum83

Hi I'll find out details and let you know 😎👍

liveaboard

Oh, they weren't passive. The story went on for a while as they told it to us with great angst. Basically [as they told it anyway] they tried and tried, but the school authorities maintained it was their boy at fault for failing to fit in.
They were low budget people, and could not afford private. They'd bought the land they lived on just before the price crash and couldn't afford to move either [also not at all sure it would help].
So they finally returned to France.
There are thousands of schools in Portugal, I suspect as in all things, each has its own little culture.

GeniB

Terrible shame for the child