Taking children away from their environment,
friends and school, can be a daunting decision for any parent to
make. This page provides a little information about the options
available, along with a brief comparison of the Spanish and
British education systems.
We also list some public and private
schools in popular areas of Spain, which are linked to this page
from the left hand menu. If you can't find what you're looking
for, please visit us at our forum,
where we'd be pleased to help families who intend relocating or
are in Spain already. Our forum also provides an opportunity to
meet others and discuss education, plus all matters relating to
Spain. There's no charge for this service as we're not a
commercial web site, but as we've been publishing articles about
education since 2001, we feel that we have a pretty thorough
knowledge of the subject!
Choosing a School
International Schools
There is a growing number of international
schools in Spain that follow the British curriculum. Fees for day
students are usually cheaper than school fees in the U.K. and
demand for places can be high. If you and/or your children are
intent on returning to the U.K. to live, then choose a school that
follows the National Curriculum and offers IGCSE, AS/A
Level or the IB.
International schools in Spain that follows a
British style of education, can optionally belong to the National
Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS), or The
European Council of International Schools. (ECIS). There are
also international schools that follow other styles of education,
e.g. French, German and others, but the language of instruction
will usually be in the language of the particular country. Some
English speaking private international schools follow the American
curriculum, rather than the British one. Whichever style you
choose, most international schools are required to teach a small
part of the Spanish curriculum in addition to the international
one. All schools offering education to children of compulsory
school age, must be authorised to operate and it is advisable to
check this aspect, before deciding upon an international school,
Bilingual Schools
There are a few private schools in Spain with bilingual
programmes, where children are taught in more than one language.
In the state sector in Andalucia, the government recently
introduced bilingual programmes into a few public schools, but
this is quite unusual in state schools. The European School
in Alicante is a bilingual school, so has different language
streams. This school was set up mainly to cater for EU staff, but
anyone can apply if there are places. Priority does go to children
of EU staff, teachers and staff at the school and full fees are
payable by anyone not employed by the EU or NATO. An example of a
private Spanish bilingual school would be the Colegio Rincon
in Rincon De La Victoria in the south of Spain. The British
Council provides a Bilingual programme in several state
schools in Spain, not in the tourist areas, but in cities and
rural areas. 44 state schools participated in what was initially a
project operated jointly by the British Council and MECD.
In North and North West Spain, a handful of state schools teach
the IB programme and one delivers the IB in English. More
information from the International Baccaleaureat Organisation.
Spanish Schools
Spanish schools can be state or privately owned. Some private
schools are infact subsidised by governments and are called
Concertados. Fees are kept low and in some cases there are
no tuition fees at this type of school. More often than not,
Concertados combine primary and secondary in one
school.
Parents aren't always able to choose a state
school, as some towns in Spain may have a policy of spreading
foreign children between schools, or because there are no
available places. Usually, it is best to move within the catchment
area of a school, but this doesn't necessarily guarantee a place
at the catchment school. Families who are already living in the
area, can apply for school places in the Spring before the start
of the academic year in September. A points system is applied in
the case of there being more applications than places. School
places must be found for children of families who arrive during
the school year, but the authorities do not have to provide places
at the catchment school.
The language of instruction at Spanish
private or public schools is usually in Spanish or in a
combination of Spanish and if applicable, the co-official
language. In the autonomous community of Valencia (Castellon,
Valencia, Alicante) there are different programmes from
immersion in Valencian to no teaching in this language at all.
When considering an area in these regions, it is important
to ascertain which language programme is in place at the schools.
Catalan is the co-official language of Catalunya and in North West
Spain, Galicia and the Basque Country also have a co-official
language.
Teachers employed in the state sector (including
Concertados) would not necessarily speak English and in any
event lessons are not taught in English. If English is taught as a
foreign language (which is mostly the case), then there would be
an English teacher at the school whose main job is to teach
English as a modern foreign language.
The school year runs from about mid
September until about the end of June, but dates vary according to
age group and region of Spain. There are no half terms as such
(except in some British international schools) but there are
other holiday days, besides Easter and Christmas, which vary
according to where one lives in Spain.
There are specialist schools of music,
dance and art in the state sector. From the age of 12, entrance is
usually selective.
The Spanish Educational System
The new education system in Spain derives from
the LOGSE 1/1970. Under the law, schooling is
compulsory between the ages of 6 and 16 years. There are 6 years of compulsory
primary education and 4 years of compulosy secondary education. Children are usually 12 when
they start secondary school, but some would not have reached their 12th birthday when they move
up to high school because of having 12th birthdays which fall in the Autumn term. Below the age of 6
years, schooling is optional and provision will depend on what is
available in the area where one chooses to live. It is common to
send children to school from about the age of 3 years but starting
infants school at this age is not compulsory. Although the
academic year runs from September until June, the children
start compulsory schooling in the September of the calendar year
in which they are 6 years old. In England and Wales children whose
birthdays fall between September and December are usually the
eldest in the class, but in Spain these children could be the
youngest. In order to progress from one cycle of education
to the next, students in Spanish state schools have to meet
teaching and learning objectives, so compulsory schooling could
last longer than what is the case in England and Wales where all
students progress from one year to the next automatically,
although there are current proposals to change this rigidity in
England, so that high achieving pupils can progress more quickly
than they otherwise would.
Qualifications
A Certificate of Secondary Education is awarded
at the end of compulsory secondary education and a student who
achieves appropriate grades graduates from compulsory secondary
education (ESO) and can apply, depending on subject
interest, for one of 4 different Spanish Bachillerato. This
is a national qualification and is different from the IB
offered in private and some state schools. Vocational training is
also a possibility after ESO. These qualifications replaced
the COU and the BUP. Students with appropriate
qualifications and wishing to progress to University in Spain,
must usually take an entrance exam. The School Leaving
Certificate is not inferior to a number of GCSE's. and the
Bachillerato is not inferior to A levels.
Therefore students obtaining the appropriate grades required for
entrance into universities in Europe including England are not
precluded because they have Spanish qualifications.
Subjects
Eurydice publishes reports and one in
particular gives extensive information about the Spanish
curriculum, subjects and how the curriculum has been implemented
in the different Autonomous Communities.
School Uniform, Books, Extra Curricular
Activities
Parents must pay for books (although free
books are being introduced in some areas) and materials and
any extra-curricular activities. Low income families may or
may not be able to get a grant for these, but this depends on the
laws in place at the time of making an application. School uniform
is not always a pre-requisite. In general, uniform is worn in
private schools.
Comparison of systems at 14+
There is not as much external testing in Spanish
schools that follow Spain's national curriculum. Much is still
teacher assessed. Students in Spain do not take a number of GCSE's
(unless attending an international school where IGSCE's can
be offered). Instead, a range of subjects is offered, which can
lead to the school leaving certificate and graduating from ESO.
Graduates of ESO can progress to the one of 4 Bachillerato,
which is equivalent to 2 A levels in the English system. Students
who've not been successful in graduating from ESO, can
study for a technical certificate at medium level. In the state
system these courses are taught in Spanish. Training can be
organised by the employment service in Spain and there are many
private providers of short training courses, either face to face
or online, but the language of instruction is usually usually in
Spanish (or if applicable, in a regional language).
Students study their optional subjects after
completing the First Cycle of secondary (normally 2 years, but can be
more due to the possibility of having to repeat a year). In the
2nd Cycle (again, normally 2 years), students are working towards the school leaving
qualification and can progress to a Bachillerato or
technical certificate. In England and Wales, students can progress
at 16 after GCSE's or Applied GCSE's to AS/A
Levels, an AVCE, a combination of AVCE/AS/A levels,
a BTEC National Diploma or those without requisite grades,
a BTEC First National Diploma. There are also opportunities
in England to take up a training course such as a Modern
Apprentice.
The concept of vocational education is
comparatively new in Spain. Therefore, parents of students
at secondary school in England or Wales, studying Applied
GCSE's or an AVCE at post 16, may have a hard job
finding an international school that offers these vocational
qualifications, even though the examining bodies make
international versions available. This is because the A level
is still held in high regard in Spain, particularly by fee paying
Spanish parents and is seen as a route to University in England.
This thinking is somewhat misguided for those who want to send
their children to university in Britain, as in England and Wales,
there can be just as many places for students who have achieved
appropriate grades in their AVCE or BTEC National
Diploma as there is for those who have achieved at A level
and a combination of AVCE and A Level is also
acceptable. For further information about entrance to British
universities, refer to UCAS, their tariff and individual
University web sites for details of their admission requirements,
or discuss
with others in our forum
Students with Spanish
qualifications equivalent to A levels at the appropriate
grades have the same chance of going to universities in England
and Wales as home students. There is usually an entrance test {in
Spanish) for admission to Spanish Universities, whereas an
entrance test isn't generally needed for students wishing to
study at a British University, unless wishing to study law or
medicine. Students with foreign qualifications such as 'A'
Levels, wishing to study at a Spanish University, can take a
different University entrance test (in Spanish), offered by UNED,
Spain's open university.
Specialist schools
In England and Wales there are specialist
secondary schools (e.g. Sports Colleges, Language Colleges, etc.),
aswell as generalist schools. In Spain there are specialist music,
dance and art schools. Some rural areas have state residential
(boarding) schools, to facilitate compulsory education in such
areas.
Special Needs
Regions in Spain and counties in England and
Wales have integration (inclusive learning) policies where
possible.
Enrolment and Admission
To apply for a place at an International School
or private school, contact the school directly. To apply for a
place at a state school in Spain, be aware that each autonomous
community will set the procedures each year. For parents and
guardians who can't adhere to the application dates and procedures
because they are moving into a new area, then generally
application can be made to the school directly at any time during
the academic year. For those already living in one of the regions
of Spain and who are applying to a school for a place for the
first time, there are set dates for applications but these dates
vary according to the regulations and orders made annually by each
Autonomous Community.
Documentation
In general, to apply for a place at a Spanish
school which is publically funded, you need passports to prove
nationality (or D.N.I. if Spanish citizen), the child's
FULL birth certificate and if applicable, other documentation
which shows who the parent/s or guardian/s are, marriage papers if
relevant, (or The Family Book if Spanish citizen),
documentary evidence of domicile in Spain - i.e home address in
Spain, or if applicable, work place. In some regions, child's
vaccination certificates. If applicable, evidence of any
disability.
Families with teenagers age 15+, intending their
children to continue their education in Spain after GCSE's or
equivalent qualification gained outside of Spain, should get in
touch with MECD (link below), to start the process of
having the foreign qualification/s validated against the Spanish
equivalent.
Home Education
It is possible to home educate in Spain, although
there is resistance in some areas from the authorities.
Online Education
For those staying temporarily in Spain it is
possible to study for GCSE's, AS/A Levels (generally
without coursework) online through organisations such as
the National Extension College. If you require more
information about this, please contact us or leave a message in
our forum.
About
The author of this article holds a Post Graduate
Certificate in Education and has experience in Spain and the UK.
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Your Guide to Diy Holidays and Living in Spain
