Hello there. I stumbled across your post whilst Googling Wingate School and just had to respond.
My parents moved to Tenerife in 1987 when I was 8 and my sister was 6. It was a little scary but having been there on holiday many times at least we were familiar with the country and the language. My parents chose to send us to Wingate School, like you feeling that it would be a little unfair to send us to a school where we would have difficulty communicating with the other kids, having already uprooted us from "home".
I really cannot speak highly enough of Wingate School. I think of it often, despite leaving 14 years ago! My happiest childhood memories are from my time there. Both staff and pupils were happy and enthusiastic and acheivement reflected this. I for one went from being a pretty average pupil to top of the class because of the teaching style - learning was interesting, engrossing, creative and fun rather than the tedious chore it subsequently became when I attended secondary school back in the UK (sadly my parents divorced and we had to leave Tenerife in 1991).
My sister and I missed school terribly in the long summer holidays and one summer had the opportunity of attending the summer school for a couple of weeks. I can't think of a two week holiday I enjoyed more as a child.
The other wonderful thing about the school is the fact that the kids are from all sorts of different cultural backgrounds. While I was there the school had an assortment of pupils of 22 different nationalities. Also when I attended class sizes were fairly small, something like 20 pupils per year, although this may have changed.
Obviously everything I've written is from the personal experience of my family and for a limited period (ie 3 years junior school and a year of senior school), but those I keep in touch with from the school have fond memories and I'm told one of my former classmates is now a teacher there!
Something else to mention is the lifestyle there - again from a personal point of view. Because of the excellent climate children can be outdoors all the time, running about, swimming, exploring. My parents dispensed with a television altogether and we didn't know what computer games were until we left the country. There's always something to do and someone to play with, particularly during the summer months when lots of English-speaking kids are on their holidays there.
In terms of business my dad ran a printing company and he and my mum owned an English book/card shop which seemed to keep us going.
I think that's quite enough for a single post and I sincerely hope it helps. Keep me posted with your progress and good luck!

Hi Annie,
Thank you so much for your reply. It's great to hear good things about Wingate School. I read a post from someone on another forum who said that the best English education school was in the north of Tenerife which concerned me slightly, but probably unneccessarily. Why did your parents choose Tenerife? We have only been there once, but considered it to be the most happening and interesting of the Canaries. We went to Fuertaventura (spelling?) 2 years ago and that seemed quite boring compared to Tenerife. Plus we spoke to an English estate agent with kids on the island and she said that when her kids left school and went to college they had to fly from Fuertaventura to Tenerife on a Sunday night to attend college for the week and then come home again for the weekend on a Friday night. This put me off of living on any other of the Canaries other than Tenerife because my wife and I would want our kids around for that important period of their lives. Also it probably isn't a good idea for young teenagers to be wandering around Playa de Americas at night, which is where they would probably be drawn! Once again thanks for your advice and I'm sure I'll have a zillion questions for you as time goes by, if you're OK with that?

Best Regards
Paul

Paul,You have heard the upside and it can work marvelously. But I would just express a word of caution also. A holiday destination is just that. When you relax, in the sun, not working, seeing the sea, and unwinding. Reality is a bit different as many have found out.
A different language, culture, different problems, and cut off from family and friends can be a disastrous mistake.

The novely of the nice climate will wear off rapidly within months as expenditure, worrking all hours in the high season to make a crust, having to put up with the english drunken louts of society in a foreign land - the knowledge that for many they probably will never be able to afford to return to england with house prices going up much faster.

Add to that, you will be limiting your childrens career options compared to the UK unless you are sure they want to be in your family business.

I know for many it is a good dream and can work, but sometimes a holiday is best remembered as a holiday. Why not buy an apartment and rent it out and go over several times a year? From there you can have a view over time whether you feel the same way. Stuart