Anuncio

Colapsar
No hay anuncio todavía.

Bi-lingual schools

Colapsar
X
 
  • Filtrar
  • Tiempo
  • Mostrar
Limpiar Todo
nuevos mensajes

  • Bi-lingual schools

    Does anybody send their children to either Mar Azul or El Limonar schools? Any preferences over the two? Pros/Cons? Any information would be greatfully received.

  • #2
    hi,

    I send my son to Mar Azul and he loves it.

    Teachers are great and very approachable. His work is improving and he is enjoying it. What more could I want! Well the facilities could be better however they are looking into this...new school site etc....but all I can say is that these teachers and children make the best of a difficult job. I would and do totally support them.

    Hope this helps.

    Comentario


    • #3
      Mar Azul's attemts to relocate are being blocked at every turn by the Mayor of Torrevieja. They are now considering relocating to Orhuela Costa where the town hall is much more helpful. This may be relevant depending on your own location. All reports that I have heard suggest that the schooling is excellent.

      Comentario


      • #4
        Thanks for these so far, Orihuela Costa would suit me better actually as we have a place at Playa Flamenca. Also are your children actually learning and mastering Spanish? Thank you again.

        Comentario


        • #5
          Hi

          Im not sure of the ratio of spanish to english that is taught, you would ahve to check this with the school or their website www.marazulschool.com

          My son is 11 and although he tells me he cannot speak spanish(I think thats a confidence thing)every occassion I have asked him to help, he makes himself understood and is making spanish friends quiet quickly. We do have lots of spanish friends also though which might help.

          Of course, if your child is surrounded with spanish people everyday then the language is going to be picked up more quickly(but thats probably all)
          and whether it is correct spanish or playground talk is another thing!my son could swear in spanish before he could count!!isnt that something to be proud of. All from 3 months at a spanish school.

          I am a big believer in it depends on the child. I saw my son developing his spanish well...however floundering with all the other topics which just reduced his confidence. He would spend most of the day not knowing what he was suppose to do and then being bored for hours in class and his homework was a nightmare!!for him and me.
          My cousin has young children who go to a spanish school and they are improving well.BUT!!being poked in the back and then that person running off means chase me in any language!!
          At my sons age to complete an essay in Spanish is a whole different thing.

          I think Mar Azul strikes a great balance, although spanish is taught as a topic for my son, in the younger years it is an every day thing. The younger the better and they say!The school has also increased the number of spanish teachers and the children are spoken to in both languages frequently. My son is interested...learning and enjoying himself. Oh, and hes making some great friends, children and peers. The school can really be proud of their kids, but thats how the school sees them, as"their kids" which must give ever parent confidence. To my son its home from home.

          Comentario


          • #6
            Hi Squeals,

            El Limonar in Villamartin is a genuine bi-lingual school, administered from the main school in Murcia City. They have three levels of tuition for those whose first language is not Spanish. Immersion, intermediate and lengua, which is the lesson the Spanish children attend. Conocimiento del medio, which is a sort of combined science lesson is also taught entirely in Spanish. The rest of the curriculum is in English for all pupils. They take the Spanish general certificate at 16 and can go on and do the International Baculaureate at 18. There are also plans to let the students sit GCSE's at 16 if they want to. Class sizes are small and the quality of teaching is generally very good. The school building in Villamartin is just over a year old, the school having moved from Los Balcones in Sep 04. Buses run from the local areas or you can drop them off at the school gate.

            I don't have much experience of Mar Azul, we have friends whose children attend and their reactions are mixed. I know they struggle with premises, there have been plans to move for a while but they have been blocked, I believe. Other posters will know more, I'm sure.

            Whichever choice you make, you have to work very hard at helping your kids learn the language and private lessons will almost certainly be needed. Help them make Spanish friends and learning the language yourself will help.

            Hope this helps.

            Comentario


            • #7
              Thank you...... for your replies.

              Comentario


              • #8
                Hi Squeals

                Been to see both schools recently and am certain EL Limonar is the school for us, even looking past the problems Mar Azul have had with relocation I get the feeling the Spanish language will be learnt alot quicker in this setting, the culture is to rpomote being able to read and write in Spanish as well as speak it, but I got the feeling from Mar Azul that this is not necessarily the case (although I could be wrong).

                Comentario


                • #9
                  Thanks for that, I have today just returned from Spain and went to see both schools too. I came to the the same conclusions and found the older the children got in Mar Azul the less Spanish they learn. Consequently as I hope my daughter will stay and work in Spain I feel El Limonar will be the better school for her to attain the best working knowledge in both languages and therefore choose whatever field of employment she wishes. She will be entering Primary 1 in September. I can't wait and now need to sell all our belongings in the UK so that we can downsize here! I must add though that I did find Sam the deputy at Mar Azul, very pleasant.

                  Comentario


                  • #10
                    Squeals

                    Me too BIRD!!!!!

                    Comentario


                    • #11
                      We have lived here for two years (though it seems like longer!) We have settled here well and have an established business , so we too presume that we will stay here, and that our 2 children will live and work over here too! This is why we decided to put our girls into the local Spanish school (we did look into the private ones, and were prepared to pay). They are both fluent in Spanish, and have a good mix of British and Spanish friends, and are really happy iin their school. They are both doing well in their lessons - as well as I expect they would have done had we stayed in the U.K. My theory is that they will have more options open to them when they leave school, as they are more immersed in the Spanish way of doing things, and they get into Spanish groups of people that they are growing up with. I'm sure many of you will disagree with me - sorry if I offend anybody but, I think sending children to the fee paying schools is a bit of a soft option!

                      Comentario


                      • #12
                        Hi thank you for that. I agree in a sense, but unfortunately our local school is not very good. It has a majority of foreign pupils and the I am told by persons who go/ have gone to the school the teachers have no discipline and their kids haven't learnt as much as one would have hoped, both academically or fluency in Spanish One of my friends have moved to another encatchment area/ new school and the others are now moving away and hence will move schools, however when I move to Spain next summer, I will have to live in our current house for a year or two, and therefore am not prepared to let her education completely slip down the toilet! I agree if you have a good school your kids can go to then send them there unfortunately I don't and I also think it is important for her to be literate in English, so hopefully will get the best of both worlds.

                        Comentario


                        • #13
                          If the kids are very young then they certainly have a better chance of becoming bilingual in a state school - many more hours of SPanish per day by native teachers. There is more of an emphasis on grammar and punctuation in SPanish schools than English ones so I think this can keep them literate in English too. This has certainly been my experience with my son who has been in state schools for over 3 years. If you are keen for them to master Spanish I really believe this is the best way to go. There may be other considerations though.

                          Comentario


                          • #14
                            Originalmente publicado por joeybaby
                            I think sending children to the fee paying schools is a bit of a soft option!
                            I don't know how sending them to an english school is the soft option, I want my son to be bi lingual which means I not only want him to be fluent in Spanish but also fluent in English. I know of English children who are having to have extra English lessons because they cannot read or write in English having been at a Spanish state school for a couple of years. Although I wish to move to Spain I do not want my son to loose his identitiy.

                            I personally think if you can afford a fee paying bi lingual then go for it.

                            Comentario


                            • #15
                              I knew that comment would get someones back up! That is just my opinion of course. Each person does what is best for their child! It's just that I know a few people whose kids go to the fee paying schools. and they all took them out of the Spanish school after only a few weeks because they didn't settle properly - they say their children are happier now they are with more British children and feel "safer". Thats where I got the soft option quote from! Obviously if my kids were really unhappy in the state school and not learning as much as I would like, then I would consider swapping to a private school - happliy though mine are doing really well in lessons and with their Spanish. I just dont think that a lot of us British give the kids enough time to settle properly and find their feet in the state schools - it took mine a while to settle in, but now they do great, and mix with Spanish, German, Dutch, Russian etc etc, and I stick by my opinion, that it is possibly better when they leave school or go to further education if they have gone through the state school system! Sorry if I upset anyone!!

                              Comentario

                              Trabajando...
                              X