12 July 26, 2020 The Sunday Times

Home

School’s out (if it wasever properly in)across Europe, butbetween now and thenew academic year

there will be the usuallast-minute rush for places.

There’s a particular urgencyfor British families planning to move to Europe, after four months of Covid-19 restrictions, before the end of the Brexit transition periodon December 31.

“We had four British familiesvisiting the school two weeks ago — there’s been strong interest since the coronavirus,” says Mike Farrer of the Nobel International School Algarve in Portugal,

which has 1,000 pupils from 41 nationalities. “We have waiting lists for some year groups.”

In recent years the numberof international schools has grown steadily to cater for an increasingly globally mobile population, as well as the children of embassy staff or the military. In January there were 11,451 English-language international schools around the world, according to the UK-based ISC Research. Of these, 2,173 are within Europe, up from 1,607 in 2015.

Many of these schools are the go-to solution for transient expats because they follow an internationally recognised curriculum — such as the

SUN, SEA ANDSCHOOLSInternational schools are a must for relocating families — so which ones get an A* (and have places)? By Liz Rowlinson

Right: the Santa Marta lighthouse in Cascais, near Lisbon, Portugal

English National Curriculum orthe International Baccalaureate (IB) — allowing an easy transfer between international schools, or back to the UK.

One London-based buyer with two young children who wants more space is weighing up a move to Spain, Portugal or Italy, says Knight Frank. But with international schools relatively limited in Italy, where should he be looking?

SPAINWith options across Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Murcia and Palma, Spain offers the most developed international school network. The climate is a big draw on the Costa del Sol, where there’s strong demand from British, Scandinavian and Russian families, says James Vizetelly of Affinity Spain, an estate agency.

“Aloha College Marbella andthe English International College (EIC) in Elviria have been the most popular two [for British buyers] for many years. Both have a great reputation and waiting lists. School pick-up at Aloha is a bit like a supercar show,” Vizetelly says.

Many of the wealthy familieslive in high-end communities such as Sierra Blanca, La Zagaleta and El Madroñal. “Colegio Atalaya in Benahavis is also popular, and for lower budgets Mayfair International Academy in Estepona is an option,” he says. The opening of a new school in Estepona, Mont21, this year has been delayed until 2021 because of the coronavirus.

At the western end of the Costa del Sol, Sotogrande International School helps to

attract families to the upmarket enclave in which it sits, says James Stewart, the local agent for Savills.

While some rent, others could buy a three or four-bedroom home for €650,000-€750,000 on the lower side of the estate. Families with deeper pockets may opt for the La Reserva Club next to the school, with a four-bedroom home from €1.2 million.

While some parents preferthe international mindset propagated by the IB, one of the schools that offers A levels, the British School of Barcelona in Castelldefels, is the choice for FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi’s children.

Detached homes nearby cost about €1.8 million, says Alex Vaughan of Lucas Fox estate agency, but there’s a far better choice of properties in the Pedralbes area, where most of the schools are located. “Three-bedroom apartments start at €1.3 million; stand-alone villas for about €5 million,” he says.

The schools most requestedby British buyers in Barcelona are St Peter’s, Kensington School and St Paul’s School, though Agora Sant Cugat ranks highly and attracts expats working at multinationals.

£2.26M

£2.32M

£6.1M

Switzerland

Singapore

China

Europe

Thailand

France

Spain

$27,625

$17,817

$16,334

$11,016

$10,807

$10,559

$8,361

ANNUAL TUITION FEES

(2019/2020)Average

Source: ISC Research

The Sunday Times July 26, 2020 13

HOMEHELP

“There is a rush for British families to move over, but because of Covid there are places for September in some schools, such as the British School of Barcelona, which has a new campus at Sitges,” says Beatriz Carro de Prada of BRS Relocation, an agency.

When Carrie Frais, directorof the advice website Mum Abroad, moved with her family to Spain from the UK she chose an international school, Hamelin Laie in Montgat, 20 minutes from Barcelona. Her two sons, aged 11 and 13, mix with pupils from 25 different nationalities, with 60 per cent being Spanish.

“We chose an internationalschool because we were not sure how long we were going to be living in Barcelona, but we love the fact our children have a trilingual education — lessons in English, Spanish andCatalan,” she says.

“We also chose a school offering the IB over A levels because of the broader range of tuition — six not three core subjects — and the progressive outlook that encourages citizenship, open-mindedness, respect and ethics. I wanted to keep my sons’ options open as long as possible before choosing a degree course.”

PORTUGAL The choice of schools in Lisbon has burgeoned during the past four years, according to Charles Roberts, managing director of Fine & Country in the city. “Many new schools cater for the increase in expats. There are now waiting lists for the two most popular English schools, St Julian’s and

St Dominic’s, and buyers ask us to fix up school tours alongside property viewings.”

Both are equidistant fromLisbon and Cascais — near a Nato base where some parents work — and Cascais is popular. “Families will either rent or buy a three-bedroom property for €900,000-plus. Wealthy British parents favour the Quinta da Marinha complex, with villas for €5-6 million.”

A new branch of TASIS — the American school — will be opening in September, but another option is the British School of Lisbon that opened in 2019 — and has places. “Popular areas for families close to the school, are Estrel/Lapa, Marquês de Pombal and Parque das Nações,” says Gabriella White, the admissions manager.

The Algarve’s most in-demand school, 48-year-old Nobel, has three campuses, and 40 per cent of its pupils are British. “They tend to be the children of entrepreneurs, some of whom commute back to the UK,” says Mike Farrer.

Historically Carvoeiro — near the older two campuses — has been popular for easy access, says Alex Koch de Gooreynd of Knight Frank, a Nobel alumnus. “However, wealthy buyers do prefer the Golden Triangle, so the new Nobel campus at Almancil close to the resorts of Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo will be another draw.”

FRANCEOn the Côte d’Azur, Mougins School is the stand-out choice for the jet set because of the area’s international flavour and proximity to Nice (30 minutes), says Jack Harris of Knight Frank.“A four-bedroom villa 15 to 20 minutes from Mougins School will cost €1.5 million,” he says.

For long-term expats, Mougins can feel a bit transient, so there’s the Fénelon Institute in Grasse, which has an international arm, says Tim Swannie, of the agent Home Hunts: “Convenient villages are Fayence, Châteauneuf-Grasse and Opio, which are more affordable than Mougins.”

CIV in Valbonne and the International School of Nice both have a great reputation too, he adds, as does CIPEC in Aix-en-Provence.

Yet Paris has the biggest choice of international schools — the ideal choice if your child’s French is not great when they move over, suggests the Canadian-born Aaron Wagner of Leggett Immobilier. “We knew our [then] 14-year-old would have struggled at a local school. He attends Cours Molière in the 3rd arrondissement, and we live in the 8th.

“The 7th, 8th, 17th and St-Germain-en-Laye area (close to many large corporations) are all popular for British families moving with schools in mind.”

PORTUGALThis elegant four-bedroom, four-bathroom villa in the small foodie town of Almancil has two home offices and is 20 minutes away from Faro airport. savills.com

FRANCELocated in the Provençal hilltop village of Mougins, this four-bedroom home has a garden measuring about 1,200 sq m, with a pool as well as a petanque area. knightfrank.co.uk

PORTUGALA five-bedroom, seven-bathroom detached villa in a development in Cascais close to Guincho beach, with a golf course, tennis club and an equestrian centre.irglux.com

PIC

CRE

DIT

HER

E PL

EASE

READERS’ CLINICHOW DO I REMOVE UNDERARM DEODORANT STAINS FROM SHIRTS?Vivienne O’RiainAdd a cup of white vinegarto the wash.

Simon Kerfoot, NorthamptonshireSoak the stained area overnight in a solution of half clear vinegar and half water, then machine-wash as usual.

Dawn Foy, ShropshireSoak in white vinegar for an hour, gently scrub with a nail brush, wash in machine.

Nicola RobbI use a product calledDeo-Go to remove underarm stains with great success — it even works on teenage boys’ shirts. Spray, leave ten minutes, then wash as usual.

Michael Carter, LondonWet the affected area, then dunk in a mixture of washing-

up liquid and citric acid powder for 48 hours. Wash normally. I use a large glass bowl, one litre of washing-up liquid and about 500g of citric acid powder. That is enough to do five shirts at a time.

READER’S TIP OF THE WEEK Jan, LondonTo clean phones or laptops, wipe with a soft cloth very lightly dampened with Milton Sterilising Fluid.

FUTURE QUESTIONSHow do you remove hardened bits of vegetable from a wooden chopping board?

I am always losing the remote control. How can I find it, or stop doing this?

Send your tips, tricks and questions to homehelp@sunday-times.co.uk

STAMP DUTY ON WRECKS

QIs it true that you don’thave to pay stamp dutyon dilapidated/

uninhabitable homes? Not so long ago HMRC lost a legal case where it was held that the buyer of a second home in disrepair didn’t have to pay the normal rates. If this is true, do the new stamp duty rates under Rishi Sunak’s “holiday” still carry this exemption ?David Silbermann Rickmansworth

AAll purchases of land andbuildings in England andNorthern Ireland are

potentially within the scope of stamp duty land tax (SDLT). A recent tribunal case (PN Bewley Ltd v HMRC) confirmed that properties uninhabitable as a residence were not subjectto SDLT at the residential rate, but at the non-residential/mixed-use rates.

In normal times acquiringan uninhabitable property subject to the non-residential SDLT rates would be advantageous for purchasers, as these are substantially lower than residential rates. However, the chancellor’s SDLT “holiday” changes that

analysis for derelict properties worth up to £500,000, because the “holiday” does not apply to non-residential properties, which are still subject to SDLT at their usual rates: 2 per cent for those valued between £150,001 and £250,000 and at 5 per cent above £250,000.

This means that until April 1,2021, uninhabitable properties worth between £150,001 and £500,001 will be subject to SDLT — a maximum liability of £14,500 — whereas habitable residential properties in the same bracket bought as a main home will be free of SDLT. As a result, purchasers may need to take legal advice on what constitutes “uninhabitable” in this context.”

James Austen, partner in the tax and estate planning department at Collyer Bristow, collyerbristow.com

ANTS INVADING MY HOUSE

QI have ants in the brickwork of my conservatory. They are

excavating the mortar and bringing it to the window sill inside. I can’t see how they’ve got inside. Help! Margaret Lloyd

AAnts are remarkably tenacious insects, mainlybecause of their repetitive,

mass-orchestrated but blindly instinctive behaviours. And they make complex labyrinthine nests in the soil, dead trees and loose mortar or under stones. Their tunnels may extend several metres, which is why you cannot see an access point outside. Simply blocking up a hole will merely induce the ants to open another excavation nearby. Unfortunately the onlyway to get rid of ants living within the fabric of a building is to poison them slowly with ant bait. Many commercial products are available, usually in the form of a small container with holes to allow the ants to visit. Forager ants eat the laced sweet food and return to the nest. Here they feed their nest-mates by mouth-to-mouth food exchange — and this eventually gets back to the egg-laying queen and grubs in the brood chambers. The toxin is slow-acting, allowing the ants to distribute the poison unknowingly throughout the colony before it starts having an effect.

Richard Jones is the author of House Guests, House Pests (Bloomsbury, £9.99); bugmanjones.com

MARKS ON BONE CHINA

QWhy am I getting greystreaks on my white bone china dinner

plates? I’ve had them for about four years and they go in the dishwasher. Could it be the type of detergent?Sarah Stacey Allan

AThese scratch-like markslook as though they are permanent, but don’t

worry, they can be fixed. The reason for the grey

colouring is not down to your detergent. Many people buy different brands hoping to erase the blemishes.

The marks are actually caused by cutlery rubbing on the ceramic: for example a dinner knife cutting through food, or a spoon swirling round a bowl to scoop up dessert. The cutlery leaves a tiny metal deposit on the china that cannot be removed by handwashing or in a dishwasher.

To restore china to its former beauty, take a spot of Bar Keepers Friend, a cleaning agent, massage it on to the plate or bowl with a microfibre cloth and see the marks disappear. Afterwards, clean the china by hand or in the dishwasher using a standard detergent, to remove traces of the cleaning agent.

Spokesperson for Royal Worcester, royalworcester.co.uk

Email your questions to homehelp@sunday-times.co.uk. Advice given without responsibility

Dereliction duty Stamp duty still applies to wrecked homes

PIC

CRE

DIT

HER

E PL

EASE