International schools in Mallorca

Do you want to live in Mallorca, but have school-age children? No problem, as the international schools in Mallorca guarantee your children an excellent education.

The big plus of private international schools that are concentrated in Palma and the southwest of the island, is that global languages English and Spanish are taught, contrasting with public schools where Catalan dominates. The children will enjoy a multi-lingual education at the highest level which is also recognised in GB.

Coveted school places

Most of the international schools have an integrated kindergarten so that children attend the same school from the start until their final exams. Care should be taken, however, to insure that children are registered for a school place in good time as many schools have waiting lists, and sometimes older children may have to take an entrance exam in order to be classified correctly.

All private schools are chargeable, but vary in their prices. At least 600 € per month for the kindergarten and over 1,000 € for secondary schools should be calculated, usually paid quarterly in addition to the enrollment or re-registration fee of several hundred euros.

 All schools are, however, well equipped and have large classrooms, laboratories, informatic rooms with computers, art rooms, libraries, auditoriums and sports fields, as well as additional musical and sporting offers. The teaching staff not only looks after the integration of new children, but also promotes the talents of each individual, the more so as the schools are not very large.

Holidays are broadly in line with the Spanish holidays, but after the summer break some start a week earlier or in early September, and others have additional winter holidays.

The well organized English

British schools are very popular with international residents, especially the Germans, as they are well organized and put great emphasis on good behaviour and mutual respect. They follow the national English syllabus from kindergarten to high school graduation grade (A-Levels) using the English elementary and secondary school systems.

Most of them offer bilingual education which includes the Spanish school system and the Spanish graduation grade (Bachillerato) and runs parallel to the English school system. The final exams at the IGCSE / A levels are approved by the University of Cambridge or Oxford and are also recognized in Germany as a high school diploma (Abitur). Depending on the desired study, however, care should be taken to choose a suitable choice of subjects, as the German federal states can react differently and extra examinations may have to be taken with some of the numerus-clausus subjects.

A few years ago the Balears International College (www.balearesint.net) moved to spacious grounds near Magaluf with its own pool, and also has a kindergarten in its former building in Sant Agustí which is highly recommended.

 Many German children attend this school as it offers native German language lessons and has the reputation of being the most open compared to the other international schools, and the final diploma here entitles the student to study in England or the USA and, after a further year at school, also in Germany but not in Spain. Here too consideration is paid to the knowledge level of the children and every subject has a ‘weaker’ and a ‘stronger’ group.

Also recommended is The Academy (www.theacademyschool.com) which is situated in a lovingly-restored old estate near to Marratxi, about 7 kms from Palma. Around 200 mostly Spanish and English students study here in a country atmosphere, and there are also numerous animals. There are many sports activities and the school has its own swimming pool. Art and creativity are particularly encouraged.

There is also a Montessori school in Mallorca – the Montessori School of Mallorca (www.montessorimallorca.org) is situated in the country close to Santa Maria. The Montessori philosophy is based on the principle of independence, personal responsibility and happy, creative learning. According to the British Montessori syllabus lessons are taught in English, but also in Spanish and Catalan and the teachers come from many different countries, as do the children. Students are between 3 and 12 years old and are very well-prepared for further studies in private or state schools.

The Palma College (www.palmacollege.com) specialises in older children and is a kind of private, upper-level (6^th form) secondary school which was founded in 2013. The college prepares older students for A-level exams as a pre-requisite for acceptance in a university (globally). With over 20 nationalities the Palma College is a very international school in the old town of Palma, close to the cathedrale. Here exclusive and demanding upper-level studies are offered, which present a bridge between school, university and adult life, and prepare the students for their professional careers.

The German schools

The Eurocampus Deutsche Schule (www.dsmallorca.de) in Palma is the partner school of the Deutsche Schule Barcelona and moved recently to a larger school premises in El Arenal.

As a foreign German school it is entitled by the Konferenz der Kultusminister (KMK) to offer not only the high and secondary school-leaving qualification, but also the transition to the senior high school grades at the end of the 10^th grade.

The A levels (Abitur) is offered in cooperation with the deutsche Schule Barcelona. From the 1^st year native-language Spanish and English and Catalan as a foreign language are taught, and from the 7^th year level French. From the 5^th to the 8^th year level added to Spanish is the subject Ciencas sociales (biology, geography, history).

International schools

Just a few years old and with an excellent reputation the Spanish Agora Portals International School (http://colegioportals.es) is the first school in the Balearics to offer an international A level qualification (International Abitur). Teaching languages are English and Spanish, and as well as German and French this modern and generously-equipped school also offers Chinese (Mandarin). This school is considered very demanding.

A new private school which has only been in existence for about a year in the centre of the island in Crestatx, only a few kms from Sa Pobla, is the ”My School – Mallorca International School” (www.mallorcainternationalschool.com). Teaching is carried out to 80% by teachers from Great Britain, while the Spanish and Catalan courses are held by a Mallorcan teacher. This new private school, however, does not see itself as a British school but offers an internationally recognized final graduation.The school relies on modern teaching methods such as internet-based class blogs in which homework and teaching material can be uploaded.The individual support for each child is important, just as the regular involvement of the parents and soft-skills like mutual respect and self-motivation.

 Also only a year old is American International School of Mallorca (www.aismallorca.com), centrally situated in Manacor and for middle and high school pupils. This new, very modern school is a part of the Rafa Nadal Academy and the American school is also a boarding school. Although it has a sporting emphasis especially on future professional tennis players it is also primarily aimed at students from all over the world who aspire to achieve a high school diploma according to the American teaching system., although a graduation grade valid for Spanish universities can also be achieved. Teaching is in English apart from three regular Spanish subjects (Spanish language and literature, Spanish history and the Catalan language).

 In Palma is also the Lycee Francais de Palma (www.lyceemlfpalma.org) for French native-speakers but which is also attended by a number of Spanish children, and for the Scandinavians there is the Swedish School in El Terreno (www.svenskaskolanmallorca.com).