Elementary/primary school suggestions

Hello! We are hoping to move from the USA to an area north or west of Valencia (thinking within 25 minutes' drive of city center) the next 6 months. We would like our two children ages 3 and 5 to attend school there in September. A bit about us and what we would like in a school:

- The kids currently attend a Montessori school. We love how independent and confident this has helped them become. We also appreciate the emphasis on community and friendship, which we felt was lacking in a previous, highly academic school they attended.
- Speaking of which, we don't believe in pushing young children hard academically. Our 5 year old recently tested perfectly average for his age in both reading preparedness and math. We are fine with this. :) We also do not want a school that will assign tons of homework... or really any homework at this age!
- Our 3 year old has a good Spanish-language base thanks to a previous sitter, but our 5 year old is mono-lingual to the max and will need a lot of help and support learning Spanish.
- We would like to be able to walk or bike to school, so would want to rent a nearby detached house.

Long shot wish:
- Musical training is important to us, and our 5 year old is able to sight-read basic piano music. We would love to find a school that not only encourages musicality, but can adjust to his current proficiency and help him move forward. We also don't know if we'll find a house with a piano, so it would be nice to avoid having to purchase one.

We're coming from Chicago, where a dirt-cheap private school starts at $10,000 per year, so feel free to lob even expensive school suggestions at me.

Thanks!

Hello! I don't have ANY answers for you...but wondered how you're getting on with your research?! We have 3 and 5 year old boys and would love Montessori style schooling too...we currently home educate which I hear is not the done thing in Spain and I am worried that we simply won't have the social support we need if we continue with Home Ed in Spain... BUT of we put them into schooling in England it was going to be a Montessori school ( for the same reasons you gave!)

We are unsure on being able to afford the cost of international schooling yet as we have no idea what work we will find/choose...the obviously determines income and if we can afford to pay fees.

We are planning on coming into Valencia at the end of May 2018 for a 6 month period to begin looking for homes, where we would like to live, schools etc... Any advice on what you've discovered, if you have time,  would be fab ;-)

TIA,
Sam x

Hi,

Home Schooling is technically illegal in Spain from 6 to 16, this is the bad news, good news is that Montessori is quite trendy right now, you will find some, even international one, with a quick google research: http://www.imsv.es/en/

I do not know those schools so I can only tell you that it exists not what it worth

Thank you for this Marnie ;-) Such a shame about the Home Education, it is thriving in UK and we have been so well supported, so much going on for families who choose this method of learning. Yes I absolutely love Montessori and will be looking in to these for sure,  Thanks so much!