Dani-b - 24 June 2009 04:40 PM
Thank you!! I will have a look at the book and get some info!!!
I probably don`t write what you want to hear.
Then again i got the t shirt and I`m only trying to help without any alteria motivation.
Moving children to Spain can be complicated, its not as simple as you may assume.
Friends of ours had 7 years in Spain, children arrived at age of 6 yrs, 8 yrs.When they reached high school age the eldest had issues, they both spoke perfect Spanish but the eldest had difficulty in writing and reading.The Spanish school assumed the child was thick and as is typical in Spanish schools the less able are left to re sit years etc.
Anyway cut a long story, they returned to the UK due to work (pre crisis) it was bloody hard work before the crisis, anyway within three weeks of school in the UK the child was diagnosed with Dyslexia, the childs GCSE results are crap and now has to go through all the teaching issues again just to be able to gain poor GCSE results.
My point being that plans are always different in reality, some good, some bad.The trick is being able to limit the amount of bad.
Sure Spain is an adventure, you`ll cope fine, but what if it goes wrong, children may not be as strong to accept life`s challenges.
I`ve been involved in Spain living and workin for some 30 odd years now, i didn`t arrive on a Guiri express.
The above comments are only a small example, if i wrote evidence to back up my comments, i`d be writting for a long time.
So I`m trying to put my point accross that if i write about schools in Spain its not based on one school in one area, I have Spanish relatives who teach in Spain, in different regions and at different levels, my family also have jobs in Spain, in different regions within Spain.
So i know a lot of Spanish people and know a lot of Spain, here customs.I also worked with Expats in Spain, so I`ve come across probably ever issue you can think of.
And Expats come accross a lot of issues, more than most bargained for, even when the planned.
My main advice would be to plan a lot, then think alot, then wait till your children have at least gained an education that can be used in the UK and Spain.
Moving a child from school in Spain back to the UK can be extremly easy or difficult depending on so many factures, the teaching methods in Spain are different, so different to the UK.
An easy example is unidades, centenas, decenas, y unidades.Many children struglle not in learning these in Spain, but when they return to the UK.
The other problem chilren suffer from is spelling, although children can learn Spanish conversation far quicker than adults, all will have difficulty learning Spanish writting which is caused by sounds and spelling.
Many children need the help of Logopedics in Spain, I know my sister in law is one and our child needed one.
Now I have a bilingual child able to write and speak perfect Spanish, speak perfect english, but spells like a dyslexic and its been several years of hard work with still a poor level of english spelling.
Which will probably last many more years, so yes moving to Spain can be crazy when it comes to children, i just hope we haven`t caused her education to suffer and ultimatly effect her chances in adult life.
So yes think long and hard and when you feel you`ve got a huge headache, keep goin, your only half way there.
