In addition to American and British schools there are also French, German, Swedish and other foreign-language schools in Spain. Under Spanish law, all foreign schools must be approved by their country's embassy in Spain.

Your choice of foreign schools will depend on where you live in Spain. There’s a good choice of English-speaking schools (accepting children from ages three to 18) in Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, and on the costas. For example, there are British schools in Alicante, Barcelona, Cádiz, Fuengirola, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Madrid, Menorca, Palma de Mallorca, Marbella, Tenerife, Torremolinos and Valencia.

Private, foreign and international schools may have smaller classes and a more relaxed, less rigid regime and curriculum than Spanish state schools. They provide a more varied and international approach to sport, culture and art, and a wider choice of academic subjects. Many also provide English-language summer school programmes combining academic lessons with sports, arts and crafts, and other extra-curricular activities.

A usual aim is developing a child as an individual and the encouragement of his or her unique talents, rather than teaching on a production-line system. This is made possible by small classes which allow teachers to provide pupils with individually-tailored lessons and tuition. The results are self-evident and many private secondary schools have a near 100 percent university placement rate.

On the other hand, one of the major problems of private foreign-language education in Spain is that children can grow up in cultural ‘ghettos’ and be ‘illiterate’ as far as the Spanish language and culture are concerned. Although attending a private school may be advantageous from an academic viewpoint, integration into Spanish society can be severely restricted.

 
It’s advisable to check whether a school is recognised by the Spanish education authorities and whether it belongs to an accredited organisation. Most British schools in Spain belong to the National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS, www.nabss.org), whose members are visited and approved by British school inspectors.

Advice about British English-language schools in Spain can be obtained from the British Council, Paseo Martínez Campos, 31, 28010 Madrid 913-373 500, www.britishcouncil.es). Or consult ECIS on ( UK 01730-268244 www.ecis.org).

For information about American schools in Spain, write to the Instituto de Cooperación Ibero-americana, Avenida de los Reyes Católicos 4, 28041 Madrid (915-838 526). Information is also obtainable from embassies in Spain.

This is an extract from Living and Working in Spain, by David Hampshire. Published by Survival Books.