[handsomeguy31]

Can anyone help me again
We have been looking at ISOP(Our son is due to start year 1(Hes 4 in May)) but the total cost is around 5000 euros inc books,etc. I will pay it but want to look at other options. Questions I have are
1) Is there a local school in or around Paphos that hosts quite a lot of British kids or at least a decent amount of British kids(Maybe where a lot of expats live)
2) Is the schooling free of charge and do they still learn English although I know Greek is the main language?

Its just my son is a bit fragile/shy and putting him in at the deep end with all Greeks is not really an option as I know bullying may take place and it would break my heart to see that. Thanks for your help
Mike

 

[kimonas]

Can anyone help me again
We have been looking at ISOP(Our son is due to start year 1(Hes 4 in May)) but the total cost is around 5000 euros inc books,etc. I will pay it but want to look at other options. Questions I have are
1) Is there a local school in or around Paphos that hosts quite a lot of British kids or at least a decent amount of British kids(Maybe where a lot of expats live)
2) Is the schooling free of charge and do they still learn English although I know Greek is the main language?

Its just my son is a bit fragile/shy and putting him in at the deep end with all Greeks is not really an option as I know bullying may take place and it would break my heart to see that. Thanks for your help
Mike

Cypriot State schooling is free and owing to EU directives, the State is obliged to offer schooling (and transitional language instructions) for all children living in the Republic whose parents opt for state education, whether local or ex-pat. Some schools have embraced the idea of integrating foreign students into their classes and do an excellent job, others do not. Most commentators agree that the Ministry of Education has not yet fulfilled its potential. State schooling does not start until age 5 however, and is compulsory to age 15 (but this is under review). Unfortunately bullying is endemic to all schools, and has to be managed by teachers who understand the problem (by that I mean all schools on the planet as part of the human condition) - some schools manage it very well and understand root causes, resolve the bullying in an educative way rather than simply metering out punishments. Other schools do a pretty awful job at managing bullying (again globally). I think your son will face it (and cope with it) wherever he is. The big question for you, is will you be able to communicate effectively with teachers, other parents, headmasters etc on those occasions when you need to have a clear understanding about the governance of your chosen school?

Judging from the past experiences of others, most children of your son's age who are starting off in education do just fine in the state system. I would caution, however, as part of your decision making process, to bear in mind the liklihood of your returning to the UK to finish off education. Your son may have major adjustment (and language issues) if he has to return to an English speaking system having been educated in a Greek one. English language instruction in schools used to be intensive as there was no State University system and all Cypriots went abroad (largely to English speaking Universities) for their higher education. Since 1992, however, the State opened a (Greek speaking) University (and 2 others have followed) so the necessity for English language training has eased off. My 19 year old neice speaks perfect English - her 14 year old brother hardly at all. Also bear in mind that currently the qualifications for international University entrance (A levels etc) are not catered for in State schools - parents shell out for expensive afternoon tuition for those. I suspect the issue of acceptance of the apolyterion (school leaving certificate) will soon be resolved however, as new legislation has just been passed (only three years behind schedule) which sets up a Quality Assurance Agency for education (the lack of such a system hitherto had forced a rethink of UK Universities in accepting leaving certificates as equivalents of A levels). The QA system should be in operation by the time your son starts thinking about Higher Education!

 

[handsomeguy31]

Many thanks for the informative reply. Thats a hard one to decide now. Just one more thing. So you have to be five or does it work like the English system where you have to be 5 in the coming year, eg. often 4 when you start and 5 in December. If not Ill definately opt for ISOP for now.
PS. I suppose bullying is rife here and we have all the discrimination laws firmly in place aswell.

 

[Mkarawara]

Can anyone help me again
We have been looking at ISOP(Our son is due to start year 1(Hes 4 in May)) but the total cost is around 5000 euros inc books,etc. I will pay it but want to look at other options. Questions I have are
1) Is there a local school in or around Paphos that hosts quite a lot of British kids or at least a decent amount of British kids(Maybe where a lot of expats live)
2) Is the schooling free of charge and do they still learn English although I know Greek is the main language?

Its just my son is a bit fragile/shy and putting him in at the deep end with all Greeks is not really an option as I know bullying may take place and it would break my heart to see that. Thanks for your help
Mike

Hi Mike, re your question about local schools in Paphos with some British children,can you tell me if you have found any as my family are moving to Paphos this year and my children are 5 and 8 and the schooling is my worry due to the language. We will be living near to the Tombs of the Kings Road therefore can you please let me know if you had any other info on schooling?
Many Thanks
Karen

 

[handsomeguy31]

Hi Mike, re your question about local schools in Paphos with some British children,can you tell me if you have found any as my family are moving to Paphos this year and my children are 5 and 8 and the schooling is my worry due to the language. We will be living near to the Tombs of the Kings Road therefore can you please let me know if you had any other info on schooling?
Many Thanks
Karen

Hi Karen. Ive done some extensive research and Im moving shortly temporarily then permanently at a slightly later date so Ill be able to help you more when I ger there. Yes I know where tombs of kings is. I think we are deciding to move to Peyia. Its where tons of Brits are meant to be situated and Ive done some research on the primary school and secondary school in Emba and they seem good and have plenty of British kids.
These schools are use to foreigners coming in with no knowledge of Greek so they offer special after school hours for newcomers to learn Greek(Plus you get rid of the kids for longer)
At the end of the day I would prefer my son to have English qualifcations but I need to move and at 5 grand a year per child for private schooling (St George and ISOP) that is an extreme amount of money and Greek schooling is free. If I was wealthy private schooling would take preference but Im only average middle joe.

 

[handsomeguy31]

PS. Our original plan was Paphos but the kids come first and no offence to the Cypriots, I like them, but Id rather live round a British community of course and Peyia is meant to be rammed with Brits.

 

[Veronica]

Emba school has a very good reputation and many British children go there.

Mike there are also plenty of Brits living in places like Chloraka, kissonerga, Tala and of course Emba itself. These are all closer than Peyia for Emba school.
Yes there are loads of Brits in Peyia as well but it is not the only place where you wil lfind a good British community so look at other places as well before making a decision.

Regards
Veronica

 

[Mkarawara]

Karen

Hi Karen. Ive done some extensive research and Im moving shortly temporarily then permanently at a slightly later date so Ill be able to help you more when I ger there. Yes I know where tombs of kings is. I think we are deciding to move to Peyia. Its where tons of Brits are meant to be situated and Ive done some research on the primary school and secondary school in Emba and they seem good and have plenty of British kids.
These schools are use to foreigners coming in with no knowledge of Greek so they offer special after school hours for newcomers to learn Greek(Plus you get rid of the kids for longer)
At the end of the day I would prefer my son to have English qualifcations but I need to move and at 5 grand a year per child for private schooling (St George and ISOP) that is an extreme amount of money and Greek schooling is free. If I was wealthy private schooling would take preference but Im only average middle joe.

Thanks Mike for replying, I,ll be really grateful for any info.

Karen

 

[kimonas]

I've taken an interest in private secondary education (and state provision) as I currently work in the higher education sector in Cyprus which draws on candidates from both. I may have misread, or misinterpreted the intent of parts of this thread, but it seems to me that there might be a perception that a Cypriot state school with many Brit ex-pat kids in is going to be better for the ex-pat children. That is not necessarily so. Latest progress reports from the Minstry of Education show that schools with higher precentages of expats are more likely to struggle with many problems including bullying, truancy and lack of integration. The language of instruction at State schools remains Greek no matter how many foreigners are at the school, but if there is a core of British children who stick together, they often experience difficulty in learning the Greek language as they are not 'forced' to speak it with their friends. The situation is not helped if they also effectively live in Brit estate enclaves. Especially if these children enter the system late (beyond 11) they will struggle to pick up the level of Greek to progress in the wider curriculum. Unfortunately some schools in this situation have buried their heads in the sand and given expat students inflated reports, or turned a blind eye to truancy, so that the problem simmers unoticed - kids love the relaxed attitude at school, parents love the glowing academic reports, but things start to unravel when applications to further and higher education start, or children who have experienced such an education are reintroduced to UK education. Of course some schools have got the balancing act right and are doing an exellent job at integrating children into their system, but it should be borne in mind that their task is to produce excellent Greek speakers who are capable of entering the Cypriot State Higher Education system (where the medium of instruction is in Greek). They do not prepare children for higher education in the UK - private tuition is required for this (just as is the case for Cypriot parents). I thought these observations might be useful for those parents who have to make important decisions about the education of their children.

 

[rikinwales]

5000e a year is not that bad, when I lived on Cyprus in the mid 80's costs were £3000 a year (25 years ago).

That said 5k is a lot if you are on Cypriot wages I would guess?