# Schools in Mijas



## guatemadre (Sep 4, 2010)

Can anyone please advise/ recommend any public or private spanish schools in the Mijas area for children aged 6 and 4????? Thanks!!!


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

guatemadre said:


> Can anyone please advise/ recommend any public or private spanish schools in the Mijas area for children aged 6 and 4????? Thanks!!!


Do you mean Mijas village or Mijas-Costa (which stretches from Fuengirola to Calahonda)?

There is someone on here who lives in Mijas (Lynn), who may be able to tell you more so hopefully she will answer you soon.

All I can say about it is that I have a friend whose son goes to the only state primary in Mijas village and she seem quite happy with it, and another whose son goes to a fairly new one in Las Lagunas, Mijas Costa, and again, doesnt have any problems with it. However, I think it is over subscribed so there may not be any places available there. On the other hand, I have heard that it isnt usually a problem to get a place in the one in Mijas village.

Only know of one private school in Mijas, and havent heard many good things about it.


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## lynn (Sep 25, 2008)

Caz.I said:


> Do you mean Mijas village or Mijas-Costa (which stretches from Fuengirola to Calahonda)?
> 
> There is someone on here who lives in Mijas (Lynn), who may be able to tell you more so hopefully she will answer you soon.
> 
> ...


Hi there! 
I don't know much about the state schools in Mijas other than the one in the Pueblo is the most attractive primary school I think I've ever seen!! It looks idyllic, but I've no idea of how good it is academically. I believe that you would be allocated a school based on where you live, so maybe you could visit the foreigner's department in Mijas town hall who will undoubtedly be able to help you. 
As for international schools, there is St Anthony's up past Mijas golf. I visited it and was far from impressed. We chose to send our three to Sunny View in Torremolinos, but mine are much older and if they were younger I would have probably sent them to Spanish school. I am very happy with Sunny View and would recommend a visit should you want to go down the International school route, but these things are personal and what suits one person may not be attractive to another. Good luck with the research.
Lynn
xx


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## rjnpenang (Feb 20, 2008)

We sent our 2 to San Francisco on Urb. El Coto, just up the road from the Ford garage on the outskirts of Fuengirola and turn right into El Coto, or come down the road from Mijas and turn right at the Lidl roundabout, again up into El Coto
Although its a private Spanish school it was subsided by the government!, which meant at that time the school lunches were more expensive than the school fees!.
The school was ALWAYS over subscribed but I´m not sure about now, at the time they would take a 4 year old and transfer into the main school building next door when they´re 6,
We thought it was a good school, uniforms, no bullying, a kiss from the teachers at the end of term!.
Our kids spent their entire school careers in that same school and made friendships which still endure,
One thing though, they will be fluent in Spanish within a few months but its up to you to ensure they speak and WRITE English!, we gave ours private lessons but even today they turn to us to compose a letter. Regards Rob


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## guatemadre (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks Rob for the advice. We are curently in the Middle East hoping to start the girls in school in Mijas area next Sept as Sofia will turn 6yrs then. Bit scared about the over subscribed comment, we are thinking to travel to Spain in Feb to look to enrol them would you say that is the correct thing to do? Sorry I have no idea of how the spanish school system works. We will take on a rental property and then my husband will follow the next year when we then hope to buy there....does this sound doable? My children were born in Guate so we have already started them learning Spanish but yes I was worried about the English side of things as I know we will only speak english to them at home but wondered how they would do on the written side. We will definitely have to have extra tuition I think. Would you say your children would struggle if they chose to go on to uni in the uk for example? Very interested in your thoughts, thanks!


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## guatemadre (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks Lynn for the tip about the foreigners office in the Mijas town hall I will contact them. I am trying to orchestrate this all from a position in the middle east so its difficlut. We spent the summer in Andalucia and feel in love with the Pueblo of Mijas and the surrounding areas. I saw the school but sadly only from the outside! Would you be able to let me know the name of it so I can contact them directly about places etc for next year? I have friends who had their older children in Sunny View 2 years ago and they were very pleased with it too but with my children being so young I think we shall go down the spanish school system with extra english tuition. Am worried now about getting them places......... thanks for your help, I really appreciate your comments.


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## guatemadre (Sep 4, 2010)

Thank you Caz.i for replying. I feel like I am standing at the bottom of a huge mountain and dont really know where to start! We were thinking more to the Pueblo of Mijas but as I visited it over the summer I wasnt able to do any real school research. The embassy in london were helpful but it appears that local reputation and knowledge is the key thing here. Any info your friend can provide about the school in the village would be fabulous and I will try and google the one in Las Lagunas......would you happen to know the name??? We are thinking to travel to spain in feb and go to the school, does that sound like a good time, school calendar wise or are there any major holidays we such avoid? Many thanks for your help!


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

guatemadre said:


> Thank you Caz.i for replying. I feel like I am standing at the bottom of a huge mountain and dont really know where to start! We were thinking more to the Pueblo of Mijas but as I visited it over the summer I wasnt able to do any real school research. The embassy in london were helpful but it appears that local reputation and knowledge is the key thing here. Any info your friend can provide about the school in the village would be fabulous and I will try and google the one in Las Lagunas......would you happen to know the name??? We are thinking to travel to spain in feb and go to the school, does that sound like a good time, school calendar wise or are there any major holidays we such avoid? Many thanks for your help!


You are welcome. You have started to climb the mountain! The one in Mijas Pueblo is called CEIP San Sebastian and the one in Las Lagunas is CEIP Maria Zambrano (though there are others there too). You could Google those for more info. I will ask my friend more about the one in Mijas pueblo but her son is only 4 so she couldnt tell you that much. I think most of the primary schools here are very similar in terms of standards, as far as I can tell. 

Normally, application forms are available from March 1st and have to be completed during that month. Of course children who move into the area can be admitted to schools after this date, providing there are places, but that is the key thing. It is more difficult in some areas than others. The last week in February is known as Semana Blanca and so the school will be closed then. 

Bear in mind that children are more likely to get a place in a school if they are living in the catchment area or close to it. There is a points system which is applied when there are not enough school places to go round. Your child is given 10 points for living in the catchment area, extra points for having a brother or sister there already etc. So, usually, you need to show a document called the "empadronamiento" (which you get from the town hall) which shows you are living in the area. But if you explain your situation to the school, and there are places available, they may be sympathetic. You will also need your NIE/Residencia documents and childrens' birth certificates and vaccination records to register the children at school. 

I got the impression from my friend in Mijas pueblo that it usually isnt too difficult to get into the school there but of course, things change from year to year. I think the Maria Zambrano school was overcrowded this year and that they had to actually transfer some children to the primary next door. Since you have 2 children of school age then you might have a better chance getting both into the one in Mijas pueblo or one of the others. Although the Junta de Andalucia (local government) usually try to avoid putting brothers and sisters in separate schools, it has been known to happen. But then all this will all depend on your other considerations about where you want to live. Just dont get too stressed about it, you will sort it out!


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## guatemadre (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks again Caz.I...really great to have contacted you! It is the Mijas Pueblo school I am particularly interested in and am in the process of contacting real estate people to see what is available for long term rent to be in that catchment area. I had hoped to travel feb during the half term to try and not upset the school here ( they are a bit funny about taking them out) however with semana blanca being last week of feb and applications march 1st that might change things a bit......I will contact the school directly next week and explain our situation...we may have to take a long term let from feb just to register them even though we dont plan to move till july!! or perhaps the school would provide me with the application in advance or accept it over the internet with view to me providing the originals in july.......I hope so!!! Who knows....it is the sorting of the the small print from overseas where the problem lies!! My folks could maybe fly over from the uk and act in proxy for me......hopefully the school will throw me a bone! I'll look up the other schools too as back up plans and well yes depending on what the real estate people have to say.........many many thanks for all the info, really appreciate the advice you've given! muchas gracias senora.


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## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

guatemadre said:


> Thanks again Caz.I...really great to have contacted you! It is the Mijas Pueblo school I am particularly interested in and am in the process of contacting real estate people to see what is available for long term rent to be in that catchment area. I had hoped to travel feb during the half term to try and not upset the school here ( they are a bit funny about taking them out) however with semana blanca being last week of feb and applications march 1st that might change things a bit......I will contact the school directly next week and explain our situation...we may have to take a long term let from feb just to register them even though we dont plan to move till july!! or perhaps the school would provide me with the application in advance or accept it over the internet with view to me providing the originals in july.......I hope so!!! Who knows....it is the sorting of the the small print from overseas where the problem lies!! My folks could maybe fly over from the uk and act in proxy for me......hopefully the school will throw me a bone! I'll look up the other schools too as back up plans and well yes depending on what the real estate people have to say.........many many thanks for all the info, really appreciate the advice you've given! muchas gracias senora.


After saying that semana blanca is the last week of February, we just got the school calendar today and in 2011 it will be the first week of March! (1-4 March). So maybe if you are out here after the 4th - bearing in mind that they dont usually have the application forms before the 1st March.
Good luck.


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## guatemadre (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks Caz.I! Dont want to be travelling at the wrong time! Much appreciated.


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