Los Alcázares Schools

Is The Grass Greener On The Other Side?

Now here is a topic that is often discussed both by the local community and those that are intending to move to the area. Schooling generally is of a high standard but some parents would agree that it's not the school, it's the student when it comes to assessing any degree of academic success.

Having raised children from nursery age to nearly University age in Los Alcázares, I can only speak from my own personal experience. That said there are many who would openly say that nothing is better, just different.

Children are like sponges

An expression that I think every adult has heard at some point or other. For every age group I can safely say that this is true to an extent.

Your being non committal I can hear you say, yes I am because parents have a significant part to play in the learning process if you want any degree of academic success. The older the child, the greater the need to learn Spanish but the more challenging it is.

Just like most towns and cities in this region of Spain, there are three types of schools; state, grammar and private. Below you will see a breakdown of the different types and what they will mean to you.

State School

These are free schools in this area, with the exception of books and stationery it's fully subsidised so consider costs but on a very small scale. A good level of education and I think that a lot of parents are very happy with the level of education and value for money that this option provides.

There are a few state schools in the area so you really don't need to worry. One is located to the municipal sports centre, one close to the municipal golf course, one near the location for the Tuesday market and a third one in the town centre.

Love And Hate Relationship

The grammar option is subsidised by the government but books and uniform costs do mount up. There is a fee per child of about 55Euros per calendar month. Located in the Oasis and established over a decade or so ago, it has a very good reputation and is divided into three parts; nursery, primary and secondary so the school will cater right up to the equivalent of "A" levels.

This is an important consideration as you will not have to change the location of your house for a very long time and allows for planning such as setting up a business or finding a job so there is a higher degree of stability.

The lunch provided by the school has a cost of about 6.50€ per child per day so it can be a very costly affair. The down side is that children can't bring their lunch and eat it on the premises so as a parent you either leave them at school and pay or collect them. If you do collect them then you have to bring them back as there are school classes after the lunch break.

Uniform costs can be up to 480 Euros and books slightly under that per year, compounded with extras such as paying for school excursions and additional stationery you will have to open your wallet even if it's for a great cause.

The school (Las Claras) has an extremely high pass rate but they do add a significant amount of pressure on the children. It has been both awarded and recognised by regional government and continues to maintain it's reputation as a compromise between state and private education.

School curriculum's are in Spanish but do promote English to maintain it's status as an international school. There are a significant amount of students from the U.K. at all age groups so this should be very comforting as your children will be far from alone.

Linked to the Trinity exam board it does conform to having an internationally recognised level of English and as parents you will have to help out significantly with establishing control over two languages.

The expense starts at "A" level stage as you can expect to pay over 325€ per month per child. So if you have a child approaching that age group and you are unsure of whether you can financially see the process through then don't do it as it causes problems with children adjusting to a new way of life.

Private

Not an easy pill to follow as costs per month can spiral past the 500€ mark per month. There are two main private schools that dominate the area.

Kings College promote a U.K curriculum so your children are taught in English with Spanish being the second language. It's popular and if you are not sure whether your move will be a success or failure then it will be a better option.

The other promotes teaching classes in English and Spanish but follows the Spanish curriculum. Both are outside the catchment area so be prepared to drive albeit not far as they are within a 10 15 minute drive in opposite directions.

Irrespective of your choice, you will need to go through the enrolment process which begins at the end of the last term. ( June) The school holidays are from that time to September so you really need to act quickly if you have a preferred option.

I only write articles if people read them so if you like my work please share, like or comment, thanks :-)