british education gcse ib international baccalaureate schools spain spanish school study a
A friend of mine is in the teaching profession and passed this to me when I made the move to Spain, I found it really helped my choice for my children.
There are basically three categories of schools available.
· Government Spanish School
The majority of these are free (apart from school meals). Your child will receive a completely Spanish style education with little English input. I would recommend these if you wish your child to be fluent in Spanish, I believe these are probably best for a few years during the early stages of their education. If you are thinking of returning to the English system or taking GCSE and ‘A’ Levels clearly it’s prudent to keep in touch with it.
· British Curriculum schools
There is an association in Spain called NABSS ( National Association of British Schools in Spain ). If you wish your child to continue with the National curriculum all schools in this association undergo regular inspection visits. Pupils will complete SATS and GCSE examinations along with English based Post 16 courses. The majority of these schools are fee paying. For more detailed information of schools in your destination go to www.nabss.org
· International Schools
These schools choose to follow either the British National curriculum with an international body of students, or the International Baccalaureate Program (IB). More information can be found at www.ibo.org The IB program starts in Primary school, follows into the middle years program then full IB in the British Key Stages Four and Five. These qualifications are accepted at nearly all Universities and are not as specialised as ‘A’ Levels, giving a broader education.
Nearly all schools in Spain that I researched were 3-18yrs and all seem to have a strong sense of community, some schools´ examination results are second to none. There are generally smaller class sizes which is a major benefit. I believe it’s a great opportunity to study abroad and has certainly suited my children.
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