Education In Spain | Buying A Family Villa In Spain

Those looking for a villa for sale in Spain as their primary family home will need to explore the educational possibilities for their children. 

Mandatory education

The mandatory school age in Spain is 6 to 16. Their parents must enroll them in a school near their home and will need to register them on the padron at the town hall. You can do this once you have found a villa for sale in Spain and the purchase has been completed with the deeds in your name. Once you have the Padron, you can contact the Department of Education and get the necessary enrollment and medical forms to register your children in the public education system. The enrolment period differs depending on the school and level of education and will be announced on the government website. However, it is usually between February and June for commencing school in September of the same year. When looking for your villa for sale in the Costa Blanca, ask our experienced Hamiltons of London team about their experience; many have children who are in or have been in the school system here and will have a good idea of which catchment area covers which schools.

Public Schools

Spanish schools offer a high standard of education, according to information issued by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Public schools are free to residents, but parents do have to buy the equipment and books necessary for the curriculum, and the school will provide a list of what your child needs before the commencement of the school year. When buying a house in Spain, discussing the possible costs with other parents who already have children in school here is useful.

Private International Schools

If you prefer a more familiar system and want to help your child adjust to their new home, there are also some excellent private schools in the Costa Blanca North area, including the highly acclaimed Lady Elizabeth School in Benitachell, which is part of the International Schools Partnership and offers private education to children between the ages of 2 and 18 in countries throughout the world. They offer a recognizable educational formula to all nationalities and are used to include parents and help families integrate, settle, and learn in their new chosen country and home. You may learn more about this school if you are considering a house for sale in Moraira or a villa for sale in Javea.

Lady Elizabeth first opened in 1987 with a junior school, followed by a secondary school opening in the 1990s; in 2018, it moved to its new home, offering outstanding facilities, in Cumbre del Sol, where reasonably priced villas for sale in Benitachell can be found close to the school. Lady Elizabeth follows a British educational system and has developed a program where English is constantly used and communicative skills are encouraged; the focus is given to a comprehensive education of other cultures to give students a broader view of today’s global society. Learning a second language prepares students for their future careers, and focus is given to cognitive skills that improve memory and comprehension.

Those who buy a house for sale in Cumbre del Sol can benefit significantly from the British teaching method provided to their children by LES, which begins in the early years and concludes with a Baccalaureate program. During the infant years, the emphasis is placed on the importance of vocabulary, and from ages 3 to 5, children will begin to learn their native language, and with the stimulation of a bilingual program, they will be able to learn another language alongside. At the primary level, from 5 to 11 years old, the essential basics of grammar are introduced so that students learn to navigate language naturally. The four years of secondary school focus on the technical aspects of language, and the following two years of baccalaureate prepare the students for their next academic challenge, university, and future employment.

When you buy a home in the Costa Blanca North, children who attend LES will have plenty of additional learning opportunities. Together with the language and communication skills taught, the school offers a wide range of topics in addition to traditional ones, including marine science, photography, business, graphic design, and tourism. Outside the classroom, there are more than forty extracurricular activities, including arts and crafts, sports, swimming, stock exchange, robotics, board games, filming, etc. Students are also offered opportunities to participate in award programs such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. In addition, as part of the ISP, there are international learning opportunities with programs such as Ten Youth, Buddy Exchange, filmmakers, and chess challenges.

The onsite facilities at the modern home of LES include two swimming pools, two libraries, sports halls, basketball courts, soccer fields, playgrounds, digital whiteboards, dining halls, computer classrooms, music classrooms, psychomotor classrooms, childcare rooms, physics and biology/chemistry labs, food science, and robotics labs, recording studio, theatre and dance room, photography studio, and an auditorium that seats 400 people. There are boarding facilities and a comprehensive language program, including English, Spanish, French, German, and other mother languages. If this wonderful facility offers the facilities your children would benefit from and enjoy, ask Hamiltons of London about houses for sale in Cumbre del Sol, Benitachell, Moraira, and Javea.

Conclusion

The whole educational program is designed to ensure that students have access to some of the best universities in the world, not just in Spain. When you look for a villa for sale in the Costa Blanca, the education of your family, whether you choose one of the excellent local public schools or a renowned private institute, is no barrier for families choosing to make a life here on the beautiful northern Costa Blanca.