School

Seem to be a bit different to UK schools although we are not fluent enough neither have we been there long enough to be sure that the observations below are absolutely how it is - this is how it seems to be... parents are not allowed to help out in class and teaching assistants seem to be absent too. They do do trips out to good places but they don't get people in for creative workshops only the odd sports display or poet.  Handwriting is in a complex convoluted style not at all good for our dyslexic boys and I struggle to read it myself, they start joined up writing aged 5. If they can't pass the writing test for both Galego and Castilian children are held back a year. No sign of any laptops for pupils either. Parents have to buy the course books, activity books and all pencils, plasticine, folders, files etc.- this cost us a little over 400 euros at the start of this term and we won't be able to claim any of it back although there is a means tested reimbursement scheme. The attitude is generally if you want to live here you and your children should have become fluent in Spanish and Galego before you left England....mostly the teachers seem to just talk to the boys in Spanish and let them get on with not getting the activities right. Our older boy was getting one session of coaching in Castilian per week but this does not seem to be happening yet this term, interestingly in Maths with its  pure universal and unambiguous language he is doing very well..likewise with musica and plastica.  There have been articles in the papers about lack of funding and lack of teachers for supporting the growing number of immigrant and special needs children. There was an organised protest today at the school about this and a few other issues. There are some lovely teachers and some frustrated teachers and they do their best given the poor funding and poor approach to providing support staff and teaching resources. There is no playing field only a small park for the little ones and  concreted outdoor and indoor areas the latter of which is incredibly echoey. Still the boys are settling in, they have some good friendships, are learning a lot about communicating and say they don't want to go back to England so we will push on for a while yet and see where the journey leads us.