The Sunday Times published an article yesterday regarding international schools in Europe. The story focussed particularly on international schools in France, Spain and Portugal to try and show UK residents some of the options they have if they relocate to one of these countries.
The article begins:
There’s a particular urgency for British families planning to move to Europe, after four months of Covid-19 restrictions, before the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31.
“We had four British families visiting the school two weeks ago — there’s been strong interest since the coronavirus,” says Mike Farrer of the Nobel International School Algarve in Portugal, which has 1,000 pupils from 41 nationalities. “We have waiting lists for some year groups.”
In recent years the number of international schools has grown steadily to cater for an increasingly globally mobile population, as well as the children of embassy staff or the military. In January there were 11,451 English-language international schools around the world, according to the UK-based ISC Research. Of these, 2,173 are within Europe, up from 1,607 in 2015.
Many of these schools are the go-to solution for transient expats because they follow an internationally recognised curriculum — such as the English National Curriculum or the International Baccalaureate (IB) — allowing an easy transfer between international schools, or back to the UK.
For the South of France, the article mentions Mougins school which is very popular, particularly with those people who are moving temporarily with work, Mougins school runs a GCSE and A level syllabus and is totally in English so UK children can fit right in without having to adapt to changes in language or teaching methods.
“For long-term expats, Mougins can feel a bit transient, so there’s the Fénelon Institute in Grasse, which has an international arm, says Tim Swannie, of the agent Home Hunts: “Convenient villages are Fayence, Châteauneuf-Grasse and Opio, which are more affordable than Mougins.”
CIV in Valbonne and the International School of Nice both have a great reputation too, he adds, as does CIPEC in Aix-en-Provence.”
If you are considering relocating to France to wish to speak to someone about international schools, we would be delighted to help. As well as helping clients to buy French holiday homes, many of our clients relocate to live in France and it is our role to offer advice on education options as well as properties. To search through thousands of beautiful French properties, visit our website or contact us