Archive for September, 2010

Obviously, if you have children and you wish to move to Spain, then the schooling of your children will be your most important priority.

In fact, the overall welfare of your children will probably be the deciding factor as to whether any move to Spain is actually possible and their educational needs may define where you live. Certainly it is true to say that the happiness of your children in Spain will be critical to the success of your relocation. If children are unhappy then this can place tremendous stress upon the adults within a family – to the point at which it can strain a previously good working relationship.

Fortunately, education in Spain is good, albeit that (like the UK) considerable care is required if you are to obtain the best possible results. Of course, the big difference in Spain for a child is that they will be taught in Spanish (and sometimes in a regional dialect, such as Valenciano). As few North European children speak Spanish, it makes their entry into the Spanish schools system sensitive and it can mean that it takes a while for your child to settle. That said, it is extraordinary how fast children pick up a new language and I have only ever known one child unable to learn Spanish.

» Read more: What is Education in Spain Like – Spanish Schools

Primary School Education

Schooling is available to children from age 5 and is compulsory from ages 6 to 16.

Primary education starts at Year 1 and continues until Year 8, with Years 7 and 8 mostly offered at either a primary or a separate intermediate school. Most schools teach in English medium, but some schools teach in the Maori medium.

Some schools in New Zealand are Kura Kaupapa Maori in which the principal language of instruction is Maori and education is based on Maori culture and values. Most Kura Kaupapa Maori caters for students from Years 1 to 8, and a few (Wharekura) cater for students up to Year 13.

Secondary School Education

Secondary education system in New Zealand covers Years 9 to 13, (during which students are generally aged 13 to 17). Most secondary students in New Zealand attend Government-funded schools, which are known variously as secondary schools, high schools, colleges or area schools.

The National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) is the national senior secondary school qualification to study in New Zealand. Students are able to achieve the NCEA at three levels via a wide range of courses and subjects, both within and beyond the traditional school. The three levels of the NCEA correspond to the final three years of secondary schooling (Years 11-13). The student must achieve 80 credits on the National Qualifications Framework, 60 at the level of the certificate and 20 others to gain an NCEA.

» Read more: Education System to Study in New Zealand

Finding a good Primary School Tutor in Singapore will give your child an extra edge in his/her work. A good teacher is very important especially in the young nurturing years of a child. A good tutor should be able to kinder the interest in a child so that learning is enjoyable. When children enjoy a subject, it greatly helps retention of what is being taught.

I remember an important lesson I learn in English was the usage of phonics taught by my tutor while I was still in Kinder garden. That was the foundation, or building blocks for learning the English language. And because it was fun, I naturally excelled in the language. In the area of maths, there is a new method called the Sakamoto method which, I never learnt, but from what I have seen being taught from private tutors that have teach this, it allows maths problem solving to be solved quickly as compared to what is taught through normal curriculum.

There are many good tutors in Singapore, the ones that I find generate good results for P6 students sitting for their PSLE are those that have 20 years experience in the primary education level. This is because they are very familiar with the type of questions that are going to appear in the yearly PSLE exams, and are thus better able to prepare their students. Another important point to note is because they would by now have a group of students under them, the tutor is able to gather a wide resource of exam papers for the entire student group to work on. in this way, the tutor is able to prepare his/her students for the important yearly examinations.

A good tutor that coached me once upon a time is called Mdm Jan, she’s in her 50s now, and is one of the best and most dedicated tutors for the primary school education level I know. If you’re looking for a tutor for your child, if you’re lucky, she may have a vacancy for you.