Moving to Spain part 2 - Children
Children
As I mentioned earlier, if you are bringing children over to Spain then you really must think things through at a very early stage. The age of the children will be a big factor in whether you stay or go back. On the whole it seems that younger children adapt better as they have less to miss when they leave their native home. In most cases they are more resilient than older children and simply accept changes and are quick to adapt and make new friends. This is a very generalised opinion and children are individuals and only you as parents can have any chance of predicting whether or not they will settle.
If the children are approaching or have already reached their teens then you could have problems. They will probably have developed a life style that they value and have a strong net work of friends who they will miss. If they are older and need to finish off their education in Spain then they will not only be facing the normal pressures associated with exams but also a major move, a new country and most important of all, a new language.
There are private schools and these will follow a recognisable curriculum and teachers will speak English with Spanish taken as a normal language lesson. State schools will not generally be speaking much English and it will be necessary for extra Spanish lessons and hard work to try and pick up what is actually happening in the classrooms.
The younger children tend to be more like sponges and take in everything that comes their way so in most cases will be picking up the language pretty quickly and will often become a valuable asset to the family.
Schools
The requirements to enrol in a State School will like most things vary from area to area so it is difficult to offer any advice which will be correct in all situations.
From the experiences of people we have known with children, I can say that there are certain things that seem to apply across the board. To register a child in school, the parents must be registered on something known as the Padron which is similar to the Electoral Role in the UK. Once the Padron is obtained, this must be taken to the school together with a Doctors report confirming that the child is healthy and has had the necessary inoculations. The report must be from a local Spanish doctor and these are usually found at the medical centres.
It seems that some schools want to see records from previous schools and in some cases we have heard that they require these records to be translated into Spanish. It is also possible that even to register at the school, you will need to be able to speak Spanish or have a translator with you.
There also seems to be no hard and fast rule on when a child can actually start school after registering so this can in some cases mean a longer break from attending school than you would expect.
Term starts in September and generally the time spent in school during this month is a half day. Full days start from October. Book lists are provided by the schools and these can be expensive so again be prepared for the costs involved.
There is a web site which is dedicated to children in Spain for Southern Costa Blanca at least and we would recommend that you take a look at their web site and contact them for more accurate information about the choice of schools in the area that you are considering and the procedures involved.
The site is www.kidsinspain.es.
