Parent's Review of MEF International School Izmir in Izmir, Turkey

What is the name of your child's school? (Please report on one school per survey.)

MEF International School Izmir

In what town or city is this school located?

Izmir

How would you describe this school? (i.e. American, British, International, Local, etc.)

Turkish owner and administration with International teaching staff and students

What grade levels are represented at this school?

pre-k to grade 12

How do most children get to school everyday? (bus, train, walk, etc.)

Many rode in unacceptable service buses which drove very fast, had no seat belts and staff did not speak any English. This seemed to be the "norm" for Turkey, not just this school. Some were taken by private drivers or parents.

How would you describe the facilities at this school? What extra-curricular activities are available?

There were very few extra curricular activities, facilities were inadequate. The classrooms were small-especially art, music, library and sport centres. There were small fields and a garden of dirt and sparse grass areas. There were too many offices in the school area. The business manager actually closed part of the grounds and classrooms off when the owner visited the school to hold meetings.

What has this school done to help your child transition from the curriculum in your home country into the curriculum in your new country? Are there programs to prepare your child for repatriation?

Nothing, they did not even offer Turkish for the students. They did have a curriculum person for British military families, although this person was not school personnel she was still given an office to work from when it could have been used for a classroom to benefit the majority of students.

How would you describe the social activities available for parents through this school? Are there parent-teacher organizations?

Very few, the PTA functioned rather poorly and its president was unable to successfully organise events and was difficult to get along with in general. Most of the fund-raised profits would go to "poor" schools around the area rather than to purchase extra equipment and resources for our children.

What advice would you give to someone considering enrolling their child in this school?

Turkish staff members did not have a solid grasp of English or International values in general. The structure of the school was hindered by a business-like approach to curriculum issues. A good school and good teachers, except for the history and maths teachers and some management problems. The children were quite happy with the classroom environment. There are really no better choices in Izmir that are available to foreigners.

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