# Schools



## morganna (May 21, 2013)

My son is going into Year 7 this September.
I am thinking of moving to Spain.

I cannot afford private schools so he would need to attend a spanish state school.

Has anyone had experience of sending their British children to a spanish state school age 11?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

morganna said:


> My son is going into Year 7 this September.
> I am thinking of moving to Spain.
> 
> I cannot afford private schools so he would need to attend a spanish state school.
> ...


Its not the best age. The younger the better. My daughter was 10 when we moved to Spain and she chose to go to a state school and she didnt like it. . We also paid for her to have extra Spanish lessons and help with her homework, but in the end we sent her to an international school. Spanish state schools are very different to British schools 

Jo xxx


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## HarryB (Jan 17, 2013)

My daughter was this age too. She enjoyed some lessons, but really struggled especially with maths. She was given extra Spanish lessons and really enjoyed this. However we felt her education would suffer, and came back to Scotland. International school would be the only option, inmy opinion.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

You asked the same question last year and had the same answers, at age eleven he will struggle.


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

morganna said:


> My son is going into Year 7 this September.
> I am thinking of moving to Spain.
> 
> I cannot afford private schools so he would need to attend a spanish state school.
> ...


You will know the child's language abilities. Could you imagine an adult with the same skills managing well in a Spanish company? Add to that the inevitable disruptions that adolescence will bring, raging hormones, resentment, lack of friends, and you'd be a brave woman to proceed.


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## Guest (Feb 12, 2016)

morganna said:


> My son is going into Year 7 this September.
> I am thinking of moving to Spain.
> 
> I cannot afford private schools so he would need to attend a Spanish state school.
> ...


Huge problems ahead. You will land up paying for private education otherwise they will fail the exams. Unless your child is extremely gifted!

When you fail exams in Spain it is very difficult to re-take them without having to repeat the entire year again. 

This ONLY applies in the first few years of secondary education. Once they reach 16-18 they study for the bachillerato exams. These exams cannot be re-taken if I remember correctly. 

For example, if the bachillerato exam result was 4.5 out of 10 it's for life. This means getting into a public university is very difficult. The only option would be a private university but they are not cheap.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

nigelk said:


> Huge problems ahead. You will land up paying for private education otherwise they will fail the exams. Unless your child is extremely gifted!
> 
> When you fail exams in Spain it is very difficult to re-take them without having to repeat the entire year again.
> 
> ...


You can repeat each year of bachillerato once (iirc), therefore taking a max of 4 years to pass. You do have to repeat the entire year though.


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## morganna (May 21, 2013)

i did not know one is only allowed to ask a question ONCE and never ask it again..............
obviously bob is the spanish forum police/nazi!!!

i do know of 2 kids of similar age to my son (now young adults) who fared well enough in state schools so its a pity i did not get a single positive comment.

However i appreciate the civil comments from everyone else.

Morganna.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

morganna said:


> i did not know one is only allowed to ask a question ONCE and never ask it again..............
> obviously bob is the spanish forum police/nazi!!!
> 
> i do know of 2 kids of similar age to my son (now young adults) who fared well enough in state schools so its a pity i did not get a single positive comment.
> ...



Try it?! Try it for a year and see. If it doesnt work out then move back. You've asked the question, we've answered it as best we can on our experiences. You may find it different??!!
Jo xxx


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## morganna (May 21, 2013)

thank you so much jo
thats exactly what i needed to hear.
bless you.
m. xx


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

I am in favor of this kind of language and cultural exposure for children, so I support you. I also have done this successfully but my children were pretty strong in Spanish beforehand. Hell, in the Spanish speaking world, not to mention Asia, parents sacrifice to bring their children to the US all the time partly for the language.

The real question is what is the attitude and background of your child? If you are willing/able to go out of your way to help, that will help immensely too.


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## morganna (May 21, 2013)

thank you so much xolo
my son is very sociable - has a great sense of humour.
people really take to him 
he does struggle academically BUT ..............i think he would LOVE the climate..........swimming, beach, outdoor activities, etc. And i can always afford some private tuition.

I honestly think he will end up being a fireman or a policeman!! even HE thinks that!!
and i would be very proud of him if that happens.

M. xx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

morganna said:


> thank you so much xolo
> my son is very sociable - has a great sense of humour.
> people really take to him
> he does struggle academically BUT ..............i think he would LOVE the climate..........swimming, beach, outdoor activities, etc. And i can always afford some private tuition.
> ...



He's going to need exam results to do either of those professions in the UK and I'm not sure he could do either in Spain as a British Citizen??? But thats a long time ahead and who knows.

But you have to try it to know for sure. Just dont burn your UK bridges until you are sure its working. A few fact finding visits beforehand are a good idea.

Jo xxx


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

morganna said:


> thank you so much xolo
> my son is very sociable - has a great sense of humour.
> people really take to him
> he does struggle academically BUT ..............i think he would LOVE the climate..........swimming, beach, outdoor activities, etc. And i can always afford some private tuition.
> ...


If he struggles academically in the UK it's difficult to see how putting him into a school in another country, without his social network and without the necessary language skills is going to help him. If he wants to be a fireman or policeman in Spain he has to get his certificate of education in secondary school and pass public examinations competing against thousands of Spaniards. Not impossible, but very difficult. If you think he can do it and that you'll be able to support both of you maybe it will work. if not you may put him at a disadvantage in both the Spanish and British education system.

You asked for people's opinions and most people have given the opinion that it is difficult to do. Now it's up to you to act.


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## Guest (Feb 13, 2016)

xabiachica said:


> You can repeat each year of bachillerato once (iirc), therefore taking a max of 4 years to pass. You do have to repeat the entire year though.


Not for the final year exams though. Which is for University entrance. That is once in a lifetime event.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

nigelk said:


> Not for the final year exams though. Which is for University entrance. That is once in a lifetime event.


You *can *retake PAU Prueba de Aceso a la Universidad.
Number 7 here in the info from Ministerio de Educacion. You can even do it again just to get a higher scorePreguntas frecuentes - Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte


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## Guest (Feb 13, 2016)

Pesky Wesky said:


> If he struggles academically in the UK it's difficult to see how putting him into a school in another country, without his social network and without the necessary language skills is going to help him. If he wants to be a fireman or policeman in Spain he has to get his certificate of education in secondary school and pass public examinations competing against thousands of Spaniards. Not impossible, but very difficult. If you think he can do it and that you'll be able to support both of you maybe it will work. if not you may put him at a disadvantage in both the Spanish and British education system.
> 
> You asked for people's opinions and most people have given the opinion that it is difficult to do. Now it's up to you to act.


I agree with the comments with regards to becoming a Policeman or Fireman, just to make things a bit more harder the entry and oppositions exams are incredibly brutal as well.

By the way, to become a Policeman you will need to be a Spanish citizen too.


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## Guest (Feb 13, 2016)

Pesky Wesky said:


> You *can *retake PAU Prueba de Aceso a la Universidad.
> Number 7 here in the info from Ministerio de Educacion. You can even do it again just to get a higher scorePreguntas frecuentes - Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte


Do you know when these new rules were introduced? My sister in law was not able to re-take the exam as she failed and my father in law had to pay for a private university (Very expensive) so she could do nursing as the public university would not accept her unless meeting the minimum requirement of 6.0/10.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

morganna said:


> i did not know one is only allowed to ask a question ONCE and never ask it again..............
> obviously bob is the spanish forum police/nazi!!!
> 
> i do know of 2 kids of similar age to my son (now young adults) who fared well enough in state schools so its a pity i did not get a single positive comment.
> ...


Forum Police? LOL, Nazi LOL (my family is Jewish); I just pointed out that you asked the same question over a year ago and got the same type of answers.

A lot of posters will repeat their questions in the hope of getting an answer that fits their agenda as you have obviously done.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

nigelk said:


> Do you know when these new rules were introduced? My sister in law was not able to re-take the exam as she failed and my father in law had to pay for a private university (Very expensive) so she could do nursing as the public university would not accept her unless meeting the minimum requirement of 6.0/10.


I don't know as there have been continuous changes to the education system. The uni exam used to be called Selectividad, and many continue to use that name, about 5 years ago. My daughter's year was the first to take it and she's in her 4th year at uni now, but I think you could always retake the exam


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## anles (Feb 11, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I don't know as there have been continuous changes to the education system. The uni exam used to be called Selectividad, and many continue to use that name, about 5 years ago. My daughter's year was the first to take it and she's in her 4th year at uni now, but I think you could always retake the exam


It used to be limited to 4 times but with the PAU it's unlimited. This is from the government website:
7. ¿Cuántas veces se puede uno presentar a las pruebas de acceso?
Tantas veces como quieras. Con la nueva PAU desaparece el límite de convocatorias posibles para superar la prueba, que antes estaba establecido en cuatro.

8. ¿Y si he aprobado pero quiero volver a presentarme para subir nota?
También puedes hacerlo. Puedes presentarte a tantas convocatorias como quieras, tanto de la fase general como de materias de la fase específica para mejorar la calificación. Además, para calcular la nota se utilizará la mejor de las pruebas. Es decir: repetir la prueba no puede bajar la calificación global.

Preguntas frecuentes - Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

anles said:


> It used to be limited to 4 times but with the PAU it's unlimited. This is from the government website:
> 7. ¿Cuántas veces se puede uno presentar a las pruebas de acceso?
> Tantas veces como quieras. Con la nueva PAU desaparece el límite de convocatorias posibles para superar la prueba, que antes estaba establecido en cuatro.
> 
> ...


Yep which is exactly the same site and number that I quoted in an earlier post!


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## morganna (May 21, 2013)

thanks....
lots to think about!!
morganna xx


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## Becks1180 (Feb 17, 2016)

Hi Morganna,
Personally, I would definitely give it a go. If you don't try you'll never know if it worked or not and may regret not trying. 
I myself am planning on renting my UK home out while myself and two children aged 9 & 10 rent for a year to see if its for us. Your son sounds very much like mine, both want to have a career in Public Service as opposed to an Office role. You've said your son is very sociable- a must in Public Service which no GCSE can teach you!
In the UK, there are no formal qualifications required for the Police Force. Spain, I have no idea! 
There is a very strict recruitment process in the UK with verbal and numerical reasoning tests and also fitness and medical but thats all. If its in your sons heart to join, he will complete these tests no problem!
I'm a free spirit and believe that happiness and making positive memories are key in all children lives. From this they build the life skills and knowledge they need to grow into very diverse and sociable children. It is a lot to think about, but worse case scenario they won't like it and so we return to the UK. At lease we tried. Personally, as my children are happy to give it a go, so am I. Life is to short for regrets!
Let me know what you decide Morgana,
Love Becky


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Becks1180 said:


> Hi Morganna,
> Personally, I would definitely give it a go. If you don't try you'll never know if it worked or not and may regret not trying.
> I myself am planning on renting my UK home out while myself and two children aged 9 & 10 rent for a year to see if its for us. Your son sounds very much like mine, both want to have a career in Public Service as opposed to an Office role. You've said your son is very sociable- a must in Public Service which no GCSE can teach you!
> In the UK, there are no formal qualifications required for the Police Force. Spain, I have no idea!
> ...


While I agree with alot of what you say. It is extremely costly to move to Spain and then move back - even if you dont sell your house - we did that (rented in the UK and rented in Spain)) and the whole thing, with two children and two dogs cost us...............well 1000s of pounds. Ok, we were lucky that we could afford it, but it has to be taken into account. 

Unfortunately my daughter didnt like Spain and far from positive memories, she blames Spain for "ruining her life"(her words). She would cry at night, missing her friends and family terribly and although was fluent in Spanish, she wont speak it - to the point that when we returned, she refused to take Spanish GCSE - which she could have got. In fact, she was in such a mess when we returned home that she failed most of her GCSEs, inspite of being very gifted and clever. But without a minimum of 5 GCSEs, she couldnt get a profession - I'd check that they dont require those to join the police force in the UK, the criteria is very strict these days for almost anything and without those GCSEs, they dont get as far as to sit the formal entrance exams. My daughter originally wanted to be a school teacher and now, at nearly 19 she is working in Subway part time and hates it!

So there is the other side of your argument. But like I say, I do agree with you, that sometimes you have to go for it. But not everyone in the family may agree - especially kids, who have their own agendas, in spite of what they say.

My son on the other hand did well in Spain. He went to an international school, passed his GCSEs, went back to the UK where he got A-levels and is now a manager for a leading car company and happy, although even he feels that living in Spain during his high school days has made him feel a bit of an outsider amongst his friends.

I dont think that either of my children feel that living in Spain was any sort of great adventure - I thought they would, neither of them want to ever go back there, or think of it with any real fondness

So, think carefully and make sure that you are doing the right thing for everyone - when we have kids, we cant always follow our dreams. That said, the minute my two are fully independent - I'll be on the next plane lol

Jo xxx


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## Becks1180 (Feb 17, 2016)

Hi Jojo,

Thank you for sharing your story, I've certainly taken on board some things you've shared.

Based on recent circumstances, it's just right for us and what's important to us at the moment and what future we hope to achieve together as a family. I totally agree it's a costly venture, but without sounding vain it's a venture I am lucky to be able to make financially. I appreciate, many people are unable to take a costly risk like this. I could be throwing it down the pan based on your story and my children could feel the same as yours which I pray they won't. 

However, even though they are at a young age, both have very strong opinions of what they want. This is because of circumstances they've been through which sadly has made them grow up to quickly. 
It is these circumstances which has made us want to go for it. We are all in agreement to try. If they changed they're mind at any point, we would stay in the UK, either way I'm happy. My only dream and wish is to make and see them happy and to do all in my power I possibly can to achieve this. If Spain isn't home for them then its back here.

It's so sad that your children didn't settle, and that there are no positive memories for them. But, it could have been the complete opposite and they could have loved it there. The only way you would have found out would have been to try and you did.

My story is based on what's right for us given our circumstances- I wouldn't offer advise or tell anyone to do what we are planning. You've got to be 100% certain it is for you and your family. It may not even be for us but we need to try.

I hope you get to get back on that Plane very soon, It seems It's in your heart to be in Spain. I'm sure when you get there your children will be very keen to visit and see Spain from a different light and spend lots of time with you, enjoying all it has to offer as young adults.
again, thanks Jo for your story.
Becky xx


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## Becks1180 (Feb 17, 2016)

I meant to add Jo, the Police Force I was in before retiring didn't require any formal Qualifications. It was internal exams and candidates need to prove that they hold excellent people and communication skills. 
Maybe this could be an avenue your daughter may wish to consider? On the upside I found it so rewarding myself but then there is also a sad side to policing. Maybe worth considering xxx


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

I hope you don't mind me throwing in my two penneth here. Ive been off the forum for a while but saw this thread and I have to agree with most of what's being said.

You said that academically your sin struggles a bit. In the UK his learning will be structured to his needs... put in classes with kids of similar levels, given extra help if there is an area he struggles with and so on and in the right school this can really nurture the strengths and improve on the weaknesses.

if you bing him to other country where he doesn't speak the language and put him in a class full of Spanish kids you have to consider a few things... although I firmly believe that kids are in general more loving, welcoming and much more diverse, kids will be kids and I am sure that just like the kid with the NHS glasses or the kid who's parents can;t afford the latest expensive trainers there will be a certain amount of singling him out from the group. If he spoke the language then his outgoing personality and easy ability to make friends that you talk about will help him a lot but if he cannot speak the language then no amount of happy personality will enable him to build friendships and bonds.

Remember that in general the Spanish education system has its differences to the British one and so it will never be a case of picking up where he left off like it would if for example you moved to a different part of the UK.

Despite us all having dreams, we can sometimes put our heads in the clouds and float away from reality and I think that if you firmly believe that your son will just come to Spain and settle in then you are wrong.. even if it works out longer term you are certainly going to be in for a difficult first year or two and then of course thats going to be a year or two of lost education.

Moving to Spain if something that (if to be done right and successful) needs a great deal of planning and as anyone on here will tell you it needs a certain amount of financial stability, especially to support yourselves in the early years until you are properly in and settled and working etc.

I think that you should factor in to your financial plan ideally at least one year in an international school and explain that probably you cannot keep him there forever. They will offer him a mixture of British curriculum but also Spanish and they will intensively teach him the spanish language (which at his age he should grasp quicker than the adults) and also he willet used to Spanish culture which is different to the UK. 

If you cannot afford this then at the very very least you need to get him some quality spanish lessons in advance of moving so that the poor lad is not thrown into a new country, new ways of life, new education system where all the kids know each other and not understand a word of what is going on .

If you do opt for a state school then perhaps you could talk to them about any extra help they can give like a classroom assistant to help him settle and extra Spanish classes or other solutions. 

I am not saying don't do it but I am saying that you should go into this with your eyes wide open and as others have said understand that your kid has to come first and so you could find yourself been forced to leave Spain if things dont work out of him.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

A good sensible post but sadly I fear it will fall on deaf ears


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Episode 2 of my daughter and Spanish school

The other thing I should point out is that we moved to Spain when my daughter was 10, my son was 13. She wanted to go to a Spanish school and my son wanted to go to an International school - so that what we did. However, after a few days, my daughter decided she hated the Spanish school - apparently the Spanish kids didnt like the British kids (there were a few "altercations" apparently) and the British kids thought my daughter was too "posh" (????). She told me tales of the other children teasing her, talking, whispering and laughing about her behind her back, trying to trip her up, telling her incorrect things, standing alone in the playground at breaktimes..... After a week or two, I was literally dragging her into school kicking and screaming. But I wasnt going to be beaten, so we persevered, meeting with teachers, making friends with other parents etc... Eventually we moved her to another Spanish school (Senior school), she liked it a bit better, but after a few months the school phoned me and asked where she was - she had been going in when I dropped her off in the mornings, walking straight through the school and out of the back door. She was then spending her days wandering around the town. In the end, we relented and sent her to the International school with her brother and she finally settled - but she still hated Spain and by this time she was 14 and due to start her GCSE course work, so we decided to return to the UK - she wept with joy - her nightmare was over as far as she was concerned - she remembers the immense relief she felt when we announced we were moving back to the UK - the best day of her life .

(BTW, My daughter is actually dictating and helping me write this)

Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

jojo said:


> Episode 2 of my daughter and Spanish school
> 
> The other thing I should point out is that we moved to Spain when my daughter was 10, my son was 13. She wanted to go to a Spanish school and my son wanted to go to an International school - so that what we did. However, after a few days, my daughter decided she hated the Spanish school - apparently the Spanish kids didnt like the British kids (there were a few "altercations" apparently) and the British kids thought my daughter was too "posh" (????). She told me tales of the other children teasing her, talking, whispering and laughing about her behind her back, trying to trip her up, telling her incorrect things, standing alone in the playground at breaktimes..... After a week or two, I was literally dragging her into school kicking and screaming. But I wasnt going to be beaten, so we persevered, meeting with teachers, making friends with other parents etc... Eventually we moved her to another Spanish school (Senior school), she liked it a bit better, but after a few months the school phoned me and asked where she was - she had been going in when I dropped her off in the mornings, walking straight through the school and out of the back door. She was then spending her days wandering around the town. In the end, we relented and sent her to the International school with her brother and she finally settled - but she still hated Spain and by this time she was 14 and due to start her GCSE course work, so we decided to return to the UK - she wept with joy - her nightmare was over as far as she was concerned - she remembers the immense relief she felt when we announced we were moving back to the UK - the best day of her life .
> 
> ...


............I should add that she did have some fun in Spain, although she didnt like the heat. She went horse riding lots, inspite of what she says, she had lots of friends and they went out and about, lots of swimming, days on the beach, barbeques, visiting places, walks, go-karting, Ice skating, lots of family trips.......

Heres the day that the Emergency services brought their helicopter to my childrens international school. My two are amongst them somewhere - you wouldnt get Health and Safety UK allowing this I'm sure lol






Jo xxx


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## morganna (May 21, 2013)

thanks everyone
nice to get to read the pros and the cons!

Becky...........good for you! i hope you get to move to spain and hopefully share your journey with me.

i dont wear rose tinted glasses.........
ive moved to florida (before i had my son) 
and up sticks so to speak 
it was not what i wanted in the end but i am so glad that i went!

i will come out for a holiday and check Javea and Denia out.
If i like it we may move for a year and see how it oes.

Its my opinion that one year will not really make any differece in my sons education.

And hopefully we will love it there.

If not we can always return to the UK.

Morganna xx


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## morganna (May 21, 2013)

thanks everyone
nice to get to read the pros and the cons!#
becky i hope you get to move to spain and share your journey with me!

i dont wear rose tinted glasses.........
ive moved to florida (before i had my son) 
and up sticks so to speak 
it was not what i wanted in the end but i am so glad that i went!

i will come out for a holiday and check Javea and Denia out.
If i like it we may move for a year and see how it oes.

Its my opinion that one year will not really make any differece in my sons education.

And hopefully we will love it there.

If not we can always return to the UK.

Morganna xx


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

So your son will be 12 when you get out there and he does not speak Spanish and you are under the delusion that a year won't affect his education?????

How about your disabled daughter, what are your plans for her?

Stay in the UK and let your son get an education then you can live *your* 'dreams' in Spain and he will have the chance of development in the UK.


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## Becks1180 (Feb 17, 2016)

Wow! I'm a newbie here and joined in the hope to read impartial advise, people's stories of they're experience etc not comments like above?? Surely let people make they're own minds up without horrible statements as above. Think I'll be leaving this forum and finding another as this is the only post I've read so far and honestly, it's left me uncomfortable in what I say.

Morganna, for what it's worth, and I'll probably get a negative response based on what's already been said, but having 3 children myself I see absolutely nothing wrong with what you've decided. I'm sure that a year out would also be good for your disabled daughter. Life's to short and one year out won't hurt anyone of you, in fact would probably help you all xxx


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Becks I suggest you read the OP's posts and the replies to them. We get so many of these threads with people who are often simply not in a financial position for the move and put their children's 'well being' as a major factor in their fantasy moves.

You stay, I'm sick to death of the repetitive nonsense and I'll take a break for a while before I end up saying what I really feel and getting banned.

Have a nice day.

Bye all


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## morganna (May 21, 2013)

Becks1180 said:


> Wow! I'm a newbie here and joined in the hope to read impartial advise, people's stories of they're experience etc not comments like above?? Surely let people make they're own minds up without horrible statements as above. Think I'll be leaving this forum and finding another as this is the only post I've read so far and honestly, it's left me uncomfortable in what I say.
> 
> Morganna, for what it's worth, and I'll probably get a negative response based on what's already been said, but having 3 children myself I see absolutely nothing wrong with what you've decided. I'm sure that a year out would also be good for your disabled daughter. Life's to short and one year out won't hurt anyone of you, in fact would probably help you all xxx


thanks so much becks.
do not worry in the slightest....................i never even read that crazy guys comments......i just skimmed right past his comments. I literally will not even read his nonsense. He is a waste of time. Something wrong with him i think. So best to completely ignore him. You have 'haters' in this world and he is defo one of them. Best to ignore them.

Then you get people like you! who make all the difference.

Thanks so much for your support. Seems one has got to really step up on this forum. I hope people do not get too put off the forum. BASICALLY the moderator of this forum should do something about him. But probably will not.

Anyway........................follow your dreams!! Life is what WE make it!!

Morganna xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Becks1180 said:


> Wow! I'm a newbie here and joined in the hope to read impartial advise, people's stories of they're experience etc not comments like above?? Surely let people make they're own minds up without horrible statements as above. Think I'll be leaving this forum and finding another as this is the only post I've read so far and honestly, it's left me uncomfortable in what I say.
> 
> Morganna, for what it's worth, and I'll probably get a negative response based on what's already been said, but having 3 children myself I see absolutely nothing wrong with what you've decided. I'm sure that a year out would also be good for your disabled daughter. Life's to short and one year out won't hurt anyone of you, in fact would probably help you all xxx



Reality isnt always wonderful unfortunately. With any honest forum on any subject you will always get peoples experiences and opinions - those who have "done it" will tell you the pitfalls - but if you dont need to know about how others have found things, then maybe its best to keep your focus on your own dreams and yes find a forum where they only discuss the positives and hope you dont encounter anything bad.

Morganna sounds like she has her head screwed on 

Just remember "knowledge is king" and everyone should really listen to absolutely anything and everything, good and bad - thats the only sensible way!

Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

morganna said:


> thanks so much becks.
> do not worry in the slightest....................i never even read that crazy guys comments......i just skimmed right past his comments. I literally will not even read his nonsense. He is a waste of time. Something wrong with him i think. So best to completely ignore him. You have 'haters' in this world and he is defo one of them. Best to ignore them.
> 
> Then you get people like you! who make all the difference.
> ...


You should read ALL the comments, even if they're not written very tactfully, they are valid and to just "cherry pick" the comments that suit isnt the best way of doing research. You dont have to agree with them necessarily (although if you havent tried it you cant agree or disagree) but take them on board. 

The moderators on here make sure that the rules are followed, they dont censor the comments or re-word them, only delete them if they are insulting and calling another poster a "crazy guy" and that "he is a waste of time" is borderline.

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jojo said:


> You should read ALL the comments, even if they're not written very tactfully, they are valid and to just "cherry pick" the comments that suit isnt the best way of doing research. You dont have to agree with them necessarily (although if you havent tried it you cant agree or disagree) but take them on board.
> 
> The moderators on here make sure that the rules are followed, they dont censor the comments or re-word them, only delete them if they are insulting and calling another poster a "crazy guy" is borderline.
> 
> Jo xxx


Absolutely

I've been following this thread quite closely, & while I've seen some comments which might have been rather blunt, I've seen nothing which has insulted anyone or broken the rules in any other way.

I will say that as someone who has lived here for more than 12 years, who has two children who have been through the Spanish education system, and who does private tutoring for English kids who are struggling in the Spanish system....... it's a rare child who starts in the Spanish system age 10 or above who doesn't have massive problems, partly with the language as far as making friends is concerned, but IMO more importantly, with learning Spanish quickly enough & to a high enough level to succeed educationally.

One mustn't forget that it's a system of constant testing here. A 12 year old doesn't have 4 years in which to learn enough Spanish to pass exams at age 16. They will need to pass exams from the very first term. In a language they don't speak.

I certainly wouldn't subject my child to that, not for anything.


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## HarryB (Jan 17, 2013)

I agree that you have to listen to all experiences. We did take an 11 year old to Spain, but came home as her education was definitely going to suffer. Our 4 year old was absolutely fine. After our experiences, I would never advise anyone to take a child of this age to Spain unless they were going into International School, as IMHO education is just too important. I love Spain and I will definitely return to live there, but it will be when my kids leave for Uni. My eldest has been accepted for Uni to study History with languages, Spanish to be exact, as she continued to study at high school. Dont ignore people whomare just trying to give you information as they found it, this is invaluable.


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## Becks1180 (Feb 17, 2016)

jojo said:


> Becks1180 said:
> 
> 
> > Wow! I'm a newbie here and joined in the hope to read impartial advise, people's stories of they're experience etc not comments like above?? Surely let people make they're own minds up without horrible statements as above. Think I'll be leaving this forum and finding another as this is the only post I've read so far and honestly, it's left me uncomfortable in what I say.
> ...


Thanks Jo 
I have found this forum to be very useful Jo, that's why I followed this thread as it was something that obviously having 3 children to think about, I thought would be help to me and it has which is great! 
I don't want to find a forum whereby only positives are discussed as it would be no use to me whatsoever or for anyone else for that matter. I'm sure that I didn't suggest that in my original post. I stated that I'd feel uncomfortable asking questions due to the way in which some posts are answered. To me, some posts are bordering intimidation and not helpful or constructive. I believe in sharing negative stories, it's how we learn. However, I think some members should think about the way in which they word their posts so that they don't come across as intimidating. This is just my opinion that I'm sharing and how I have felt reading some of the posts. 

I totally agree with you Jo when you say that knowledge is king, and for me, weighing up the pros and cons, benefits and pitfalls is vitally important before I make any decision concerning my family. I'm sure that it is for many others to. 

I also see the word 'dream' mentioned many times. For us, this isn't living out our dream, it's looking at how we can improve our life so we have more time as a family to make those priceless family memories which to us, are important. This could be in Spain, New Zeland, Australia or even the UK and the memories we make, wherever we live will be good and bad. 
I just don't think assuming that everyone who is considering emigrating is living out their dream? Again, that's just my opinion. 

As for the thread, there's been some very useful & constructive information and advice shared. I'm glad i found the forum and have enjoyed reading various threads. 

I think sometimes, some people need to ask more questions and seek more reassurance than others as to whether they are making the right decision. It's a big one to make and without researching every aspect, you can't possibly decide.

I also think Morganna has her head screwed on Jo, hence the questions she's asked. As mums, we want to try to improve every aspect of our children's needs and do the very best we can. It's not easy and sometimes we get it wrong. If it's a wrong choice, we have to rectify it and face the consequences which for some will be very hard. But, if we get it right, then our children benefit massively in some cases. Without trying how do we know? Again, this is only my outlook to this sometimes hard life!

Also Jo, I loved your video! The best I managed as an officer was to take the car, with its lights on to a nursery and let the children climb inside and wear my hat! I think the helli would have been out of the question. My Inspector would have had a heart attack in his chair bless him :wink:


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Becks1180 said:


> Thanks Jo
> I have found this forum to be very useful Jo, that's why I followed this thread as it was something that obviously having 3 children to think about, I thought would be help to me and it has which is great!
> That's good to hear. I hope other comments were helpful too
> I don't want to find a forum whereby only positives are discussed as it would be no use to me whatsoever or for anyone else for that matter. I'm sure that I didn't suggest that in my original post.
> ...


Going to have something to eat. Be back later


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## morganna (May 21, 2013)

thanks!!
nice to know i have my head screwed on

and its nice to know that one can come on this forum and get a decent response, instead of being shot down.

I am sure that is all ANYONE wants!

Not too much to ask for.

Morganna xx


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

morganna said:


> My son is going into Year 7 this September.
> I am thinking of moving to Spain.
> 
> I cannot afford private schools so he would need to attend a spanish state school.
> ...


Going back to your original post, I'm wondering why you are thinking of coming to Spain, not just on a nosy level, but maybe it would be useful for forum members to know what your reasons are, what you think Spain will offer you and your son (and daughter?) that will make it worth while to put them into the Spanish education system at this stage in their education.


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## mozzo (Feb 23, 2016)

Hi all, I am new to the forum myself and we plan to move to Spain this july with a 6 & 8 year old. The suggestion to use an international school for a year to get them settled and hopefully provide intensive Spanish learning is a good idea but I assume international schools are not free and may be costly. My wife is handling the school research for Tarifa and the children are having Spanish lessons. The overall aim however is to educate them the Spanish way within a Spanish school and integrate.
For myself I welcome all comments and experiences and I don't need warm comforting messages as each person's truth as well as balanced opinions and facts are all good. My observation however is that a lot of western hemisphere grown children are used to a level of entitlement, control and sensitivety that can make it difficult for them to adjust to a new environment. Dare I say, some have a high level of pampering not seen before in history until recent times so it comes as no supprise to hear that some children can be traumatised by a change of environment that they eventually do not like or accept. It is however unfortunate that such a situation arose for the child if it affects them for years to come. We could draw inspiration from some immigrant communities that move to the west with older children and families that acquire English, fight and do well. Naturally they are extremely motivated along with parents that push them to succeed in the education system which is why children of migrants in the UK are doing better at school than English children. I think motivation and continual motivation is needed for children as well as them having a real desire to be in Spain and even knowing that there is no plan B and the only option is to succeed within this move. The open option of them knowing that there is a plan B to come back to England may be an idea to keep of the table as private only known to you as a last resort. One of the other biggest issues that face children of modern families in the west is that of resilience. Too often parents out of love, over protect and shield their children from experiences that they consider negative. They jump in too early and often to protect and in so doing their children do not learn resilience which is a important attribute to deal with modern competitive life. Inadvertantley we develop children with low self resilience to life. It is my opinion that I have shared with my own family, seeing some of them raise their children in an entitlement and over protected manner and then wonder when their children have difficulties.
I wish you all luck with your moves.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mozzo said:


> Hi all, I am new to the forum myself and we plan to move to Spain this july with a 6 & 8 year old. The suggestion to use an international school for a year to get them settled and hopefully provide intensive Spanish learning is a good idea but I assume international schools are not free and may be costly. My wife is handling the school research for Tarifa and the children are having Spanish lessons. The overall aim however is to educate them the Spanish way within a Spanish school and integrate.
> For myself I welcome all comments and experiences and I don't need warm comforting messages as each person's truth as well as balanced opinions and facts are all good. My observation however is that a lot of western hemisphere grown children are used to a level of entitlement, control and sensitivety that can make it difficult for them to adjust to a new environment. Dare I say, some have a high level of pampering not seen before in history until recent times so it comes as no supprise to hear that some children can be traumatised by a change of environment that they eventually do not like or accept. It is however unfortunate that such a situation arose for the child if it affects them for years to come. We could draw inspiration from some immigrant communities that move to the west with older children and families that acquire English, fight and do well. Naturally they are extremely motivated along with parents that push them to succeed in the education system which is why children of migrants in the UK are doing better at school than English children. I think motivation and continual motivation is needed for children as well as them having a real desire to be in Spain and even knowing that there is no plan B and the only option is to succeed within this move. The open option of them knowing that there is a plan B to come back to England may be an idea to keep of the table as private only known to you as a last resort. One of the other biggest issues that face children of modern families in the west is that of resilience. Too often parents out of love, over protect and shield their children from experiences that they consider negative. They jump in too early and often to protect and in so doing their children do not learn resilience which is a important attribute to deal with modern competitive life. Inadvertantley we develop children with low self resilience to life. It is my opinion that I have shared with my own family, seeing some of them raise their children in an entitlement and over protected manner and then wonder when their children have difficulties.
> I wish you all luck with your moves.


Interesting first post 
First of all, depending on your children and their learning styles, social skills and the support they get from you, are probably young enough to go into the Spanish school system directly. I'm not at all sure that going to an international school will help them settle in as international school is likely to be very different from state school so that when they go from one to another it would be 2 big changes in 2 years, but others will know more about that...
The idea of when is a good age to put children into a Spanish school is obviously centred on language skills, but not only. If a child has a learning difficulty that made make the process more complicated. Also to be considered is how the Spanish education works, which is very different to how a school in the UK is run with many exams, a lot of rote learning, mixed ability classes pretty much all the way through etc. Parents who know what they are doing would be interested in all of these aspects I would think and there is a wealth of information on the forum, just search for education, schools etc and there is info in the FAQs on the main Spain page number 3


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## HarryB (Jan 17, 2013)

mozzo said:


> Hi all, I am new to the forum myself and we plan to move to Spain this july with a 6 & 8 year old. The suggestion to use an international school for a year to get them settled and hopefully provide intensive Spanish learning is a good idea but I assume international schools are not free and may be costly. My wife is handling the school research for Tarifa and the children are having Spanish lessons. The overall aim however is to educate them the Spanish way within a Spanish school and integrate.
> For myself I welcome all comments and experiences and I don't need warm comforting messages as each person's truth as well as balanced opinions and facts are all good. My observation however is that a lot of western hemisphere grown children are used to a level of entitlement, control and sensitivety that can make it difficult for them to adjust to a new environment. Dare I say, some have a high level of pampering not seen before in history until recent times so it comes as no supprise to hear that some children can be traumatised by a change of environment that they eventually do not like or accept. It is however unfortunate that such a situation arose for the child if it affects them for years to come. We could draw inspiration from some immigrant communities that move to the west with older children and families that acquire English, fight and do well. Naturally they are extremely motivated along with parents that push them to succeed in the education system which is why children of migrants in the UK are doing better at school than English children. I think motivation and continual motivation is needed for children as well as them having a real desire to be in Spain and even knowing that there is no plan B and the only option is to succeed within this move. The open option of them knowing that there is a plan B to come back to England may be an idea to keep of the table as private only known to you as a last resort. One of the other biggest issues that face children of modern families in the west is that of resilience. Too often parents out of love, over protect and shield their children from experiences that they consider negative. They jump in too early and often to protect and in so doing their children do not learn resilience which is a important attribute to deal with modern competitive life. Inadvertantley we develop children with low self resilience to life. It is my opinion that I have shared with my own family, seeing some of them raise their children in an entitlement and over protected manner and then wonder when their children have difficulties.
> I wish you all luck with your moves.


I certainly do not think I jumped in too early or have brougt up my children without resilience. My eldest child is a very intelligent, kind and thoughtful child who has succeeded at school here in Scotland and is about to start University. I did not jump in and take her from Spain to protect her, we came home because I wanted better for her than the Spanish education system could provide for a child who was not fluent in Spanish. She had marvelous Spanish teachers and thoroughly enjoyed her time in Spain, however I knew what my daughter was capable of, and knew we had to come home for her to achieve her goals. Everyone is different in what they wish for their children. I do not regret moving to Spain, but I am glad we returned when we did. I will go back to Spain, but when my kids have left home and are making their own way in the world. We are only giving you all the kind of hindsight that can only come with experience.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Interesting first post
> First of all, depending on your children and their learning styles, social skills and the support they get from you, are probably young enough to go into the Spanish school system directly. I'm not at all sure that going to an international school will help them settle in as international school is likely to be very different from state school so that when they go from one to another it would be 2 big changes in 2 years, but others will know more about that...
> The idea of when is a good age to put children into a Spanish school is obviously centred on language skills, but not only. If a child has a learning difficulty that made make the process more complicated. Also to be considered is how the Spanish education works, which is very different to how a school in the UK is run with many exams, a lot of rote learning, mixed ability classes pretty much all the way through etc. Parents who know what they are doing would be interested in all of these aspects I would think and there is a wealth of information on the forum, just search for education, schools etc and there is info in the FAQs on the main Spain page number 3


agreed.

We only put ours in International first because we'd been moving around the world a bit already & weren't sure we were staying. If we were doing it again, with kids that age - I'd put them straight into state school.


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## mozzo (Feb 23, 2016)

It certainly sounds like a move to a new language during secondary education is massive and one that needs to be underpinned by comitement and finance for extra language lessons or as some have stated international schools to be successful. As others have stated, a child and people's situations are all different but the main difference I see between a child from the UK moving to Spain and an immigrant from a 2nd or 3rd world country moving to UK is one of discretionary. 
In England and especially London where I am from parents are in an arms race for education. The best school, offset reports, we want to give them the best and make them the best. Parents huddle around the best schools, even rent in an area to get their kids into the best school and then move else where once the child is accepted to the school. So most people moving to Spain do so by discretion and not because of economic pressure for a better economic life. If I was one of those arms race parents in London I would certainly not be thinking of moving my secondary kids to Spain where "give them the best education and make them the best" certainly cannot equate to up root and learn a new language on top of existing educational pressures. Now the people and children from 2nd & 3rd world countries mainly do not make a discretionary move. There is no plan B and they also succeed even when moving at an older age. It is a limited observation not backed up with a white paper and research.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

TBH, Surely we can all remember our first day at "big" school?? The nerves, the different kids, different teachers, different expectations......But usually our best friends and familiar faces from our primary schools were around and - and a big AND - we could read signs, understand the language and integrate with everyone around us.But even so, its still "scary"

How scary at 10 or 11, suddenly in a place where no one speaks your language, strange kids who you cant talk to - and who look at you sideways, talk about you, laugh about you.... lessons completely different, different teaching styles and different priorities....not that it matters cos you, the new Brit dont understand a word anyway. Maybe the teacher will allocate you a buddy - you may, if you are lucky find that there are other Brits in the class, although teachers try to discourage any english speaking. But you will still be seen as the "outsider". Now, thats all day for 5 days a week, week in, week out and no escape.

Its the same for younger kids too, but at least they have the power to learn, they're young and they can form friendships, language is still being learned and everything is new to them all. Plus they dont have hormones or insecurities or close friends back home.


Jo xxx


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## mozzo (Feb 23, 2016)

I make no assumptions about an individual persons situation and their children but during any such move to a foreign country that is a discretionary move, it would seem justified that such considerations should be considered in advance. Accept that it can be harder for teenage girls who become clicky with peers but you have to accept this as an upfront reality before making such a move. eyes wide open or on the other hand if it was not considered then no blame as we cannot think of everything and we all make small or large mistakes. For me I just hate the whole hindsight thing "if only...." hence I rather hear the good, bad and ugly in advance and not just pretty pictures of life in the sun. Personally if we had to make a life changing move for good reason with teenagers they would just have to deal with it as children have a say but not control about where we live for me. My wife has opposite views and would not want to make a move like this with teenagers. good cop, bad cop, old school, new school.


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