teamlees

We're just playing around with the possibility of moving to Ibiza. My eldest is 5 - about to go into year 1 at infants school. He can't speak spanish - YET! Does anyone have experience of moving a child of this age into a spanish school? How did they get on? Would they recommend it? Is anyone doing this in Ibiza already? Look forward to hearing from anyone with advice. Thx

cricketman

I'm sure people more helpful then me will come along to help shortly.

But just to mention that many people in Ibiza speak Ibizenco (I think spelt like that) - a form of Catalan, not Spanish. And if the schools are anything like in Catalunya then the majority of teaching will be in Ibizenco

Sherlock Holmes

Catalan is now the official language used in schools in Ibiza.

The old Ibicenco language varies in dialect from Portinaxt to Ibiza town.

Most people also speak Castillian.

There is one school on the island (I think) that supports youngsters for whom Catalan is not their first language.

Youngsters are very adaptable though. Won't be long before he is teaching you!

If you are wondering what an expat in Oz is doing asnswering this; it's a LONG story.

Google is quite useful on this one.

Rosemary

As Concierges for the Spanish section of BE we would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let us know if you need any further help.

Rosemary and Graham

fionamw

Notwithstanding the issue of Catalan v Castillano.
My (now 9yo) son was rising 5 when we moved. He went into the middle of the three years of Pre-Escolar at the local village school. I'd taught him to say please, thankyou, hello, goodbye, wee and my name is. (possibly the first few numbers too). That was his entire vocabulary. Within weeks he was comfortable, not many months he was seemingly totally at ease in Spanish and not only that but learning the subjects alongside his Spanish counterparts with no problems.
Yours, if your eldest is 5, really should have no problems at all. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. No better way to get a good grounding. Later years at school? Well don't worry about that yet. Five is fine!

snikpoh

My children are now 12, 12 and 14 and we've been here just 5 years. They didn't have any Spanish (or Valencian) when they were 'dropped in the deep end'.

Within a very short time they had made friends in the playground and could make themselves understood.

They have never been held back and can now hold their own (even in an argument) in English, Spanish or Valencian.

So, I wouldn't worry - they will be just fine but they must be allowed to integrate with other Spanish families. I think it's also important to try and speak Spanish at home - it's often fun for the parents to try and learn at the same time.

cricketman

Being able to "hold their own" is all very well, but are they good enough to pass the end of the year exams to a high standard? I guess thats the Q.

If you leave school without good qualifications in Spain then your future is really grim

fionamw

Hence my gentle observation about later years can be worried about later. Right now their child is 5, any others they have are younger. At that age they'll do just fine!

cricketman

Of course, I just wanted to add that parents expectations should be high.

I'm the biggest advocate on sending your kids to Spanish schools if they are being brought up in Spain. Unless you want them to move back to the UK at 18, a country they'll hardly know!

HBG

I think you should bear in mind the statistics for people, especially younger ones with children, who return to the UK after an average of between five and eight years. Those younger people have either gone into business or had jobs to come to, but something has gone wrong and they are forced to return to the UK.

For a child who started his education in a Spanish school at the age of five, to return to a British school at the age of 13 would be a disaster in educational terms; apart from the language there are major differences between the two systems.

To save an unnecessary war of words, I'm not saying that one country's system is better than the other's, just that they are different.

lynnxa

my children were 5 & nearly 9 when they started at spanish school, with very little spanish - certainly not able to hold a conversation, but with a few words - they both settled very quickly, much more so than they had in the private International school they went for the previous year

my 2 more than 'hold their own' - they pass with good grades - better than many/most spanish kids in their classes - & speak not only castellano, but also valenciano

it has to be admitted though that many english kids never do reach that level - even some who have been here longer than us

steviedeluxe

Whatever country you're based in, we're approaching a stage where your children may not find work unless they have very good grades, or connections.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...school-leavers

Quite what the answer is, I'm not sure. But as long as companies can hire foreign migrants at will (albeit from within an expanding EU) then things are going to get harder.

Apologies for such a negative note. I hope things have changed for your children by the time they do leave school.

snikpoh

Well. my 14 year old has just passed year 3, ESO in ALL subjects with 'NOTABLE' or above! So, yes, I would consider that a high standard.

cat6

My children were five and eighteen months when we moved to the Basque country. My five year old adapted very fast, and without any real problems. We send her to a colegio concertado which has an immersion English programme. This was very helpful since she spends half the day learning in English, with the afternoons in Spanish (and a period in Basque). She is quite comfortable in Spanish, and scores better than many of her Spanish classmates in Spanish too. Five is actually a good age to move.

siesta

That's really good!

What's your opinion on the Spanish system where you are marked every year and in each subject and you don't go on to the next year if you fail vs the British one?