SharonODubai

Yes SunChild it is definitly worth checking out both schools as I was told that there was a 50/50 ratio between the Portuguese and International section so thats something I will be double checking - thanks for the tip CupCakes31.

xxx

sunchild

well the main reason was that I have 2 kids one in primary the other secondary and the area was also the main factor

I too am looking to start sep 2011

SharonODubai

The area is stunning, we are going to be based in Ferragudo (nr Portimao) so Porches is only about 15 mins away, have you visited either school yet? When are you going househunting? Where are you moving from (UK??)?
Is your husband going to be working there or commuting?

Questions, questions, question

XXX

dancemania

I moved to the Algarve thinking that I was getting a better life for my kids,dream on.I would think long and hard before moving here with children in secondary school,you don't want to risk their education here!It all isn't as it seems if you delve into the schools results here!

Supremegermalene

Schooling in Portugal is the main dilemma for anyone with kids. Do you put them into Portuguese school so they become fluent and give them the best grounding for forging a life for themselves here, or do you keep them in private English school and give them a decent education. It's a real issue. My eldest son started here in English school and is now in his second term of Portuguese school and it's very, very tough. I'm seriously considering home schooling him as I don't have money to keep him in private education. The education standard isn't bad but the teacher has no time for helping foreign students, my son is being majorly bullied and nothing is being done about it and we have tried everything. Spoken to the teacher, spoken to the student (who as it happens isn't Portuguese), spoken to the school office requesting a transfer and they refuse. Let's just let him suffer. We have now requested a meeting with the other child's parents in front of the teacher. If we end up moving back to the UK it will be because of schools. There is not a good support network for the teachers, no classroom assistants, no head of year, no head master. I would advise if you want to give your children the best opportunity then make sure you move here with enough money to keep them in private education until they are old enough to go to college in the UK. Do not rely on earning enough money here to pay their way. I'm hoping my other children will be ok as they are much younger and already quite bi-lingual.

My son is half Portuguese and half English so I'm not being an ignorant expat, my husband is as outraged as I am (he is PT) and it's really affecting us at the moment.

G

dancemania

I don't even think you should even move here even if you can afford private english schools. They are a waste of time!

cupcakes31

I would have to disagree dancemania - we're very happy with Vale Verde and think its comparable to private schools in the UK (although it is much smaller). I know money is an issue for all of us, but I guess we have to expect that with private schooling in general. Yes pass rates make a difference, but its only one factor.

Supremegermalene - I'm so sorry to hear that your son's Portuguese school is not great. I really didn't know you couldn't get a transfer! I initially considered Portuguese schools and still thought it was a reasonable alternative to VVIS should the financial situation get any worse...

Supremegermalene

The plan was to start him off in private so he didn't find the move and speaking a different language daily too much, and then to move him to PT school in time for him to get a good grasp of the language before moving up into Ciclo.

I thought when he was in the private school that I was just paying for him to be educated in English. I was very wrong. The schooling at Barlavento where he was was much, much better than Espiche where he is now. I have spoken to other parents with kids in PT primary and they have managed to move their children around so if things aren't better by the end of the term I think I'll hold him back a year and insist on moving him to a different school to re-do year 4. (yr 5 uk equiv.)

Anyone moving to the area do not even consider Luz school, apparently it's worse than Espiche where my son is at. Santa Maria in Lagos has a good reputation. For 10yrs+ the new Tecnopolis in Lagos is good, so far.

There is supposed to be a new primary school opening in Luz this year but I haven't seen anything built yet :S The primary schools in Almadena & Barao Sao Joao have already shut and Espiche and the old school in Luz will be shutting, the new school will replace them all.

Alternatively, Torraltinha school in Lagos has a very good reputation. It is a private Portuguese pre-school & primary school and they have great extra curricular activities for the kids.

BTW, the schooling here is as follows:

• A first cycle (1°Ciclo) lasting four years (for pupils aged six to ten)
• A second cycle (2° Ciclo) lasting two years (for pupils from ten to twelve)
• A third cycle (3° Ciclo) lasting three years (for pupils from twelve to fifteen)

I found this really helpful as it's quite confusing. It's a bit like primary, middle and secondary but the ages don't match the old UK system.

G

PubChampion

Sorry to hear that. There's only one solution to this problem: your son has to punch the other kid. Sorry to be so politically incorrect but that's the only thing that actually works. When my daughter got bullied at school I explained to her that she must stop being afraid of the bully and punch her if necessary. Once a bully gets the message that their victim is not afraid, they stop. Took some persuasion, but it worked perfectly.

It's also an important lesson for any kid to learn that will help later in life.

Supremegermalene

LOL he did....last week. Apparently he fell over at school and hurt himself badly and was trying not to cry, the boy started laughing and calling him a cry baby and my son completely lost the plot and really laid into him.

Strangely enough after having the following day off school there have been no complaints of any more issues...and he is playing loads more with the Portuguese boys. Here's hoping a corner has been turned.

Thanks for the reply
G

Montinhos

Out of interest; We moved here 2 years ago and have 2 kids in VVIS. We are more than happy with the school.
Each to their own of course!

jakeT

Hi, i'm a newbie but thought i'd have a good rant re: schools in the Algarve. We've been here a couple of years and have 2 kids (now 10 and 14).

When we arrived we needed a primary and secondary school and found Barlavento the obvious choice for primary as it was local for us and not too pricey. After 2 years i can thoroughly recommend it. Our younger boy loves it and has loads of great friends.

He'll be joining our older son at "The Phoenix School", as its referred to previously in this thread, later this year. As previously mentioned, the teachers here are the original teachers from VVIS who left altogether when they felt the management of VVIS became more interested in money than education.

A friend from Barlavento recommended them to us and as they were the cheapest by a mile and had a good results record, we gave them a go. It used to be run unofficially as private tutor groups but as it became more popular they finally set up "Aljezur International School" which as of September 2010 is officially up and running (see www.aljezur-international.org ). The great thing for us is that they run a shuttle bus service from Barlavento up to the school in Aljezur so we only have to do 1 school run thank god.

I can't speak highly enough of the school. The teachers (as you might have guessed from their mass departure from VVIS) are so dedicated to the kids and education in general its fantastic. The school is still quite small (about 30 currently i think) so the class sizes are nice and small and everyone knows everyone.

They're currently fundraising to build a new carbon neutral all singing all dancing school but where they are at the moment is just fine. Also they have access to the municipal sporting complex which is unbelievable! It was all EU funded about 2 years ago and is used by basically no-one but the school. Huge swimming pool and sports hall etc...

Anyway, like i said our main considerations were education and price and the teachers at Aljezur are fantastic, they have 90%-ish A*-C IGCSE grades which for a non-selective school is amazing! Plus it's a different level of cost from the others. I dont know the numbers now but when our 2 started it was about 30% less than VVIS and the one at Lagoa was TWICE THE PRICE!!! Ridiculous if you ask me.

And there ends my rant! Sorry about that but i was reading the thread and couldn't help myself!

Montinhos

"The teachers (as you might have guessed from their mass departure from VVIS) are so dedicated to the kids and education in general its fantastic."

That`s great to hear.

I would say much the same of the teachers and staff at VVIS. (except they haven`t departed of course)

E-mails and forums are great for the armchair ranter (and I`ve had a few rants myself!),so I`m pleased to be able to put an alternative viewpoint.

Supremegermalene

Jake can I ask how much you currently are paying for Phoenix? I'm so not sure what to do with my son next year...we want him to have a PT education but it's not working out and we were struggling to pay for Barlavento which worked out about €430 a month. I have only heard great things about Phoenix...he used to be so studious but now couldn't care...he needs an environment that will get him excited about learning again.

BTW I must know you as my son is nearly 10 too :S

G

cupcakes31

Welcome to the forum JakeT. Your post is heavily promotional and suspiciously vindictive of other schools so well done for managing to get your post published without a moderator intervening!

As Montinhos pointed out, it is great to have a rant so here goes! We are obviously very proud to send our children to VVIS and their twenty or so teachers by no means reflects a mass migration of two or three who were incidentally shareholders who sold out about 7 years ago- money being a possible motive. Phoenix or Aljazur has around five teachers in total from what I can tell on their website. Little has changed in 7 years.

You assume that VVIS is money driven, but from what I can tell Phoenix recently held an investment road show. Not only are they making parents pay fees for a school that they don't have and one that has moved location and changed name more than three times, but they are also asking for people to invest in a non profit organisation?! Does that not prompt you to question exactly who is money driven here? I wonder what rate of return I would get on my investment if the only people who would benefit were the board of this non profit. Have things changed?

It was good to mention Aljazur's pass rate, however it would be even better if you could mention how many students sat exams. I heard it was something like four? By the way, will students be sitting exams in Lisbon like last year or at your temporary school building? I think these are the types of things that will give us all a clear and objective picture of what you're offering. I have of course considered all options as the economy begins to take the better of us!

The bus service sounds great, but so far the only transport I saw was a teacher picking up students in her car. Porches and VVIS offer licensed and insured bus services. If Aljazur has a licensed bus with one of those student sticker things I would begin to consider them as a viable option, but for now its all talk (mostly exaggerated).

Sundance - Barlavento's fees are on their website. I'm not sure if they negotiate those down or not. Your information on Portuguese schools was greatly appreciated, although upon visiting a few I began to realise your dilemma particularly the way I felt I was being treated as a "estranjeiro".

Lets hope we can get some facts from JakeT and include another school in this discussion.