St. Andrew's or Northlands school

[Vanessa PC]

Dear all
We are soon moving to Buenos Aires and we are looking St. Andrew's and Northlands (Olivos location) as potential schools for our children of 10 and 13 years. What are the main differences between them? Which is better academically? Which one gets better IB results?
How long could take the commuting from Belgrano ?
Many thanks in advance for this information,
VPC

 

[RichardP]

There is a Facebook page called Buenos Aires Parent Group that might be helpful for getting info from people who send their children to those schools.

 

[sergio]

Just out of curiosity, what do these schools charge?

 

[brandon]

Vanessa
Best of luck with the move.
Both are pretty equal, top tier schools.
From what I can find, there is little to no pubic stats on academic performance, rankings, college acceptance, etc., all the things US schools tend to tout to attract students. Seems to be more of a word of mouth ranking here.
Northlands has an impressive indoor pool and swimming is part of the weekly activity. Last year I believe the tuition was 27,000 peso. I don't know St Andrews tuition.
The drive from belgrano to those schools will be 25 to 35 minutes or you can take the train. There are good schools in belgrano, too, that you might consider. Our 3yr old son started last year at San Lucas, just down the street from Andrews. Really like the school so far. We live in Nunez and found most families live in olivos or further north. At your kids' ages, you'll likely be heading that way every weekend for social activities, too. My suggestion would be to live as close to the school you like, sacrifice the work commute a bit.

Let us know which you chose.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

http://www.northlands.edu.ar/

https://www1.sanandres.esc.edu.ar/Home?Lang=EN

I was curious so I google them.
Both schools look nice all around.
Northlands is closing in on their centennial. 1920-2020.
You be the judge.

 

[ghost]

Moving from where, for how long. Where will these kids attend college????

 

[sergio]

In Argentina anyone can go to a university so there is no reason for private high schools to be ranked according to university admissions. The University of Buenos Aires is still highly respected despite its deplorable facilities and part time faculty. They accept everyone who wants to go. My understanding is that the Ciclo Basico first year program weeds out students. Private universities want $ so they are not inclined to reject applicants. Top primary/secondary private schools like St Andrews and Northlands are snobbish places where students make friends who later become lifetime contacts. They all move in the same circles -- Jockey Club, Club Nautico, vacations in places like Villa La Angostura or abroad etc. These schools hire a handful of teachers from England to give the school a patina of sophistication (even if the teachers speak English with an accent that would be anything but 'posh' in the UK -- after all, who would know in Argentina?) which is what it is really all about - appearances. That's not to say that the level of education is not higher - it is but you must keep in mind that this is Argentina and what is deemed top in Argentina is not the same elsewhere. All things considered I'd recommend looking for less prestigious private schools where the atmosphere is a bit less hypocritical.

 

[Vanessa PC]

Moving from where, for how long. Where will these kids attend college????

Moving from where, for how long. Where will these kids attend college????

we are moving for 4 years and one of the kids will be graduating in Argentina. This is why is so important for us their results in the IB

 

[Vanessa PC]

In Argentina anyone can go to a university so there is no reason for private high schools to be ranked according to university admissions. The University of Buenos Aires is still highly respected despite its deplorable facilities and part time faculty. They accept everyone who wants to go. My understanding is that the Ciclo Basico first year program weeds out students. Private universities want $ so they are not inclined to reject applicants. Top primary/secondary private schools like St Andrews and Northlands are snobbish places where students make friends who later become lifetime contacts. They all move in the same circles -- Jockey Club, Club Nautico, vacations in places like Villa La Angostura or abroad etc. These schools hire a handful of teachers from England to give the school a patina of sophistication (even if the teachers speak English with an accent that would be anything but 'posh' in the UK -- after all, who would know in Argentina?) which is what it is really all about - appearances. That's not to say that the level of education is not higher - it is but you must keep in mind that this is Argentina and what is deemed top in Argentina is not the same elsewhere. All things considered I'd recommend looking for less prestigious private schools where the atmosphere is a bit less hypocritical.

thanks for the recommendation but our children will go to the University in Europe, where we come from. This is why we need a school that has an international program

 

[Northener]

Both Northlands and St. Andrew's are good schools and would provide the IB curriculum for your students to be admitted to European universities. Other schools such as Belgrano Day School, St. Brendan's follow the University of Cambridge CIE programme which would also provide a suitable international curriculum but if you are thinking of a non UK university the IB programme would probably be more suitable.
Forget this nonsense about the teachers not being 'posh' etc. An advert in an international journal attracts many experienced applicants and schools will select the best candidate based on job requirements. When a bilingual school appoints contract teachers they do so to fill key areas where they are in a position to boost the overall level of education of the school. You are likely to find experienced contract teachers in positions such as Head of Science or Head of History etc.
St. Andrew's probably has the better IB results (though I have no statistics to support this claim). The primary school is separate from the the secondary school and they are in the act of moving campus so I would enquire how this is likely to disrupt school life.
You will find a lot of people on this board give uninformed advice on where to live and what school is best based on their financial position and not on the reality of the matter. I would recommend looking at a 'prestigious' private school (like the ones you mentioned) where your children will have a full sports and academic curriculum as well as opportunities for a range of extracurricular activities such as music and drama. It only seems 'snobbish' if you can't afford it.