Parent
We were very much looking forward to our four-year-old son starting his reception course at the beautiful St George's school. Our son was more excited than us and pleaded for us to go early so we would be the first one waiting by the gate every morning.
After 2 weeks, things started to change. One day I received a call from the school asking if I knew where our son was! He had left school without them noticing. Luckily, my wife was outside the school early for the afternoon pickup and saw him leaving.
This incident, and the thought of what might have happened, was shocking, but the response from his teachers was even more concerning. Both Miss G and Miss B blamed our four-year-old son for the incident and told us it happened because he doesn't listen to them! They never apologised. Miss B said they would strengthen the security of the school to make sure this wouldn’t happen again, but if it did, that we should please bring him back to school. Miss G, who was our son’s teacher at that time, set new goals for him to learn to listen, such as saying “Good morning” aloud every day.
After that, our nightmare started…
Our son started to resist going to school and would come out of school crying about not getting stickers. We sent several emails to Miss G asking if she was giving stickers to everyone but our son as a punishment. She never replied to our questions. Soon after that, we were notified that our son had been moved to Miss B's class. At first, this seemed to be good news for us, but the situation got even more difficult. Our son started wetting his bed night after night. We were concerned, as our son had never had this problem before. According to Miss B, this was a sign of physical sickness and nothing to do with the way he was treated at the school.
At home, our son would repeatedly say that Miss B was angry with him and that he was scared. Once he drew a big angry face and a very small dot next to it. He said that the angry face was Miss B and the small dot was himself. When we told Miss B that our son was scared of her, she said: "It’s good to know he is taking me seriously!"
We knew that we would have to change our son's school ASAP, regardless of the 3000 euros non-refundable registration fee, but we had another issue. Other private English-speaking schools would require a report from his previous school, and according to Miss B, our son is a disobedient child who requires full time one-to-one support! As a result, other private schools would not take the risk of admitting him.
We had no choice but to move back to Cambridge, UK. Fortunately, soon after our return to the UK, he started to become excited again about going to school. He loves his new teachers and new friends. His teachers are very happy with his interactions and his progress. And of course, no one-to-one support is required!
7 other reviews for St. George Barcelona - (Reviews aren't verified )
Showing 6 reviews by parents and students.
Parent
My son has attended a few international schools , and private schools. This school has the most Fantastic teachers , head teacher and staff . There is no other school we have attended with such Amazing education and teachers who work so hard and help our children so beautifully . We are always able to ask for help, contact any member of staff and get rapid response , my sons learning has been stunning g , due to the absolute joy and presence of the teachers. He is thrilled to get to school each day and inspired by them all . During lockdown we had an unbelievable experience of wonderful online classes which my son thrived and enjoyed . They helped us families through , with constant communication and uplifting activities online , assemblies. The school completely goes by it’s school motos , and make sure that children treat others beautifully . Miss King the head teacher and ... read full review
Parent
We moved to Barcelona and chose the school online because they advertised it as a family-centric community (it isn’t), not elitist (it is somewhat), very good academically (it is fine, but not excellent), and promoting social emotional learning skills (absolutely not.) The facilities for primary students are very crowded and there were 26 students jammed into a small classroom. While it was fine academically, it was clear teachers were burned out, and what’s more, the bullying in primary was worse than anywhere we’ve ever seen. Not only were the bullies not given meaningful consequences, but they managed to turn many people in the class against my child based on a couple of particularly awful bullies’ persuasion. Even though I repeatedly asked the teachers and head of school for help and intervention for my child who was emotionally tortured and walking in tears to and from schoo... read full review
Parent
We've been part of this school community for two years with our 7-year-old daughter, and it has been a wonderful experience. The standout for us is the emphasis on emotional well-being and how they empower every child’s self-esteem. The way they foster connections between kids of all ages creates such a friendly atmosphere. Academically, the growth has been incredible; our daughter is now fluent in English and easily connects with native-speaking peers. We recommend it 100%!
Parent
We attended this school before the change of ownership, and at that time everything was genuinely at a good level: strong teachers, stability, a clear program, and good communication with parents.
After the school was sold, the situation unfortunately became noticeably worse.
From September through January, essentially half a year, the children had constantly changing teacher... read full review
Parent
Amazing school. My son entered in year 12 for the ib programme and we couldnt be happier with all aspects of the school
Parent
A Great school with very good teachers and curriculum.
