# Sunny View School



## lynn

RedLiz said:


> Your post convinced me to do it...so I cn comment and pick everyone's brains now......2 weeks and I'll be out there and I can't wait!
> Working at Sunny View School in Torremolinos and living in Benalmadena Costa.
> Where should I visit first?????


I'm planning a move next year and I am visiting Sunny View School next week. Wondered if you could give me a view on it? My children will be in years 12 8 and 6 and I am looking for a good academic school with a good record of results


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## jojo

lynn said:


> I'm planning a move next year and I am visiting Sunny View School next week. Wondered if you could give me a view on it? My children will be in years 12 8 and 6 and I am looking for a good academic school with a good record of results


Just thought I'd muscle in. Last year when we were planning our move, we went to look at a few international schools in that area and out of three, we liked a school called "Sunland" in Cartamar, just north of Malaga. I wasnt that keen on Sunnyview - I cant really say why and its probably unfair of me to raise doubt in your mind. Chosing a school is a personal choice and involves many issues

We also looked at St Anthonys. We chose Sunlands cos it seemed to be the most relaxed, inspiring, friendly and I liked the teaching staff! I'm afraid academic results werent at the top of my list, so I dont know how good they were.

Sunlands has not disappointed me. My 13yo son has come on in huge leaps and bounds and a once shy, timid and disinterested lad is fast becoming confident, bright and happy. And more importantly, he absolutely loves it there and works really hard!

Theres some food for thought at least

Jo x


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## lynn

Thank you for your imput,

Its great to hear something positive posted about International schools in Spain. Most of the postings seem to favour putting children into the Spanish state system, but when your children a a little older I think its hard on them to deal with a whole new language on top of the relocation. I think Sunlands is a bit out of our area as we are looking further towards Mijas but I have seen the website and agree it comes across very well. I am looking at St Anthonys but I have heard that the discipline is not great. As you say, it all boils down to a gut feeling about a school but the difference is when your about to shell out fees for three children, you want to know they will be well educated and happy! Thanks once again for the info. I will visit them all next week and take a view from there.



jojo said:


> Just thought I'd muscle in. Last year when we were planning our move, we went to look at a few international schools in that area and out of three, we liked a school called "Sunland" in Cartamar, just north of Malaga. I wasnt that keen on Sunnyview - I cant really say why and its probably unfair of me to raise doubt in your mind. Chosing a school is a personal choice and involves many issues
> 
> We also looked at St Anthonys. We chose Sunlands cos it seemed to be the most relaxed, inspiring, friendly and I liked the teaching staff! I'm afraid academic results werent at the top of my list, so I dont know how good they were.
> 
> Sunlands has not disappointed me. My 13yo son has come on in huge leaps and bounds and a once shy, timid and disinterested lad is fast becoming confident, bright and happy. And more importantly, he absolutely loves it there and works really hard!
> 
> Theres some food for thought at least
> 
> Jo x


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## jojo

lynn said:


> Thank you for your imput,
> 
> Its great to hear something positive posted about International schools in Spain. Most of the postings seem to favour putting children into the Spanish state system, but when your children a a little older I think its hard on them to deal with a whole new language on top of the relocation. .



I agree and I think I'm sure most people on here do. There is an age whereby you can get away with sending your kids to state school and beyond that its really only fair that they should stay with what they know and go to international. Both my children attended international when we arrived here in February. However, my daughter, who's 11 was determined that she wanted to try a state school. so this term she started at the local school. she's been there for 2 weeks and so far she absolutely hates it. Now in my opinion she's at that age where really she's maybe to old to start learning in Spanish, but maybe she isnt - We've gone with her wishes and we'll see. If, by christmas she still doesnt like it, then she can go back to Sunlands (I hope if they have the space) and hopefully the experience wont have affected her education. My son who is 13 is too old for state - end of! I will say though, that I'm surprised at how easily the younger children (under 9s) seem to learn the language and take to state schools. I suppose life is just an adventure at that age and they have no fear!

Also, you have to KNOW that you will stay in spain to put your children into state school, cos its just not fair to change their education too much, so if you're family is a travelling one, then international is the place - These schools do seem to have a high turnover of kids in the main - purely cos their families move around the a lot


Jo


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## lynn

My other half has been over today and has looked at Aloha College. Said it is very impressive in lots of ways - gets good academic results, but at a high financial cost (and we have three to pay for!) Also, its a logistical nightmare to get to and even the headmaster admitted it gets congested in the mornings. Good for music but not particularly good for sports. Does the IB rather than A levels, which seems quite a good idea. I'm coming over next week to look at as many others as I can possibly fit in. Seems like the schools nearer to Malaga are much cheaper. I guess everything near to Marbella is expensive.

I feel for you going through the trauma of your daughter trying the state system. I have to say, she sounds very determined and maybe that will help her make it work!


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## emeraldspace

*International Schools*



lynn said:


> My other half has been over today and has looked at Aloha College. Said it is very impressive in lots of ways - gets good academic results, but at a high financial cost (and we have three to pay for!) Also, its a logistical nightmare to get to and even the headmaster admitted it gets congested in the mornings. Good for music but not particularly good for sports. Does the IB rather than A levels, which seems quite a good idea. I'm coming over next week to look at as many others as I can possibly fit in. Seems like the schools nearer to Malaga are much cheaper. I guess everything near to Marbella is expensive.
> 
> I feel for you going through the trauma of your daughter trying the state system. I have to say, she sounds very determined and maybe that will help her make it work!


I just read your post from 2008 and wondered if you managed to find an International School that you were happy with? Just going through the same process myself as looking to relocate next spring with my 3 children - who will be 14, 12 and 8 yrs. My priority is for a nurturing and caring environment rather than solely for academic excellence. Have already shortlisted Sunland + St Anthonys. Any feedback/recommendations appreciated.


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## jojo

emeraldspace said:


> I just read your post from 2008 and wondered if you managed to find an International School that you were happy with? Just going through the same process myself as looking to relocate next spring with my 3 children - who will be 14, 12 and 8 yrs. My priority is for a nurturing and caring environment rather than solely for academic excellence. Have already shortlisted Sunland + St Anthonys. Any feedback/recommendations appreciated.



SUNLANDS YAY!!!

The best school in Spain. My son has been there for two years and has come on in leaps and bounds. A once very shy and average lad is now a bright, confident and intelligent young man! He loves it!!!!

Jo xxx


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## lynn

jojo said:


> SUNLANDS YAY!!!
> 
> The best school in Spain. My son has been there for two years and has come on in leaps and bounds. A once very shy and average lad is now a bright, confident and intelligent young man! He loves it!!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


We have sent our three children to Sunny View School. They have been there since September, and all three are thriving. I have been very pleased with the school overall, and how quickly they have adapted to a very different form of schooling. I would definitely recommend a school with a high proportion of Spanish children as Sunny View does. I think Jojo will probably say the same about Sunlands (??). Good luck with the move


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## emeraldspace

lynn said:


> We have sent our three children to Sunny View School. They have been there since September, and all three are thriving. I have been very pleased with the school overall, and how quickly they have adapted to a very different form of schooling. I would definitely recommend a school with a high proportion of Spanish children as Sunny View does. I think Jojo will probably say the same about Sunlands (??). Good luck with the move



Many thanks for the feedback. Always helpful to get parents' views. Will continue investigating.


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## jojo

lynn said:


> We have sent our three children to Sunny View School. They have been there since September, and all three are thriving. I have been very pleased with the school overall, and how quickly they have adapted to a very different form of schooling. I would definitely recommend a school with a high proportion of Spanish children as Sunny View does. I think Jojo will probably say the same about Sunlands (??). Good luck with the move


Yep!!! We have a great mix of Spanish, British and "others". They all get on, the playground has a strange but fun mixture of languages, the education is mainly in english and follows the British curriculum, but there are a couple of lessons in Spanish, including spanish history and culture. My son loves it there and I love him being there. 

Lynn, I didnt realise you were living in the same area as us!! 

Jo xxxx


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## lynn

jojo said:


> Yep!!! We have a great mix of Spanish, British and "others". They all get on, the playground has a strange but fun mixture of languages, the education is mainly in english and follows the British curriculum, but there are a couple of lessons in Spanish, including spanish history and culture. My son loves it there and I love him being there.
> 
> Lynn, I didnt realise you were living in the same area as us!!
> 
> Jo xxxx


Yes Jo, not a million miles away from you! 
I think when you visit the schools you just get a 'feel' for the one that suits. There are a lot of things to consider, especially if you know where you will be living. We were happy to locate ourselves based on the choice of school, and given the school is in Torremolinos, we now won't want to move any further away. Like Sunlands, Sunny View follows the British Curriculum, but doesn't do Spanish culture and history. This is the first time we have used private education for our children, and it is therefore a major part of our budget. The cost goes up as the children get older, and it is worth bearing this in mind.


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## jojo

lynn said:


> Yes Jo, not a million miles away from you!
> I think when you visit the schools you just get a 'feel' for the one that suits. There are a lot of things to consider, especially if you know where you will be living. We were happy to locate ourselves based on the choice of school, and given the school is in Torremolinos, we now won't want to move any further away. Like Sunlands, Sunny View follows the British Curriculum, but doesn't do Spanish culture and history. This is the first time we have used private education for our children, and it is therefore a major part of our budget. The cost goes up as the children get older, and it is worth bearing this in mind.


The cost!!!! When we first moved here and the exchange rate was in our favour we had both of our children at the school, however the school fees went up, the exchange rate went down, we lost a tenant in our UK house and sadly we had to take our daughter out of Sunlands and try her with State education - which at 12yo wasnt ideal, altho she is enjoying her new school but having trouble with the language. We didnt really have a choice tho - "the jury is still out" as to whether this is the right thing and working ok?? Sadly, if it isnt, we may well have to return to the UK!!??!!

But choosing schools is a personal thing, as Lynn says, you get a "feel" and Sunlands did it for us, it was like no other school we'd ever seen, out in the country, masses of land and space, the teaching staff were lovely and most importantly to me, the pupils there were all happy, polite, well mannered and all smiling and enjoying being there. For me, education is so much more than just about getting good grades and academia, its about having great experiences and learning about life and working with others.

We didnt actually look at Sunnyview, cos we found Sunlands, but we looked at St Anthonys and one of the Benalmadena colleges, but they werent for us


Jo xxx


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## lynn

We looked at St Anthony's, the two Benalmadena schools, Aloha, Swans and Calahonda college (which has since closed down). We didn't see the English International College as the receptionist was so snotty about visits! We ruled out all the other schools for various reasons including price for some of them. Once we visited Sunny View it was by far the best choice for our children and budget. We visited three times before making the final decision, both with and without the children with us. The head teacher gave us a lot of time to show us round the school and answer our questions. Funnily enough, I was approached by a parent the other week who was looking at the school potentially for their child next year when they were planning to relocate to the Costa del Sol. It was nice to be able to pass on some real life info from the horses mouth so to speak, and the children were really enthusiastic about the school in front of a potential new parent.


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## jojo

I've just found out that one of my daughters friends goes to sunnyview! Her mum is very pleased with it.

Jo xx


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## lynn

What year is she in Jojo? My daughter is around your daughter's age and is in year 8.


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## jojo

lynn said:


> What year is she in Jojo? My daughter is around your daughter's age and is in year 8.



She's a bit older than Ruby, I think she'd be in year 10!!! Her name is Katie and a really lovely girl, her older sister was there too but has just left - I think??. Now thats where the issues start with International schools - do they speak good enough spanish to go on to further education in Spain or even get a job????? 

Small world tho isnt it!!


Jo xxx


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## lynn

jojo said:


> She's a bit older than Ruby, I think she'd be in year 10!!! Her name is Katie and a really lovely girl, her older sister was there too but has just left - I think??. Now thats where the issues start with International schools - do they speak good enough spanish to go on to further education in Spain or even get a job?????
> 
> Small world tho isnt it!!
> 
> 
> Jo xxx


I don't expect my three to be fluent enough in Spanish to be able to go on to further education here as they are starting too late, but I think those children who start younger have a much better chance. My eldest is doing his A levels, and will probably go to uni in the UK after that. If he doesn't get the grades, he will have to return to the UK to find work. I don't see that as a problem and neither does he really. He feels comfortable here now, but wouldn't feel uncomfortable returning to the UK.

The other two are slightly different as they will be living here for longer and I think may have more difficulty adapting to living in the UK. We will have to deal with that if and when it happens. We did meet someone who had been at Sunny View for his education, gone back to uni in the UK and had moved back here to work in Media (I think) so it can be done. I would like to think our children wouldn't be averse to living anywhere in the world now that they have the experience of living abroad. It opens their eyes to things don't you think?


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## jojo

lynn said:


> I don't expect my three to be fluent enough in Spanish to be able to go on to further education here as they are starting too late, but I think those children who start younger have a much better chance. My eldest is doing his A levels, and will probably go to uni in the UK after that. If he doesn't get the grades, he will have to return to the UK to find work. I don't see that as a problem and neither does he really. He feels comfortable here now, but wouldn't feel uncomfortable returning to the UK.
> 
> The other two are slightly different as they will be living here for longer and I think may have more difficulty adapting to living in the UK. We will have to deal with that if and when it happens. We did meet someone who had been at Sunny View for his education, gone back to uni in the UK and had moved back here to work in Media (I think) so it can be done. I would like to think our children wouldn't be averse to living anywhere in the world now that they have the experience of living abroad. It opens their eyes to things don't you think?


I totally agree, thats my take on it! Education isnt just about academia, its also about confidence and the knowledge that the world is there for the taking. I know that if I'd stayed in the UK my son would have probably left school and would be trying to get a job locally in a garage or something, never leaving our town. As it is now, he desperately wants to be a pilot. He's certainly not afraid of the world and doesnt have that "small town" mentality.

BTW, your eldest may know Rubys friends sister, I think she was about to do her A levels but had to leave due to an arm injury. I dont like to say much more on here tho 

Jo xxx


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## lynn

I'll ask him when he gets back from golf. The school has a very family feel to it and they are getting to know just about everybody which they all like. I guess Sunlands is the same?

One of the things I was shocked at going to an international school was the added costs - books are dear, as are the cost of examination entries. I suppose if you are used to private education in the UK it won't come as a surprise, but mine had been in the state system in the Uk. Luckily, Sunny View doesn't seem to do the expensive trips out that some of the glitzy schools down Marbella way do. Plus, at one of the schools, lunch was compulsory and cost over 700 euro per term for my three! I couldn't believe it!


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## jojo

lynn said:


> I'll ask him when he gets back from golf. The school has a very family feel to it and they are getting to know just about everybody which they all like. I guess Sunlands is the same?
> 
> One of the things I was shocked at going to an international school was the added costs - books are dear, as are the cost of examination entries. I suppose if you are used to private education in the UK it won't come as a surprise, but mine had been in the state system in the Uk. Luckily, Sunny View doesn't seem to do the expensive trips out that some of the glitzy schools down Marbella way do. Plus, at one of the schools, lunch was compulsory and cost over 700 euro per term for my three! I couldn't believe it!


If you're son plays golf then he may well know the family as the father runs a golf academy near me!! 

We get our lunches "thrown in" the price (they are apparently digsuting tho lol) The books are ridiculous and theres alway another one that they need after we've bought the list! Actually this year we went to the recommended book shop in Fuengirola to order the books and they came to nearly 600€ AAAAGGGGHHH!! However, my OH went onto Amazon and we got the whole lot for 150€, so someones profiteering!!????

But I know what you mean, theres always something, my latest gripe is the school uniform. Its an exclusive design which means it has to be bought form the school and its not cheap - the polo shirt for example is 20€ and the quality is appalling, they fade after one wash and go "baggy", the trouser seams all break within a week or two and they look really shabby! 

Then you have to pay for the exams or they dont give you the results....... We come from state schools too, so yes, I fully understand where you're coming from

Jo xxx


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## lynn

Sunny View sell the books direct, but I think I will try Amazon next year as I'm sure this will save shed loads of money. I can pass down books to a certain extent, and they also seem to have a buy back scheme, as I was able to buy a couple second hand.

The uniform at Sunny View is also outrageously expensive too, and is only available from Cortes Ingles. The school skirt was 55 euros! Needless to say, she has one skirt, and they share the tracksuit top as mine are a similar size. I wouldn't say the quality is fantastic either. Luckily the sixth form don't have to wear uniform which I was mighty relieved about.

I don't like to whinge too much about it as I am genuinely happy with the school, but for anyone reading this post who is looking at their options for schooling in this area, these 'extras' need to be budgeted for.


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