You Are Here: Why British School?

Why You Should Consider A British School in Tenerife

One of the biggest questions that families face is whether to put the children into a British education school or into a Spanish school here in Tenerife.

For some, ensuring their children are fluent in Spanish is very important. After all, when you come to Tenerife should you not embrace the Spanish way of life?

On the other hand, English is one of the main languages of the world and the UK offers terrific choices for further education.

So let's look at some situations when you could consider a Spanish education:

You want to integrate fully into the Spanish society.
You believe speaking Spanish as fluently as a native is most important.
You believe your child's life and work will be with the Spanish population.

And here are some situations when you should definitely consider a British School in Tenerife:

When there is a good chance you will return to the UK before your children finish their schooling in Tenerife.
If you want your children to pursue further studies in the UK after school.
If you believe your children will leave Tenerife and Spain to live and work in an English speaking country.

But for many, the situation isn't as clear as we have outlined here.

So here are some more reasons why you should consider a British school in Tenerife.

A British Curriculum

With the British curriculum, you know exactly what your child is getting: the same education as your child would receive in a British school. For each year group, the British curriculum is followed throughout and you will easily be able to follow your child's progress over the years.

The Spanish curriculum is different, and never matches the British curriculum. As all the teaching is done in Spanish, and all the textbooks are in Spanish, you won't be able to help your child with their homework or follow their progress.

For some people, this is very important.

English as a second language

If your child goes to a Spanish school in Tenerife, then their development and growing vocabulary during these early years of their lives will be Spanish rather than English. As adults, your child might find that they have problems finding the right words for the right situations as they are more used to speaking Spanish than English.

This is true even though you speak English at home.

For non-British parents, it can also be important to develop your child's knowledge and understanding of English. In an English speaking school, you are assured that all teaching and class interactions are conducted in English and your child will therefore continue to develop their understanding and knowledge of the English language.

Further education

Although we have already mentioned further education, it's important to understand the advantage the British curriculum will give your child compared to the Spanish curriculum if they want further education in the UK.

With the British curriculum, your child will have followed the same educational path as all the other British pupils entering university. However, with the Spanish education there will be some subjects that are being covered in more detail, and other subjects in much less detail.

For instance, A-level maths is taught at a higher level than maths in a Spanish school at the equivalent age group. Therefore, Spanish educated children who wanted to do a science or technological degree in the UK would often need further education in maths and physics before entering the course.

Manchester University even runs a Foundation Year course to teach the appropriate subjects to the required depth if the pupil doesn't have the appropriate subject background for the course. Therefore your child might be required to study an additional year in the UK before starting their university degree.

If your child is taught in an English speaking, British curriculum approved school, then the foundation year is guaranteed not to be needed.

Your child's age

If your child is already a little older when you come to Tenerife, they might have problems adjusting to the Spanish school system and teaching in the Spanish language.

First of all, because the curriculum is different, your child might be repeating the same subjects they have already done in the UK. This can lead to boredom and unhappiness, and added with the strain of moving to a new country and learning in a new language some children can find it difficult to adjust.

This could possibly lead to behavioural problems, lack of attention and even a dislike of schooling not to mention a dislike of living in Tenerife.

Secondly, as your child may not already have a knowledge of Spanish it will take them some time before they catch up and can actually understand the teaching. This can obviously lead to problems as they fall behind the rest of the class.

Bullying and discrimination

Unfortunately, some parents with children in Spanish schools have reported that their children have problems with the Spanish children as they are foreign. This of course happens the world over, even in UK schools. But this time it is your child who is the “foreign kid”.

This means it could be difficult for your child to find friends in the Spanish schooling system.

Of course, everyone's experience is different and your child might not have any problems at all in a Spanish school. However, it is something you should be aware of when you choose your school in Tenerife.

To find out more about Wingate School in the south of Tenerife, click here.

To find out more about Trinity school in the north of Tenerife, click here.

To find out more about Yeoward school in the north of Tenerife, click here.