INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS are top of the league tables but the general trend in the Algarve, as revealed by the ministry of education, is that state run schools in the region are fairing well compared to their national counterparts.
The top ranked school in the Algarve for 2008 was the Colégio Internacional de Vilamoura, placed 53 out of 609 schools featured in the league tables.
Of the 59 schools, both private and public, in the Algarve, 18 were featured in the league tables.
Ranked number 188 was the Escola Internacional do Algarve, near Porches
This position in the tables comes from the results collated from the Portuguese side of the school.
Almost 60 per cent of all the schools in the Algarve were deemed to have improved since last year.
Câmaras of the Algarve that have seen schools in the area improve most are Olhão, where five out of the six schools in the municipality recorded an improvement, Tavira, Loulé , Vila Real de Santo António and Silves.
The schools in Albufeira recorded a drop in standards in three of the five schools compared to last year while in Faro four out of the seven schools performed at a lower level this year than in 2007.
The reports showed that the best schools in Portugal are found in either Lisbon or Porto, with eight of the top ten being found in the capital.
All of the top ten schools in the table are private, with only two of the top 20 being state run.
In contrast, all of the ten worst schools in Portugal are public, although out of the top 100 schools 55 per cent are public showing that parents can still have confidence in the state system.
Do you have a view on this story? Email: [email protected]
