# Moving to Madrid- international schools



## giusy1978 (Dec 9, 2012)

Hi all 🙂 I’m moving to Madrid with my family ( husband and 2 boys age 9 and 14) in Jan 2020. I started looking for schools as I know there are long waiting lists for private schools. We are looking at both International ( IB curriculum) or British Schools as both my kids are fluent in English but have a very basic knowledge of Spanish and this seems the only option although quite challenging financially. I am looking for some honest feedback on a couple of schools, in particular: St. George’s International school ( British and IB) and Eurocolegio Casvi Villaviciosa ( IB). Any further suggestion would be appreciated) TIA


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

This is something I've researched quite a bit in recent years, so I'll try to keep this short. If you want IB in English, then AFAIK your options are St Georges, International College Spain, The American School of Madrid, and a new school that is opening called Richmond Park.

St George's is quite a new school and I believe they are only starting IB this September as their oldest cohort will be starting 6th form. This means there's not a great deal of information about the school regarding results, etc, but it does seem to be a serious school. 

To me CASVI seems to be a Spanish school trying to be international, so I'm not sure how appropriate it would be for your kids. Probably fine for the younger one, but maybe a bit too much of a change for the 14 year old. However if you like the look of CASVI then also check out SEK. 

Probably the best British school in academic terms is Runnymede. Also Hastings is quite good. Those two still have quite a high proportion of British/foreign students so your kids won't feel so out of place to begin with. Hastings has expanded quite a bit recently so should be easy to get a place at. Runnymede is selective and harder to get into. It might not even offer places to pupils half way through the GCSE curriculum. 

Also there's Kings which is larger and mainly has Spanish students, although it follows the British curriculum. The International School of Madrid is also another option although it is smaller. Unlike Hastings and Runnymede, neither of these schools publish their results which gives the impression they aren't outstanding, but they are well established. 

There's a new British school called Endaze just to the north of Madrid but again it's so new there's not much information out there about it.


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## giusy1978 (Dec 9, 2012)

Thanks a lot for your reply Chopera☺ It’s not an easy task trying to sort out schools from abroad, having no idea of the areas etc; hopefully p in October I’ll be able to take a couple of days off to visit some of the schools and neighborhoods to live in 😬
My kids are currently enrolled in IB, so my only concern would be swapping system from IB to British, especially for my elder who is in Year 10 and would change mid-Year ( January 2020) .Plus I’m not familiar at all with this system ( IGCSE, etc)...this said, I have read some good reviews from parents who have their children enrolled in St. George’s in term of attention to the children wellbeing and academic results.
I did send an enquiry to SEK Castillo as well and waiting for a response, the campus and the facilities seem great although I’ve read negative feedback regarding the quality of instruction 😬 
I also sent an enquiry to International School of Madrid and waiting for reply.
One more question regarding accommodation: in case my kids secure a place in St. George, would Chamartin area be a good option for living? I don’t drive and would love to be close to Metro Station etc, not too isolated (luckily seems like the school has a bus service that covers this area), in a safe neighborhood and to be able to get to the center in 20 min or so ...Sorry for the million questions but I’m completely lost😅 Thanks again for your patience!!


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Yes switching from IB to IGCSE might be tricky at that age. The IGCSE curriculum is usually 2 years from the age of 14 to 16, and I assume it is somewhat British focused in subjects like History, Geography and Literature. I guess the best thing to do is talk to the schools to see what they think. I think St George's only does IB in sixth form so your kids would still do IGCSEs there. 

International College of Spain does the IB MYP and is very international, however it is probably the most expensive of all the schools in Spain. 

Chamartin is a good, upmarket area, as is Chamberi on the other side of the Paseo Castellana. The more central the barrio the harder it is to find houses with gardens, so some people prefer to live further out, but if you're OK living in a flat then it's fine. St George's is in Sanchinarro which is a new barrio with modern flats with pools, gyms, etc, which appeals to many people, although I think those areas can be a bit quiet and sterile. As ever a lot depends on your taste and budget.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

I just noticed you are from Italy (I was using my mobile to answer previously and it didn't show your nationality very clearly). If your kids speak native Italian then they should pick up Spanish fairly quickly so perhaps schools like CASVI and SEK are more viable. I know two parents with kids at the SEK primary school in central Madrid, and they seem very happy with that school. Also one of my kids did a summer school there a few years ago and it seemed well organised. The secondary school might be different though. It's very hard to tell from the Spanish forums I've visited as there are very extreme comments, and people with very different ideas about what makes a good school.


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## giusy1978 (Dec 9, 2012)

Hi Chopera, yes we are from Italy ) as you say, hopefully the kids should pick up Spanish fairly quickly given the similarities between the idioms 🤞🏽 I saw that SEK has two campuses: Ciudalcampo and Castillo ( is this the more central one?), wrote to both requesting info and waiting to hear back from both 
I do hope to arrange a visit soon to some of these schools as I usually trust my gut feeling. Will keep you updated.Wish me could luck 🙂 Ciao


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