# schools



## fuzzypeg (May 9, 2011)

Hi everyone, this is my first post on this forum, i am hoping to move to the portimao area in the very near future and looking for info. on primary and high schools in that area 

Many thanks in advance


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## omostra06 (Sep 11, 2007)

fuzzypeg said:


> Hi everyone, this is my first post on this forum, i am hoping to move to the portimao area in the very near future and looking for info. on primary and high schools in that area
> 
> Many thanks in advance


Hi welcome to the forum


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## somanyhands (Apr 9, 2011)

Hi there
I did just reply 'elsewhere' but just wanted to say hi and we investigated this area before we moved.

What information were you looking for?

Tracey



fuzzypeg said:


> Hi everyone, this is my first post on this forum, i am hoping to move to the portimao area in the very near future and looking for info. on primary and high schools in that area
> 
> Many thanks in advance


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## lulu83 (Jun 8, 2011)

Are you children speaking portuguese or still English?


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## somanyhands (Apr 9, 2011)

lulu83 said:


> Are you children speaking portuguese or still English?


Is that question directed at me?

Obviously, they are still English-speaking children! I presume you meant at school?

At school, it's harder for my 11yo to learn because his friends can, and do tend to, speak English with him. I'm tackling this though and, with extra lessons, his Portuguese is coming along now. He is very bright (fortunately!) and will pick up the language much quicker with this extra tuition (private tutor, here in Lagos, 1 hour a week)

My 7yo speaks only Portuguese at school. No one there really speaks English so he has never really been able to speak English there!
This has worked to his advantage with learning Portuguese though. Conversationally, he is far advanced of the rest of us although he doesn't read/spell well.
However, he couldn't read/spell in English either until we came here. His reading, in English, has come on HUGELY since coming here. He just needs to recognise/know the actual vocab for it to reflect in his Portuguese reading better.
He can chatter away with his friends in fairly good Portuguese though.


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## lulu83 (Jun 8, 2011)

I do apologise I didn't read my thread wellthats good that they pick it up so quick and how long have you lived there for?
I do think that's children adapt to it better than adults do.


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## somanyhands (Apr 9, 2011)

lulu83 said:


> I do apologise I didn't read my thread wellthats good that they pick it up so quick and how long have you lived there for?
> I do think that's children adapt to it better than adults do.


that is true, however (and I'm sure you won't) please don't underestimate how difficult it will be for them at school.

For our 11yo, it was easier AT school because some people (although not many teachers) did speak English with him but this has made his Portuguese learning harder, in the long run.

For our 7yo, there was no English at school BUT this made his integration at school so much harder. Longer term, it's helped but the short/medium term was so so hard.

We've only been here since July 2010 so the boys are both still in their first year at Portuguese school. 
It's looking possible that our 11yo will actually pass year 6 due to being academically bright,despite his language drawbacks (he is still 4th in his class of 20!) although I'm unsure about our 7yo. Academically, he is much further behind with his peers and unfortunately his more advanced conversational Portuguese doesn't help in this area so much.
He may well end up repeating year 2 but, long term, it's no bad thing.

It's certainly been harder for them than for us anyway. No amount of red tape would convince me otherwise!


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