deciding which area is best?

[chris(madrid)]

Originally Posted by JACS IN SPAIN

school is not obligitory until they are 5.

Not to spit hairs - but it's the school year in which they achieve 6

Educación > Enseñanzas > Educación Primaria > ¿Qué es? - Gobierno de España - Ministerio de Educación, Política Social y Deporte

Prior to this there are TWO groups 0-3years and 3-6 years. This are NOT compulsory - and places can be hard to find.

[mum2twinsplus1]

Originally Posted by JACS IN SPAIN

Hola! Firstlly I think you should check out Almeria and see what you think, the climate is fab and as I said before there is outdoor living practically all year round, meaning that your children can benefit from outdoor sports , activities etc without being stuck inside during the winter months! My son goes to tennis and football at 5pm some days in the week and its still light & warm!
Children here can start school (Infants/ Infantil) at 3 years old if you so wish however school is not obligitory until they are 5. I suggest though that you start them at school as soon as possible so they make friends, integrate and also have fun whilst learning. Its more or less the same as the Uk but in Spanish. Children are incredible, they adapt and learn so quickly and will be speaking the language and understanding by the time your first 3 months are up. You will be the only one worrying as thats what you do as a parent!!! ......but there is no need to!! You need to visit, you need to check out the area, visit the schools etc etc. Write a list of Q´s and ask them! get stats from the school or check their websites out...thats what I did ! The education here is good and comprehensive and as long as you as a parent take interest and support your child with their school life and school work, your kiddies will reep the benefits! Children here are not made to grow up quickly like they do in the UK, peer pressure exists everywhere because thats what children are like, but it is so much less here!

You have to realise that you are in a fortunate situation with your children if your chose to move to Spain, age is on their side as it is on yours! You will have no problem making friends and meeting people, you have already made the effort to check info on forums and abate your concerns. Making friends is really down to you and making an effort and finding out ´whats on´, eg, yoga, gym, spanish lessons, kiddies afterschool activities there are loads of ways to meet people and even if you don´t speak the language you wil still meet people and get invited out etc. There are numerous ways here, this is Spain!

x

thanks for your reply. i will def check out Almeria. Myself and OH will have to sit down and think of different areas and go and check them out and the schools as well.. everything you have said is totally right, i really do think it is the correct thing to do. would do it in a minute if never had kids, just dont want to hamper their education. but you are right they will pick it up very quickly and as long as a parent you help your children and put input in then they will do well..

just another question for you, i live in scotland and the kids here start school in aug if they were 5 years from the march. as my twins are 4 in dec they are due to start school next aug. what is it in spain? is it similar? i was thinking on keeping my twins back a year as they will be 4.5 when they start but they have a development delay of 6 months due to being premature so really developmently wise 4. do you think this would be possible and would it just be the spanish school i would speak to about this?? this is another reason that i am worrying.. i would still like them to attend the infantil though as if we stay here they would be in nursery.

[JACS IN SPAIN]

Oops, thanks for that and correcting the unintentional typing error especially as my children have only been through the spanish educational system!
How did you know about my split ends?

[mum2twinsplus1]

just realised that there was 2 msgs after the one i replied to lol??

so school is only compulsary from age 6?? how did you get your children into the system at age 3-5? did you find it hard or easy to get a place? hoew do you apply for them to have a place?

[mum2twinsplus1]

just read an article saying that children start school in sept, hen they turn 6 that calender year meaning they are one of the youngest instead if the oldest as it is here in britian. that sounds so much better and makes so much sence.. the more i read up on this and find out more, the more ni just want to go... just have to sit down with the OH and decide one exactally where..

[CKSMadrid]

Hi there,

Living in Madrid, i can safely assume that this part of Spain will not be for you considering the freezing temperatures in the winter. "9 months of winter and 3 months of hell" is a term that is heard in Madrid.....up to 50 degree celcius in summer and in the minuses in winter nights!

Saying that, i have worked around in Spain for a while now, spending a lot if time in Valencia, Castellon, Alicante, Almeria and Malaga. I would assume that any of these areas would be suitable for you considering your requirements are really none too specific. The further south you get, the better all round climate is what i have noticed with th Northern coasts tending to get quite a bit of rain in winter.

As for schooling, the ages you children are at will not cause too much of a problem. onsidering this, you could continue to look at the British Curriculum which may prove to be good for them. I work in a British School in Madrid and although British Curriculum is followed, 80% of the kids here are Spanish, the main language outside of the classroom is Spanish and all students learn Spanish up to GCSE and A Level. Best of both worlds really. Many consider the Spanish system to be inferior to the British but i think it is purely down to personal circumstances. I know Spaniards and Brits here in Madrid that went to Spanish state schools and have done fine, whereas i also know Spaniards and Brits (amongst others) that went to private school where some excelled and others did not.

Sorry to not really help in any sort of manner, just thought i would add some more info for you to mull over. If i can help in any way, please let me know.

Good luck. Take the move seriously, once you have moved you will never look back.

[chris(madrid)]

Originally Posted by mum2twinsplus1

i live in scotland and the kids here start school in aug if they were 5 years from the march. as my twins are 4 in dec they are due to start school next aug. what is it in spain? is it similar? i was thinking on keeping my twins back a year as they will be 4.5 when they start but they have a development delay of 6 months due to being premature so really developmently wise 4.

They would commence schooling in the natural year (Jan-Dec) in which they have their 6th birthday (according to the Min of Education). be very careful of trying to apply posibilities in other countries over here. If the law here demands that they start in year "x" - leaving it to year "y" could theoretically lead to problems. "Home Schooling" is not strictly legal as they have to attend "School"

[Katie in Malaga]

Originally Posted by mum2twinsplus1

how did you decide which area you would most like to move to? we have been thinking about it for a while but not sure which part would be best suited to us. we are a young family, i am 25 and partner is 26. we have 3 children who are aged 5 and twins 4. my partner works from home and would continue to do so if we moved so employment isnt an issue. Also schooling, i feel my chilren would be young enought to go to state school and i would prefer this as then they would integrate better. Thing is, are there any state schools that have a high number of expats attending? i feel that if they went to a school with some other children from different countries then they would probably settle better?

we have been to a lot of different areas but havent chosen the place yet. we would probably go and rent somewhere for at least either 6 months or a year to see how we would all get on. i just feel that it is a better way of living over there and i want to give my children the best possible chance in life.

Here is my perspective having done tons of research and I ended up in Malaga. WE came here because we had contacts to getinto a consertada school. That is a public school that runs more like a private school. It is my understanding that if you are in the district then you can get in. If you are out of the district it is harder but not impossible. We are only here for two tears and my Hubby has no hpe of learning Spanish so I did not get adventrsome with location. Malaga has great weather and laid back peolple. That siad, I would not choose it again. I would probably to go to Salamanca and not be so concerned about the cold inthe winter. From everything i have heard it is an open beautiful city, full of history, and has the finest Spanish spoken in Spain. My advice is to not think anymore about being with expats unless you want it for yourselves. The kids will be fine in Spanish schools at the age they are starting. If you wnat more help in this, Malaga region, let me know. Otherwise go for it. Best of luck , Katie

[jojo]

When we were looking for an area, we worked on the things we had to have! We needed to be near an airport - a good airport, so we decided on Malaga. We needed to be near an area where my husband could eventually find work - he felt Marbella and Puerto Banus would be good as he knows some companies there who he could join forces with. And those areas are concidered affluent and "money-rich" (He does home and marine hi-fi/multi media installations).

Anyway, we then literally drew a line on a map from Marbella to Malaga and came over and looked. Too near to Marbella was too expensive, so we moved a little closer towards Malaga and stumbled apon, the Alhaurins and Coin. We looked around and kinda narrowed it down to Alhaurin de la Torre. My husband loves the town, its bright, modern, clean and is mostly Spanish but has a fair few Brits. There are lots of schools in the area, although we initially chose to send ours to an International School nearby, which is second to none. We live in a small village on the outskirts of town which I love.

Have we made the best choice??? I dunno, how do you ever know? I'm happy, I've made some friends, I like the area, the people, the views and I like being close enough to the tourist areas (Torremolinos, Benalmadena..) for a bit of fun every now and again. My 13yo son loves his school and is doing amazingly well, my daughter who is 11 wanted to try a local state school and has been there for a couple of months and hates it - so I guess maybe we should move her back to the International or maybe we should give it a bit longer???? Sometimes you have to make a leap of faith!

Jo

[dosprompt]

If I may join in:- we too are in a similar position, we have been busy looking for a nice area to move too, the sun is a draw but making Friends is more important to us as this will be our last move (we have moved 13 times in 30 yrs), we speak no other language but english (at the moment), we need to be near a good airport as I will need to continue working in Scotland for around 2 years and commute each week-end, I am an IT Service Manager for a company that carry's out PC equipment Maintenance and installs in all types of businesses inc NHS (Hospitals,GP, Dentist, Chemists) and shops ect, having looked at Alicante and realizing that between Nov-April flights are hard to find, we now realise that Malager is a more likly area to settle, so our plan is to visit in Jan for a long week-end (1st of many to come) once the house has an offer (rules of contract in Scotland are Binding once offerd) we would need find a long term unfurnished rental property, move out (lock Stock and barral) and look for a home to purchase from there, Phew!!!! Is all this a little crazy????? or the way of it!!!!