SCHOOLS

Educating your Children

Taking children away from their environment, friends and school, can be a daunting decision for any parent to make and does need to be considered carefully.

However, transferring your child to a Spanish School is a fairly easy process as Spain is a member of the EU. State schools seem to be a good choice for those with younger children and you will find that the English children are warmly welcomed.

Sending your children to the local State school is a perfect way to integrate them into the Spanish community. It will give them plenty of opportunity to make new friends within the town or village you choose to live in and ensure they have friends to play with out of school hours. If when you arrive in Spain , you or your children do not speak Spanish, it is advisable to arrange for some Spanish lessons. The children will be taught in Castilian Spanish at school and this will help to make the first few days and weeks of communication easier to deal with. As in the UK , all academic subjects are studied.

In Spain the State education is free. However, parents will need to pay for books and extra curricular activities such as art and sports equipment. Spanish schools also take a more relaxed approach to uniforms, often there is no uniform required and teachers are normally called by their Christian names.

The Christmas and Easter school holidays are similar to those in the UK . However, in Spain they do not have half term weeks but have a much longer summer break. During June the days are shortened to finish at around 1pm with all of July and August off then back to school during September with half days again.

To register your children within the schooling system they have to be on the Padron (Town Hall Register). You will also have to provide a copy of the child's birth certificate, proof of immunisation and proof of residency.

For those wanting to attend University every student must take and pass a University entrance examination.

The alternative to the Spanish schools is to register your child in an English or International School. These are privately fee charging schools. Most of which will follow the syllabus offering entry into GCSE's and A'levels.

An excellent resource is to contact the National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS) founded in 1978 to promote and uphold the British schooling system in Spain. Their website http://www.nabss.org is full of information and has a list of all English Speaking schools.

LIFESTYLE