dibyrne

Hi to you all.

I'm new to the forum, but have been visiting for a while now and most of the questions I had have already been answered in others' posts. Though I do have concerns over my son's options with school, so I was hoping for some guidance.

We intend to move over at the end of this school year, by which time my son will be 9. He is doing very well at his school. He's friendly and such a sweet boy, but not at all tough.

Reading some posts and viewing some video blogs on Youtube I get the impression state schools could be a bit of a challenge if my son is not the sort of kid that sticks up for himself. We think he might fair better at a private/semi private school. Our budget won't extend to much more than e250 - 300 per month. We have not chosen an area to settle yet but, as a rough guide, are we likely to find a private option for this kind of budget?

He does do Spanish at school, but it's vary basic. I read that 10/11 year olds would struggle. I also read that children 8 and under should not find it too difficult to get on. My son will be 9, so he's on the cusp. Do you think 9 years old is pushing the limits where we could feel comfortable about getting over the language barrier without issues with school work?

My husband had a very unhappy school life. He is very sensitive to the issue and we would hate ourselves if our move to Spain was the cause of unhappiness for our son.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Rosemary

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

snikpoh

My son was 9 when we came over, with zero Spanish, and he survived just fine in a state school.

Like your son, ours was not one to 'stick up for himself' but this was never an issue (I can't understand where this idea of Spanish schools came from).

So, I would say - go for it, he shouldn't have a problem.

davidinspain

I'd echo this post,my daughter was a very shy 6 year old,who now 21 has just recently completed a degree in Spanish.

dibyrne

Thank you for your replies.

I suppose my worries came from the odd anecdote here and there about bullying, aggression, problems fitting in, lack of support from the school when issues do arise etc etc. Whilst anecdotal, there did seem to be enough negative comments to concern me. No doubt the same can be said about the UK. We moved him to an International School in the UK due to issues with his old school. We are fortunate enough to be able to afford it here with incomes. In Spain we would not have the same resources, but can afford at least some contributions to his schooling in the hope we'd minimise the likelihood of any potential issues and increase his chances of a decent education.

Perhaps I'm misinformed, which is why I am interested to hear from others. Although if anyone can help me answer the question about fees. Researching draws a bit of a blank, since many of the schools do not advertise their fee structure.

snikpoh

Here's an old quote from a previous thread (http://britishexpats.com/forum/spain...el-sol-862469/);

dibyrne

Thanks. Yes, I did see that. I have also read fees can range from e100 per month to 1000.

snikpoh

We sent our children to a concertado once they had finished primary school. This cost in excess of 50€ per month plus, plus, plus (insurance, internet for reports etc.) so 100€ per month for an international school is incredibly cheap!

flotsum

My daughter was 10 did not make friends easily, hates talking to anyone she doesn't know, she is still the same now! She went to a State school and settled in very quickly. The children and teachers were very welcoming lots of hugs when needed etc. I felt that there was a lack of support with the actual language however the teachers believed that they would pick it up from interaction which they did. There were no other English speaking children at the school so my children were a novelty to the other children but there was no teasing or bullying of them. In retrospect we should have paid for private lessons in the afternoon so that they were able to keep up with the schoolwork and have help with their homework which would have reduced the stress levels all round and sped up their learning. In the town we live in there are 6 after school academies as well as 4 language academies and most people who can afford it send their children for extra support and lessons to these.

chopera

Our eldest goes to a concertado in Madrid, and it costs something like €60/month for "voluntary" contribution, another €120/month for the food, and there are also costs for uniform, books, after school activities, etc. €300/month easily covers it though. In a way we save money over state schools because school doesn't finish until 5 so my wife can pick him up directly after work. Most state schools finish at 2 or 3 so if he went to one of these we'd have to pay for some kind of after school activity every day until my wife could pick him up.

In Madrid there are fully private schools that charge maybe €400/month but you then have to add the extras. International schools cost upwards of about €600/month.

I think bullying is no more or less an issue in Spain then anywhere else. It can crop up in any school, and might be related to domestic issues beyond the school's control. What's interesting is how the schools deals with it - do they try to help the perpetrator (as well as the victim of course) or do they take the easy option and simply expel them?

For English support, many Spanish state and private schools are "bilingual" - which means they teach some subjects in English, to varying degrees of success. It probably helps if you can find a school that is not only bilingual but became bilingual prior to say 2010 so his class mates would be used to being exposed to English, and familiar with certain aspects of English culture.

dibyrne

Thanks for the advice. I think the next step for us is to have a bit of a reconnoiter in the spring and contact the schools directly.