If the OP was under 10 years old then I would agree

But he isn´t, he is already 16. So the situation is impossible

Hi everyone (sorry if I do something wrong - I am a newbie ),

I am Spanish so I am familiar with the Spanish education system for obvious reason, and also because I am a teacher in the public system. In spite of this, though, I can only offer my personal view. Unfortunately, it would be quite impossible for anyone to pass their exams in the public education system without mastering the language. Native students struggle with their subjects at this level. The exams are quite demanding. So imagine trying to succeed without the language skills, having to absorb the content while expressing yourself in Spanish accurately on top of that. I cannot imagine a smooth integration into the system without trying to get a really good grasp of the language first. Sorry to be negative, but I don't think it is realistic at all and it would just lead to immediate disappointment.

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Thank you for joining and giving us your valuable opinion especially as your schooling was in the Spanish system and you are now a teacher. Your experiences are important. I totally agree with you that native students often struggle at this level because it is quite intensive. Do not apologise for being negative, you are giving people an insight into the difficulties that students face and at times this can be negative so you are being honest.

Rosemary

Ok thanks everyone for the advice but to be honest when people are making comments like is this a wind up no its not a wind up Im moving to Spain whether I want to or not Im going next week to look around both international and state schools and yes I know Im not going to make it through state education etc but my grandparents have talked to their freinds and they have recommended a school that is like 65% english and if you cant speak spanish they give you a teaching assistant to translate I know this is going to be difficult but nothings impossible and Im going to give it a go I would also like to add that the reason I am moving is my dad and mum being redundant and going to work at the family business which is based in Spain

The schools that are 65% full of English kids have the worst results in the country I am afraid

I don't want to be negative, or rude, but will say that I hope your posts to this site have been done in a hurry. If they're the best you can do at communicating in English I'd recommend you try to improve your first language before attempting another.

OK, I really understand your reasons to move here now. If it does happen in the end, try to expose yourself to the Spanish language as much as you possibly can. Even from today. Spanish radio, Spanish websites of things that interest you, series and films if that is your thing, even just videos on YouTube of things that you like, but in Spanish.

Wishing you all the best. If you think you could do with some help from a native feel free to PM.

What planet are you on? There are hundreds of kids in Spanish state schools who don't speak a word of Spanish. It's the same in UK state schools. The students may not do well, but they're there and it is all funded by the state, just like in Spain. Whether you think it's irresponsible or that it shouldn't happen, is irrelevant.

Also, the Spanish system is set up in such a way as it is certainly not unusual to have kids in the same class as you who are 1 or 2 years older. If they fail 2 or more subjects in any year, they often have to repeat the year. Why would the OP be in a class of 16 year old's at 20? She could spend a year in 4th ESO (she's likely to be the same age as one or two others in the class) then do bachillerato. If she has to repeat a year, she'd be at most, 2 years older and while not ideal, it isn't unusual, in my experience.

My own daughter was 16 when we came to Spain for a year and I was working as a language assistant in a small secondary school. She had completed her GCSE's but had no knowledge of Spanish. She didn't do bachillerato but did 4th ESO and she learnt to speak Spanish to a level where she is now studying it at university and achieving firsts or 2:1's in all her exams. In one year, if you're motivated, sociable and the school is prepared to help you, it is possible to get to a level that means you could try bachillerato. You may not succeed, you may have to repeat some subjects or even a whole year, but it is possible. Yes, it is state funded but in fact, many schools welcome new students, particularly if they're a small school like the one I am in, as more students mean more funding and the chance the school won't be closed. They welcomed my daughter with open arms and she has made many lifelong friends.

My daughters experience was good, with teachers who wanted to help her. Maybe the OP will also be able to find a similar school that will help, particularly if she's prepared to spend a year in 4th ESO. That would be my recommendation.

The OP was only asking a question and while I don't often post, I was appalled by the way the young OP was treated. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Good luck Scarlett, I hope you can work something out.

Is this standard practice in Spain these days?

In all due respect. You came to Spain for a year, then you left, and the only thing your child learnt was a bit of Spanish so she could study it at university, meaning that she did not become fluent in that year, and she most definitely was not at the level where she could take the bachillerato exams

You were lucky that you found a school that helped your child despite the way you took advantage of the system. In other schools which have higher rates of foreign students, this may not be the case

Have you the link to the Spanish equivalent of OFSTED or wherever you got this from please cricketman. It is of professional interest to me.

Thanks

There is no Spanish equivalent to OFSTED

I read a paper from the university of Almeria that showed that British children in Spanish schools produced the worst grades and were the most disruptive of any other immigrant children in Spain

The conclusion they made was that it was the attitude of the children´s parents that were to blame. British children had parents who could not speak Spanish and had no interest in doing so and effectively the children lead a British life in Spain so had no interest in integrating during school time

The paper used to be freely available (in Spanish) but now like most academic papers it is hidden behind a pay wall

I find this very confusing because I would have thought that the parents of the children would be of working age therefore they would need to be able to speak Spanish in order to earn a living. Even if they live and work with and for Brits they would still not be able to function well in a job without speaking Spanish. So often the requirement to speak the language is stated on here regarding gaining work.

Surely it is the expat pensioners living in British areas that are less likely to learn the language.

Rosemary