EDUCATION In
dealing with people considering the move to the Costa Blanca an emerging trend
has evolved, more and more families with small children are escaping
the cold weather and embarking on a new life in Spain. As such, a good education for their children
is the primary concern of those parents. In
order to cater for the increasing number of ex-pats, the education authorities
in Spain are building new state schools and in highly populated ex-pat areas, schools are now offering "immersion" programmes for those
children who speak little or no Spanish. These programmes help the pupils adapt
to their new lives in Spain and are well balanced with lessons which develop
their full potential.
There is a school here to suit your infant, child or teenager you just need
to know where to look ! For
families intending to make their home in Spain, state education is free but it
is only conducted in Spanish. However, this does not seem to present a problem
for young children who tend to pick up the language quickly. Attending a
Spanish school is definitely one of the best ways of ensuring that both the
child, and in most cases, the family, become integrated into the local Spanish
community. It
is often a good idea for the family and especially the children to have some
Spanish lessons prior to coming to Spain.
In the Spanish
state system school starts at
the age of 6. At 16
students are awarded a 'titulo do graduado escolar' certificate and
many will then stay to study for their "baccalaureate"which leads to
University entrance. Those pupils that have not completed the
four years or are less academic are awarded a school certificate and
they can then go onto attend a vocational school [formacion
profesional]. In
Spain, children must attend the school closest to where they live, so if you
decide to live in an area full of British Ex-pats, you’re likely to find plenty of
British children in the local school. In
order to get your child into a Spanish school, you will need all the necessarypaperwork, proof of residency [usually in
the form of proof of address], Certificat of Empadronamiento, the child’s full birth certificate, passport,
photos, and immunization record etc. For more information go to the Downloads
page.
If
your child is older or in the middle of a GSCE or A level course, it may be
advisable to consider an International School. Fees for day students are
usually cheaper than in the U.K. These schools also tend to offer qualifications
better known to UK universities. Some schools offer a system of English and
Spanish curricula which enables students to be qualified for either Spain or
the UK.
Now
that you have school taken care of on to the fun stuff! The Costa Blanca
has a health of activities on offer and include anusement parks, bowling, cinema,
football, ice skating, horse riding, soft play etc. Check out the recreation
pages for more details.
It
is important to remember that moving anywhere new is always difficult, moving
to another country brings a wealth of different issues. Be patient with your children
and understand that they don't have the same coping mechanisms as adults. Life
for Spanish children is very differnt, even down to meal times, their lives
are very family orientated, whereas many expats are simply trying to survive
that children end up neglected and roaming the streets until the early hours
of the morning with other expat children. It is not unheard of for Brits to
allow their children to not attend school, this can cause tremendous peer
pressure for those who do attend.
Go
to Downloads
for guide to schools in the region and
other guides to education.
