# English vs American private schools



## Holly2013 (Aug 21, 2013)

Hi all,

I am new to this forum. I have just moved to Portugal from London UK with my family. I am English and my husband is Portuguese. Could anyone tell me the differences between the English school St Julian's in Carcavelos and the American school Caisl in Sintra. If you had a choice which one who you go for and why? I'm not asking about prices or curriculums info but more about the schools atmosphere for the children, teaching....I would love to hear about any experiences good or bad you or your children may have had in both schools. First impression I get from their respective websites is that the Caisl one is much more detailed compared to the St Julian's one which is quite simple and straighforward but the building looks great. Also Sintra seems to be a much more relaxing area than busy Carcavelos with its amazing beach...Please let me know what you think of both schools. Thank you so much in advance for your replies. I really need help choosing!


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## Holly2013 (Aug 21, 2013)

Anyone???


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## gbenefield (Mar 10, 2015)

*Did you get any responses?*

Hi Holly,

I am looking at the same schools. I see you didn't get a response on the forum but did you figure this out? Any advice would be appreciated, as would where to live in relation to the schools.

Best,
Gabrielle


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Much will depend on what nationality the teachers are. If they are mostly of the nationality of their employing school, then the children will tend to get that accent. You also need to identify which country's curriculum they use and similarly examinations/qualifications since some are more acceptable than others.


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## Juca (Mar 30, 2015)

Hi Holly 
Both are good schools. 
St. Julians follows the English curriculum up until the IB whereas CAISL follows the American system until the IB. The American school also offers SAT exams for kids wanting to study in America although IB qualifications will also get you into American universities. Schools are very different and have their own philosophies. 
My kids are at IPS (primary school) and am still undecided as to where they will go to next. 
Hope this helps a little
Juca


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## Noknok (Jan 31, 2015)

We visited both recently, and can only offer my POV as an outsider with a prospective student candidate. St. Julian's felt a little more formal to us, perhaps because they require uniforms (whereas CAISL doesn't) and seem to have a lot more information about "rules". The American school is more remotely located, but the campus feels more compact; whereas St. Julian's campus is more spread out, but the school, itself, is well-located just a short walk from the train station. TBH, I liked St Julian's a little more for its location, and we thought the workshop area where they do woodworking and electronics design was very cool.

In the end, we chose neither . We had also looked at two IB-only schools, where they do the Middle Years Program: St. Dominic's and Oeiras Int'l (gr 6 and higher). We chose Oeiras because it had a smaller, much more intimate feeling than the others and the warmest reception from the admissions & teaching staff.

All four schools seemed to offer solid academics and well-kept school environments. All four offer some form of transport at least to the Western half of Lisbon and the key expat zones of Cascais, Estoril & Sintra. All four offer a good range of after school activities & athletics. 

St Julian's is the only one of the four that required a deposit to begin processing the application and seemed to have fewer available places for incoming students. Nothing like the competition for private schools in major U.S. cities, mind, but still may be worth noting.


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