vonnie1975

iv just moved to torrevieja with my 6 and 8 yr old ther in spanish school, my 6yr old in year 1 so is ok at starting at bottom, my 8 yr old in year 3 and struggling as doesent know lanuage, he will prob have to repeat yr 3 (been advised) but im knocking myself ill thinking what if he doesent pik up lanuage and falls really behind in spain, has any1 moved to spain with kids this age??? how did they get on??? both my kids ver very bright back in uk school xx

flotsum

My children were 6 and 10 when we moved, one started in year 1 with no problem, my oldest straight into year 5, it was a hard slog for the first 6 months we had to spend hours helping with the homework and at times I regretted moving them but suddenly it all sank in, she picked up her grades and from April on started to really achieve finally passing year 5 first time. The school told us that the children needed to attend after school clubs and spend as much time as possible with their friends out of school, so that they could absorb the language, the first year is not easy for you or them but hopefully it will get better, then one day you realise that the children are plotting trouble but they speak spanish really fast so you have no idea what they are up to!

paintermujer

My daughter was 8 when we moved here.Weve had the tears and worries too.They do adjust to their new lives over time so try not to worry although worrying it is.

She is in year 6 of a different school now.People say her accent is like that of a spaniard and she has a great group of friends.

Her school work is generally good but she still struggles at times with valenciano,which is our local language..in fact the subjects at the school are all taught in valenciano apart from english and spanish of course...but she gets lots of extra help in school and out of school too and is making good progress.

I think for now just let them get used to their new surroundings, culture and language..children seem so more more resilient than us oldies and their minds are like sponges..lots of reassurance is needed and close contact with the teachers is essential...come back in a years time and Im sure your story will be different.

Good luck.

mikelincs

Once he has picked up the language he will soon catch up, kids are so much better in learning the language, especially if they are immersed in it like at school. I wouldn't worry about him having to repeat the year, he will catch up.

vonnie1975

oh i hope so, what help does your daughter get outside school??? im planning on getting my son an hr a day with someone thats speaks spanish like after school x

paintermujer

She gets extra language lessons in both castellano and valenciano...there are so many conjugations even the spanish get stuck!
She also gets extra maths for 2 hours a week from her class teacher which we pay for and if ever it is noticed in school that she is lacking then she gets extra lesson in whatever too.

Her class teacher says she will go up at the end of the year..we are just making absolutely sure she does..because she will be moving to the senior part of the school and its imperative that she stays with her friends.

paintermujer

Someone to speak for an hour a day with your son would be a great idea..they really do pick the lingo up very quickly but it may be a couple of years or even more before you actually hear them say it...its a kind of embarrassment I think for the parents to hear them.

vonnie1975

ok well thanks for the advise its been very helpfull xx