Education is a very powerful tool and the control of what the curriculum contains has worked normally calm people into a frenzy. Does Shakespeare have any relevance to our young people? Should schools be able to drop teaching the Victorians in favour of learning about Twitter? The debate goes on. Now more than ever, it is difficult to decide what the curriculum should consist of. Our world changes so quickly that equipping our young people with what they need for the future is a shot in the dark. There are many theories about what they should be learning. Most include reference to skills, concepts and personal attributes rather than selected pieces of knowledge. Learning ‘how to’ rather … [Read more...] about Education in Spain: What do they need to know?
special needs
Inside a Spanish school
I had been fortunate to make contact with Tina Sánchez Alfocea, an English teacher at the school. Tina had been enthusiastic about my request to visit, meet her students and ask her some questions. I wanted to see for myself what the inside of a Spanish secondary school looks like and test out some of the anxieties that parents of foreign students have. If you have been following this series of features you will know that many British and other expat parents find themselves in a dilemma. Should their children attend an international school or enter the Spanish system? For some there isn’t an option. The fee-paying alternative of an international school can be well out of bounds. However, … [Read more...] about Inside a Spanish school
Education in Spain, an international alternative
According to every school I asked the response was… think again! If your child is young enough then it is likely that they will pick up Spanish quickly and integrate well into a Spanish school. However, if they are older or have special needs the outlook is much less favourable. But what if you are already here and your child hasn’t settled or you have a very compelling reason to move? International Schools are an established alternative to Spanish state education. Dotted across the country, they teach the UK national curriculum in English and enable young people to study ‘A’ levels which are still the main currency needed for entry to universities in the UK. Of course, they are … [Read more...] about Education in Spain, an international alternative