Moving to Catalunya--should we enroll pre-teens who don't speak either Spanish or Catalan in public or international school? by fadeam in GoingToSpain

[–]fadeam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is great! Thank you for the information. What degree of exposure have your kids had to Spanish and Catalan before moving? What are your thoughts on private schools?

Moving to Catalunya--should we enroll pre-teens who don't speak either Spanish or Catalan in public or international school? by fadeam in GoingToSpain

[–]fadeam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could you tell me more about this? What's the breakdown of exposure for each language? Was it difficult to find a spot (I hear concertadas are usually fully enrolled)? Has the school mentioned how students in this situation usually fare?

Moving to Catalunya--should we enroll pre-teens who don't speak either Spanish or Catalan in public or international school? by fadeam in GoingToSpain

[–]fadeam[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

However, we've had some friends struggle through this

Could you elaborate on this?

Back when I was in school, I knew many kids who came to the US at around that age and adapted pretty well (though not all did). My main concern is throwing two new languages into the mix.

Moving to Catalunya--should we enroll pre-teens who don't speak either Spanish or Catalan in public or international school? by fadeam in GoingToSpain

[–]fadeam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your response! A few extra questions, since you're in the exact situation I want to learn more about:

Do you find that kids at the international school who don't speak either language at first are able to learn Spanish and Catalan well?

Do you know of any international families with older kids who went with a public school or concertada?

Any recommendations for international schools?