Is Hamelin Laie International School any good?

I have two daughters at the school and am preparing to leave.

The level on English amongst the teachers is very low. The only native speaker I have found is the admissions person!

The Spanish acquisition classes are poor, at one point they consisted of Duo Lingo!

There is little support for kids who don't speak Spanish, and the children are expected to ask their friends in class to translate.

One of our children's teacher is very much "one size fits all" and lacks the professional development to handle children who aren't middle of the road. The other teacher seems ok.

The school doesn't have a bullying policy and engages in a lot of victim blaming.

Most of the extracurricular activities on the website don't run, it's demand based, none of the ones my daughters wanted to do ran.

If your kids already speak Spanish then it's probably adequate, but it's very backward by modern standards.

Communication is difficult and emails often go unanswered.

They were purchased by Nord Anglia as a cash cow, they've fired some of the teachers but not enough!

It seems a lot of international schools in Barcelona really just teach locals a bit of English, rather than really providing an international level education.

If you are living in Barcelona there are plenty of other schools, look at The Kensington School or St. Peters schools. If you are living in Montgat, reconsider.

#nirdangkia

Dear All,

Could you please share more details about your experience with Hamelin-Laie International School, especially from the perspective of international English-speaking students?

We have been confused by all the reviews. The "enrollment fee" for many schools also makes it harder to try.

@ronsmithrf2022 not recommended at all as there are too many Spanish there. More than 80% are locals. It's not International at all

Spanish don't accept expats. This is cultural bug or feature.

Bullying and bad food are one of the main problems there. Lack of International education is another serious problem. 

My recommendation is to avoid this school at any cost for all expats. This school doesn't seem to be as International. More like a public and local school.

If you are looking for international school take a look at Kensington or BHS. We've heard that American School is also a good one but it's always busy and you'll need to wait in order to enroll there.