The Spanish Education Debate - State v Private

There are so many things to think about if you are considering relocating to a new country, and if you have children you also have to weigh up how the move might affect their future, with education being a primary concern.

Impact
Your child’s school days are some of the important years of their lives, as what happens now will have a massive impact on what the future holds for them.  As parents, we all want the best for our kids, and realize that it is really down to us to ensure that they get a good education and grounding for a flourishing career in whatever they choose to do.  So the question that we must ask ourselves is, “Would we jeopardize their chances of achieving this if we move them to another country?” It is a difficult one to answer, as all children are different, with their own ability to learn and adapt to their new environment. What we do know is that the Spanish education system is very different to that in other parts of Europe, with not only the curriculum but also the language being alien to even the brightest of scholars. As a guide, the younger the children are the easier it will be for them to grasp the new methods of learning, whilst older pupils who are working towards exam years will find it much more difficult and may struggle to keep up with their Spanish peers.  As this is such a crucial time in their education, falling behind now may mean that they never manage to catch up, resulting in poor exam results and job prospects.

Integration Difficulties
Karen Potter from Torrevieja commented that,
“We were very disappointed with the Spanish education system, which did not seem at all sensitive to the needs and disadvantages of a foreign child, as teaching staff have to be in the UK! One of the problems which we found was that there were so many children of all nationalities in the class, not just British, so the teacher did not have the time, or indeed language skills to attend to them all personally, instead focusing on the few Spanish children who could actually comprehend what she was saying!” Spanish educationalists have suggested that British children have greater integration problems than most other nationalities because of monolingual British culture- they are influenced by their parents, who in many cases make little effort to learn the language, signaling to children that it is not really important.

British Curriculum
It is quite a daunting thought, but thanks to the large volume of Brits already living on the Costas, there are now a selection of extremely good, private international schools which follow the British curriculum. This means that pupils are taught in the English language, and have the opportunity to continue their studies where they left off back home, eventually graduating with a British qualification, and the possibility of returning to the UK to further their education should they wish.  Interestingly, the vast majority of pupils attending the country’s leading international school in Madrid, “King’s College”, and also at “Cambridge House Community College” in Valencia, are Spaniards, whose parents want them to have a British education leading to employment prospects overseas. The downside for anyone attending a school with an entirely British ethos is that if they chose to remain in Spain, their qualification may not be looked at quite so favourably in the employment arena, making self-employment, or a position working within a British company their best options.

International Curriculum
An establishment that attempts to cover aspects of both the British and Spanish curriculum, such as “The Lady Elizabeth School” in Alicante, might be worth considering. The idea is that pupils then have the grounding and freedom to continue their education in Spain or overseas as desired. The school currently caters for around 650 pupils, of whom 60 per cent are British and 35 per cent are Spanish. Headmaster, Richard Wijeratne, is confident that they have developed a perfect balance of Spanish and International studies at Lady Elizabeth, with average pass grades being higher than those seen in the UK.
“We offer a wide choice of GCSE and A-levels, and people tend to achieve very highly. Last year, 29 students went to 23 universities in eight countries. This demonstrates the international flavour of what we offer. We have traditional values and extensive extra-curricular activities, including running the International Award”.
ALIS spoke to Barry Kent whose two children, aged 10 and 13, attend the school. He said that,
“WE are over the moon with the provision offered at Lady Elizabeth School. There is no way that our children would have had an education which was anywhere near this good in our hometown in Wales. The Head teacher is very approachable and always happy to discuss any concerns with parents. Facilities at the junior school are fantastic, and the kids really love going, which makes life much easier for my wife and I. I can honestly say that on the whole we have no regrets about moving to Spain when we did.”

Business Over Education
Whilst this might all suggest that an International School is by far the best option for expats, some will argue that if their children are to grow up in Spain, then they should experience the lifestyle, culture and education as a native would. There is also the idea that as International Schools are privately owned, the proprietors are more interested in money than education itself, running them more like a business than an education centre.
Claire Longley said that,
“When we moved to Playa Flamenca five years ago, I naturally thought that an International School would be the best choice for my eight year old daughter, Mia. She settled in fine and made many new friends, but there were a number of things that my husband and I were surprised by, and left us wondering if we had done the right thing! Firstly, we had assumed that an “International” school would have a good percentage of Spanish and British children, with some of other nationalities too. The reality was that they were nearly all British, giving Mia little opportunity to practice her Spanish outside of the classroom as all of her friends were English. We also felt that the school’s Director tried to ignore regulations, making up her own rules rather than work alongside the Spanish authorities, which we were worried may place Mia at a disadvantage in the end. The staff turnover was incredibly high for a school, which was unsettling for the children and also made us uncomfortable as parents”.
After completing her first year in Spain, Claire and her husband decided to enroll Mia in the local mainstream Spanish school.
“It was a really hard decision and we were all incredibly nervous, but Mia loved it from day one, quickly becoming fluent in the language and with an increased awareness of her new country and culture. Luckily, there were a few inspirational teachers at the school who were happy to explain things in English if she did not understand at first, and Spanish friends were always happy to give her a few language tips,  so she was never in a position where she didn’t have a clue what was happening”.

Research
You are probably getting the idea now that whether you chose a state or private education for your child, there are pro’s and con’s on either side and even paying a lot of money does not guarantee a quality education. Like everything else, we recommend that you do your homework by reading up on local schools  in both sectors, and if possible pay them a visit to get a feel for them yourself. Speaking to other parents whose children attend the school will also give you an insight into how things work in practice rather than relying on the information provided through their website or prospectus. There are also plethoras of Costa Blanca forums from which you can glean information about the education system, although some of the comments may be best take with a pinch of salt!