With the huge increase of the expatriate population in Spain, especially in the Costa del Sol, International Schools are a booming business! This for once has been beneficial to the consumer! There is more choice and you are much more likely to find an International School near enough to your house for your child to attend without enduring an hour´s dash along the N340! Never a good start to the day for parent or child alike!
International Schools in this area have English as their main teaching language but are truly International in the range of pupils. In one class or year you can expect to find children of up to 10 different nationalities. Europeans make up the bulk of pupils with the Brits far ahead in numbers but Germans and Scandinavians also make up a good percentage. Increasingly more and more Spanish children are attending International Schools in order to take advantage of the possibility of becoming bi-lingual.
In fact most International schools are “con validated” with the Spanish education system so Spanish pupils can return to a Spanish School without any loss of time (Spanish children normally have to pass a school year before they can move up to the next level) This normally involves Spanish nationals following the Spanish curriculum in at least Spanish Language and the social sciences.
Other continents are also well represented at International Schools and your children will make friends with Americans, South Americans, Africans and Asians, (not many antipodeans yet!). What a great start in life!
The syllabus covered at most International Schools here is quite firmly based on the UK National Curriculum but obvious changes take place to accommodate different needs. All children learn Spanish and English from the word go in pre-school and a third language is introduced at late junior or secondary level. The basic SATS requirements are covered at all levels although in some schools the SATS exams will not be sat in the same way as in the UK. (International Schools do not feature on the dreaded league tables as it is a question of the computer says no you don’t fit in!)
At secondary level children again follow the UK National Curriculum in all the main subjects: Maths, English and Science for example. At 16 the kids sit GCSEs or IGCSEs as in the UK and if they choose to stay on some schools offer traditional “A” levels and some the more modern International Baccalaureate, a broader based option similar to the baccalaureate of both Spain and France.
This is accepted by most European Universities without the need for “con validation”. “A” levels get you into a UK university but the paperwork involved in getting them convalidated for Spain (translated more or less) is a nightmare! One or two schools on the coast are beginning to offer a less academic and more career-orientated option e.g. sports and fitness qualifications.
Although the majority of International Schools are privately owned there is a very rigorous testing procedure and schools are checked regularly by the National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS) on a regular basis. This is a very similar procedure that British schools go through and ensures that standards in all subjects are up to scratch. The schools are also checked by the Spanish authorities and will display their current certificates. Most schools are also members of COBISEC (Council of British Independent Schools in the EC).
One big advantage of International Schools is that often they are purpose built modern buildings so will have fantastic facilities for sport, drama, art etc. In fact the International Schools on the coast here have very competitive inter-school sports fixtures. Nothing like encouraging a competitive instinct from an early age!
So where can you find out about the local International Schools? The NABSS web site has all the details and the English Language phone directories also have details. From Sotogrande and along up the coast there is plenty of choice, especially in the Marbella area which boasts several newish schools (Kings and Aloha).
