St. Andrew's or Northlands school

[sergio]

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.

I was being ironic. Sorry if that was not clear. My point was that these schools are indeed snobbish and the hiring of teachers from England is an attempt to give an illusion of sophistication, i.e. they want to project an image of being like English "public schools". The teachers they hire are seldom graduates of these sorts of schools to begin with but in Argentina image is everything. I agree that the level of education at a school like Saint Andrews is higher than in most other schools but I'd also stress that there will be a lot of social pressure. If an international program is necessary, look around. Saint Andrews and Northlands are not the only schools. There are likely others that are less elitist that could offer what you need but in an environment a bit more normal.

 

[sergio]

Northener, There is no shortage of teaching talent in Argentina that makes it necessary to import, at great cost, teachers from the UK. There are many qualified Argentine instructors who understand IB and ICGSE. While the teachers they employ almost always from Britain are professionally qualified, they seldom stay very long, sometimes have adjustment problems and cost the schools a GREAT deal of money in salaries that are higher than those of local teachers (causing resentment among staff), housing, international air tickets and other expenses. One of the schools mentioned here had a particular problem with a headmistress they imported from the UK. She did not work out well, was let go and demanded and received a massive settlement that seriously impacted the school's finances. I recall an Argentine teacher in one of the leading bilingual schools telling me that a locally hired teacher (married to an Argentine) was a 'bargain" for the school as she "looked expensive" but was being paid far less than those who were on contract from the UK. What mattered to the school was that she gave the school some "status" merely by being British. Some people have the money to send their kids to elite schools but prefer a different environment, so it's not always a matter of sour grapes as you suggest. Remember that even Prince Philip sent his son to the very rustic Gordonstoun and not to Eton, precisely because he wanted him to be challenged in a less elitist environment. It didn't work out well but that's another matter. What particularly disturbs me about the elite bilingual schools is their lack of diversity. Everyone has money (are there any scholarships for those from the less privileged classes?) and focus is on social status and the superficial. As for the imported teachers, bilingual schools are not international schools so there is really no need for foreign teachers as there is in a school like Lincoln that is internationally diverse and strongly modeled on US public schools. I'm not endorsing Lincoln, just distinguishing between international and bilingual schools.

 

[Vanessa PC]

I was being ironic. Sorry if that was not clear. My point was that these schools are indeed snobbish and the hiring of teachers from England is an attempt to give an illusion of sophistication, i.e. they want to project an image of being like English "public schools". The teachers they hire are seldom graduates of these sorts of schools to begin with but in Argentina image is everything. I agree that the level of education at a school like Saint Andrews is higher than in most other schools but I'd also stress that there will be a lot of social pressure. If an international program is necessary, look around. Saint Andrews and Northlands are not the only schools. There are likely others that are less elitist that could offer what you need but in an environment a bit more normal.

Could you please give concrete examples of schools that according to you are equally international and good but less elitist? To be honest, my main concern is the schools being international and having excellent education... I find that being normal or elitist can be subjective appreciations. However, I am very interested in looking at other options to compare.

 

[Vanessa PC]

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.

Thank you very much. I find your comments very useful !

 

[mmoon]

I would highly recommend Belgrano Day School. Our experience there was excellent and their IB program is one of the best. It’s in a great (city, not suburb) neighborhood as well, a wonderful area to live.

 

[sergio]

Could you please give concrete examples of schools that according to you are equally international and good but less elitist? To be honest, my main concern is the schools being international and having excellent education... I find that being normal or elitist can be subjective appreciations. However, I am very interested in looking at other options to compare.

Saint Andrews and Northlands are NOT international schools. They are bilingual schools. Teaching IB or IGCSE does not make them international. To be international you must have a significant international student body. These are local schools catering to local people with perhaps a handful of international students. i'm not questioning that the level of education and their facilities are far better than the great majority of schools in the country. Lincoln is an international school and I believe also BAICA. I'm not endorsing them, just drawing a distinction.

I think parents have to look around and see what is available and how well it fits their needs. The two bilingual schools mentioned here may be their best options despite the social snobbery.

 

[Northener]

I would highly recommend Belgrano Day School. Our experience there was excellent and their IB program is one of the best. It’s in a great (city, not suburb) neighborhood as well, a wonderful area to live.

Belgrano Day School does not have an IB programme.

 

[citygirl]

There is also the CIE (I think thats the acronym) exams given by University of Cambridge which are also accepted for international university. My twins were at St Hildas in Hurlingham which is a bilingual school and we were quite pleased with the teaching (albeit in the pre-K classes).

I don't dispute that in many cases, there is a "snob" factor involved in private schools. However, with a few notable exceptions, public school in Argentina is quite frankly deplorable. Private schools are really your only option, esp if your children will be returning to Europe.

I will say that you are best served living close to the school. Your children's social life (and there will be SO many parties and get togethers) is going to be focused around his/her group of friends. So try not to burden yourself too much by having to drive too far FWIW, I've heard nothing but good things about the two schools you mentioned.

 

[mmoon]

I couldn’t agree more with citygirl above.

Also, here are the details about what Belgrano Day School students graduate with regarding international certifications (despite the appearance of the link, it is in English)

http://www.bds.edu.ar/en/proyecto-bds/perfil-del-egresado/

 

[Vanessa PC]

Thanks a lot for the information!!