To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first staging of The Open at Prestwick in 1860, Past Champions have been invited to play four holes of the Old Course, the first, second, 17th and 18th, on the afternoon of Wednesday 14 July. These celebrations will be weather dependent.

There are no fewer than 17 past winners confirmed, proving the pulling powe4r of the great course: to name but a few, Daly, Duval, Els Faldo, Harrington, Lehman, Lyle, Norman, O’Meara, Watson and Woods.

In 2000, to celebrate the Millenium Open, a similar Past Champions event was held on the eve of the Championship. The thousands of people who flocked to the Old Course, and a worldwide TV audience, were treated to an unforgettable experience, which included Sam Snead’s final tap-dance on the Swilcan Bridge.

For further information visit The Open Championship web page:

www.opengolf.com

For those golf lovers, who want to continue with this sport after this great Championship or during their already programmed holidays in Spain. We have a wide range of holiday lettings very close to the best Golf Courses of Marbella and around.

Do not hesitate on visiting our web page to find your perfect place for holidays in Marbella-Spain.

www.lacostapropertysolutions.com

http://www.lacostapropertysolutions.com/rental-A150.html

Platimun record-selling The Ten Tenors from Australia : Craig Hendry, Jason Short, Drew Graham, Steven Sowden, Dion Molinas, Graham Foote, Stewart Morris, Luke Kennedy, Dominic Smith and Josh Piterman are performaing for just one day in Spain – at the Marbella Bullring.

The concert begins at 10pm – tickets cost 20 euro and

are available via tel: 0034 902 150 025 or at the Marbella Bullring

With an unparalleled palette of repertoire, The Ten Tenors have taken their passion for quality music and powerful singing to such venues as London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Sydney Opera House, The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles – their high-octane vocal power and warrior-like approach to live concert touring puts them in a class of their own.

This young Australian group, chose the Hotel Incosol (Rio Real ) in Marbella for their first Spanish performance in 2007, trough The Jale & Cultur Fundation. Many of our friends and clients could enjoy this special concert, in their own urbanization and they confirmed it was a great moment that they would like to repeat again.

http://www.lacostapropertysolutions.com/rental-A257-R.html

Since then, they have visit our city  almost every year to present their new releases.And they have become a very famous and well known group,in a few years.

In conjunction with ASPANDEM, an association specifically set up to help disabled people living on the Costa del Sol, La Quinta Golf in Marbella has launched an academy for people aged between the ages of 18 and 35 to help teach them the region’s favourite and most popular sport.  The specialised lessons on offer take in the theoretical and practical aspects of the game, as well as the rules and golfing etiquette, and more than 20 members of ASPANDEM are said to be taking part.

Taking place every Tuesday and Thursday morning, the series of lessons runs up until the end of June, when the organisers have arranged a small tournament where those who have taken part can display their new skills.  The La Quinta Golf Academy is not only committed to offering continuing support to the disabled, however, but also to the young people of the Costa del Sol who wish to integrate more closely with the local society.

Whether they suffer from a disability or not, both La Quinta Golf and the La Quinta Tigers Junior Academy have programmes in place for children from as young as six years of age to help them learn or improve their game.  La Quinta Tigers runs lessons throughout the whole year and the end of each ‘term’ sees tournaments being held and prizes being awarded to the top performers.

With golf being such a focal activity on the Costa del Sol, the programmes on offer provide a superb opportunity for disabled and able-bodied youngsters alike to really get ahead of their game!

The Costa del Sol has, of course, long since been a tremendously popular holiday destination for British holidaymakers and also for those looking to buy property on the Costa del Sol.  Ever since the 1960s when Torremolinos first became a firm favourite, the convenience of Malaga Airport and the low flight prices have encouraged millions of Brits to spend their holidays in the vast number of resorts that the region now has to offer.  Inevitably, the preponderance of British tourists has encouraged many businesses to adapt their offerings in order to take into account British tastes and preferences, but actually as far as most visitors are concerned, this has never presented a problem.

Many people, when they are abroad, feel comforted by the sound of a familiar language or the ability to buy food and products which they recognise, but the real point here is that every visitor has a choice.  You only have to travel a few kilometres inland from any of the popular resorts to find traditional Spanish villages which provide a great insight into local lifestyles and customs, or visit the older parts of the region’s towns to mix with the local people, and the same is true of any of the popular European holiday destinations.  At the end of the day, it is not so much the destination that is key, but how the individual chooses to experience it.

Union Flag image courtesy of Adrian Clark on Flickr

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The current pay deal for Spain’s air traffic controllers is set to end just four days before Easter Sunday, on March 31^st, and it is the prospect of pay reductions which could amount to 40% which have outraged many of the workers.  With pressure from the Costa del Sol Tourist Board whose fears that a strike over the Easter period would devastate the industry and put the economy of provinces such as Malaga at risk, however, it is hoped that the planned industrial action will not now go ahead but that workers will use other ‘legal’ means of fighting their cause.  Certainly the union for air traffic controllers (USCA) has indicated that services will continue as normal throughout the Easter holidays.

Revelations that some of Spain’s air traffic controllers are earning up to £800,000 per year (more than 50 times the average national wage) have incensed the country’s Minister for Development who has stated vehemently that he will not allow the situation to continue.  It is perhaps not only the government and those directly involved in the tourist industry who feel that they are justified in their complaints, however.  When you bear in mind that such high levels of earnings reflect on the airport taxes paid by air passengers who visit the country, taking control of the situation will surely benefit everyone concerned.

Images courtesy of dahowlett and montuno on Flickr.

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For many years, the Club Financiero Inmobiliario – located on the main Ricardo Soriano Avenue – served as the “unofficial” headquarters of Marbella’s most controversial mayor: Jesus Gil. This symbol of the Gil era is where developers and town hall officials planned and agreed all urban related deals and projects for Marbella; one could say that it is in this building that Marbella’s downfall was orchestrated.

However, times are changing in Marbella. The new PGOU urban plan has been approved; this will result in increased investment in the area as well of peace of mind for most of the owners who bought properties in good faith and that, until now, were not sure whether their properties would be torn down for being illegal!

As a definite sign of change, the ex-mayors residence will now become an English School. The Gil family will be renting the premises to the British School Group; with schools in China, Russia and Malaysia, the group plans to open the new centre in September with applications being accepted as from March.

The idea is that the school will cater for children of all nationalities between the ages of 2 and 11; however, for the first year, there will only be classes for children aged 2 to 6. As the name suggests, the British school will follow the UK curriculum, at least until the age of 6; Spanish language classes will be introduced from this point.

For more information, please visit the British School website at www.bsm.org.es

The good news is that there are various options available to parents with children who move to Spain: Spanish state Schools, Spanish private Schools and International schools. Below is a summary of the most important information regarding each of these types of school.

1. The Spanish State School System

Enrolling your child in a Spanish State school is perhaps the quickest way to ensure they will learn the language in the shortest space of time; however, you do need to think this through carefully as it can be a very traumatic experience for children to be thrown in at the deep end without any knowledge of the Spanish language. Younger children tend to adapt more easily to their new schools. After the age of around 10, integration gets more difficult and enrolment in an international school would be the recommended option to avoid traumas.

You cannot simply choose a school and then go and speak to the headmaster or administration office to enrol your child. In Spain, enrolment is usually based around a schools catchment area; either where to live or where you work. Without going into technicalities, you basically have more chance of enrolling your child in a school that is nearby your residence or your place of work as you are given preference depending on your personal circumstances.

How to Apply

Our recommendation would be to go directly to the school you would like your child to go to and speak to them. Please bear in mind that you will need the following documents:

• Proof and verification of school records from your home country
• Birth certificate or passport
• Proof of immunisations
• Proof or residence (empadronamiento from the town hall)
• Passport size photos

Applications are usually made between February and April (this depends on the area).

Timetable

Most state schools are open from 9am to 2pm. However, there are options available which allow for the extension of the school day – especially useful for working parents.

• Aula Matinal can be translated as a “morning club” which allows working parents to leave their children at school any time from 7.30 am to 9am; there is an extra charge for this service.
• After School activities – Most state schools offer a good variety of extra curricular activities which usually run from 3pm to 5pm. Once again you will have to pay a few for these activities but they are very reasonable.
• Holidays periods are generally long in Spain although international schools tend to have a little more holiday time – mainly because of the half term holidays.

Normal holiday periods are as follows:

Christmas and Easter – 2 weeks

Summer – 10 to 12 weeks

Half term in February (known as Semana Blanca) – 1 week

Extra Costs

• You will be required to pay for books and materials; expect to pay between 80 and 100 Euros per child per year.
• Meals:  as school ends at 2pm, many children eat at home; however, many schools have the option of lunchtime meals. If you want this service, you need to fill out a form at the start of the academic year. The charge depends on your specific economic situation but can be as low as €30 or €40 per month for good quality home cooked food – a bargain!
• As mentioned earlier, you will have to pay for extra curricular activities but this is usually an insignificant amount.

Other Important Information You Should be Aware Of

• It is obligatory for children to attend school from the age of 6 upwards. It is; however, very common to see children start their schooling at Nursery from the age of 3. (Note: there are state run nurseries available for children under 3.)
• Class sizes at state run schools tend to be larger than at private schools; expect to see between 25 and 30 children per classroom.
• Many schools have little infrastructure and investment in technology and science equipment; some don’t even have computers. The same goes for sports and recreational facilities.
• It’s important to note that schools in Spain, especially secondary schools, give the impression that there is not much discipline and that students are given a lot of freedom and flexibility.  Students even call teachers by their first name.
• At secondary school, teachers often leave kids that cause conflict in class and do not want to learn. This is perhaps because of the little support that teachers receive when a student shows lack of respect and complete unwillingness to learn. This situation of conflict within the classroom obviously affects those students who do wish to learn. The key word here is “Discipline” and unfortunately, this is an ingredient that is lacking in many Spanish secondary schools.
• Most teachers have little knowledge of English or any other language; this makes communication between parent and teacher very difficult. We highly recommend that parents make every effort to learn Spanish – at least enough to be able to communicate with teachers – if they are to be actively involved in their children’s education.
• In large ex-pat communities, many Spanish schools provide special language coaching for new foreign children for the first few weeks.

2. Private Spanish Schools

The Costa del Sol has a wide selection of reputable private Spanish schools which follow the Spanish curriculum. This is where the similarity with state schools ends. Private Spanish schools have the following characteristics:

• Longer school day – usually from 9am to 5pm
• These schools are usually better equipped in terms of facilities such as science labs, computer rooms and sports areas.
• Fees are generally lower than fees at international schools on the Coast.
• Many schools place a high importance on teaching English as a second language from an early age.
• Unlike with state schools, you are free to apply to any private school, regardless of where you live or work.
• There is a lot more discipline and problematic students are more severely dealt with. As a result, students have more respect for their teachers.
• Uniforms, meals and transportation are usually charged separately.

3. International Schools

The Costa del Sol has a large selection of international schools to choose from. That being said, one must be aware that standards of tuition, facilities and academic results vary greatly between schools; careful research is recommended before making any decisions.

Most of the international schools on the Costa del Sol are members of NABBS (National Association of British Schools in Spain). This is an important point as only fully authorised British Schools, recognised by the British Council and its inspectors can be members. Member schools are inspected on a regular basis and provide continuous training for their teachers.

Application

If you are thinking of enrolling your children in one of the international or British Schools on the coast, it is important that you make the application as far in advance as possible. Many of the top schools have waiting lists which in some cases can mean waiting up to a year to get a place for your child! Do your homework early and visit any school you are interested in as soon as possible so that you can get your application in early and avoid disappointment.

As with Spanish schools, you will have to provide your child’s education records.

Timetable

School hours at international schools tend to vary with start times between 9am and 10 am and finishing time between 4pm and 5pm.

Schools in Spain enjoy long holiday periods, especially in the summer months. Good news kids; perhaps not such good news for their parents!

Normal holiday periods are as follows:

Christmas and Easter – 2 to 3 weeks

Summer – 10 to 12 weeks

Half term in October and February – 1 week

School Fees

Sending your child to a private international school in Spain can be quite costly. Prices vary between the different schools; however, those with the best academic records tend to be more expensive. To give you an idea, you can expect to pay approximately €1000 per month for each child that attends a secondary school (age 13 +) – this would include uniform, meals, transportation and activities. Fees for junior school would be less; you can still expect to pay around €700 per month.

Installations and Facilities

This is perhaps where international schools are in a league of their own. Most of the top schools have the latest in information technology and science labs. Arts and crafts are also well catered for, as are sports facilities which in many cases include swimming pools and multiple sports fields.

So there you have it, a quick guide which will hopefully help you when it is time to decide the best schooling options for your children when you move to Spain. Below you will find contact details for the top international schools on the Costa del Sol. If you have any queries about the information above or would like some personal advice about some of the schools, please do contact us as we have first hand experience; 3 of our directors are ex students of these schools! They will definitely be able to offer you an insider’s perspective!

These are some of the best international and british schools of the Costa del Sol. If you would like more information regarding British Schools in Spain please visit the NABBS site at www.nabbs.org.

Aloha College, Marbella: tel: 95 2814133

Web:    www.aloha-college.com

Swans School, Marbella:  tel: 95 2776431

Web:    www.swansschool.net

Sotogrande International School : tel: 95 6795902

Web:    www.sis.ac

St Anthony’s College, Mijas Costa: tel: 95 2473166

Web:    www.stanthonyscollege.com

Sunny View School, Torremolinos: tel: 95 2383164

Web:    www.sunnyviewschool.com

English International College, Marbella: tel: 95 2831058

Web:    www.eic.edu

British College Benalmadena, Benalmadena:  tel: 95 2442215

Web:    www.thebritishcollege.com