Crikey even your family are geniuses as well as you Most kids dont even speak their native language fluently at 2 and 3 !!!!

Every 3 year old I've ever met has been speaking fluently

Yes, you're right the younger one speaks more with a collection of words at a time.

They're not geniuses, it is normal.

A lot of spanish families have sent their children to the EIC college in Marbella as they are running a bi-lingual course.

I would add to Number 3 a lot of children, understandably, do suffer emotionally moving, especially at certain ages.
I think most new foreign students are put down the first year to evaluate them. Whilst I understand the reasons it's not always productive for the child to be in a class of younger students.
Therefore, some young people do find it hard to settle in and this will affect their ability/desire to learn.
All my children speak fluent spanish and learnt within a year going to a state school but they do have english friends who are having difficulties.

jojojojojo,
You didn't say your daughter was having difficulty and that was your reason for looking to alternatives, hence my reply.
If your daughter is still struggling after the time she has had here then I think that by all means you should do whatever you think will help her.
We did have some problems but luckily we were able to resolve them with the schools help.

From what I've heard, there are many schools who tend to put the English kids in the back of the classroom with a colouring book and pencils and leave em to it!!!!


The previous state school my daughter was in had a lot of British kids, some learnt, others didnt. It seemed to me there were a fair few kids whose parents saw the school more as a childminding service than a school and were a little lax in even getting their kids there after a boozy night out!!!! Also with the difficulty of parents evenings, picking up notas etc, some parents obviously felt there was no point in going cos they wouldnt understand anyway



Jo xxx

I saw one when the Trotters painted that geezers Chinese restaurant.

I'm always looking for something, somewhere for my daughter to get a good education. She's actually enjoying the state school she's at, but altho she has friends and talks in Spansih to them a little, she refuses to speak it in the classroom and uses her lack of understanding as an excuse for almost everything according to her teacher. We now have a Spanish teacher at home, who she was deliberately uncooperative with yesterday!!!!!?

She's a bright kid, but also a very tenatious one!! She still wants to go back to the UK, hates Spain and says she hates the Spanish and will not use their stupid language!! We do have some rather turbulent moments lol!!!!!

jo xxx

and some kids just don't want to learn & are the ones who would have probably been failing in the UK anyway

I know parents like those you mentioned - kids don't go to school because the parents are still pissed from the night before & can't get up to take them

kids who have to stay home to look after younger ones because mum & dad are too 'busy'/lazy

I knew some like that in the UK too

Yes, well there were an awful lot of them at my daughters old state school!! What made it worse was that the Spanish hated these kids, so there was always fights etc. So they wouldnt have anything to do with my daughter cos she was a Brit and the British kids didnt like my daughter cos they thought she was snobby, just because we're not a drinking family and we do care about their education!

Jo xxx

I agree. Moving is a hard emotional thing to do.

New country, new language, new friends to make...Arghhhh How scary !

No wonder education wise, the kids struggle..

Generally, I would discourage people bringing children over 9 without the needed support...ie parents extra time/caring and language learning. Without helping their children, parents will find their children will learn little while in Spain. Sad eh.

I think therein lies the problem.
In which case you can only hope she will grow through this phase, trying to encourage her may well result in her determination not to.
Sometimes it is better to let them find their own way rather than you trying to find it for them.
All the best

As a teacher, that's my biggest question.

If i were a parent, it would be my biggest concern.

But investing in ones own talents and business ideas is quite commonplace dont you think? Thats what my husband had to do many years ago when he first wanted to start a business - He needed to buy/lease premises, equipment, stock, pay staff etc...... He got a business loan on the strength of his faith that it would succeed and his business plan!

Jo xxx

Do you think the banks will be giving loans to teachers then so they can get jobs at this school?

Its possible if they produce a business plan, some projected figures of how the moneys would be paid back and the bank thought it was a safe investment! Business is business! This is similar to how Doctors surgeries in the UK work. The GPs put money in to start up a practice. They have to have premises, staff, equipment and they have to take out business loans to do it...........They then become partners of the practice.

However, will this work for a school???? Apparently its something thats been done already in Madrid and is working well ???????!!!

Jo xxx