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Spanish Children's Education System
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Submitted Tuesday, July 20, 2004
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The Spanish Education system has been subject to a number of reforms

in recent years. Changes in Infant and Primary education have been

somewhat more successful to date than those in the Secondary system.

In most parts of Spain schooling is now available to children from the

age of three, although the obligatory age for starting school is five

years old. Children are admitted once a year, in September strictly

according to the calendar year of their birth. This means that

children born in January are the oldest in their class, and children

born between October and December actually start school before their

third birthday. The normal registration period for all ages is in May

for the following September, and may be done via the local town hall,

or by applying directly to a school.

Infant education

=================

Educacion Infantil or EI lasts for three years and teaches children

about social, personal and environmental values, as well as developing

their physical and mental skills. They are gradually introduced to

reading and writing from 4 years old and will have covered their

alphabet by the end of EI, although fluent reading ability is not

expected. EI is one of the newest areas of Spanish education and is

generally well-taught by dedicated specialist teachers.

Primary education

=================

At six (or nearly six) children progress to Educacion Primaria (EP).

This lasts for six years and is divided into three cycles or "ciclos".

The objectives of primary education are planned over each two year

period, at the end of which a child who is considered not to have

achieved these objectives, may be required to repeat the second year of

the cycle. Students study the following subjects throughout Primary

education: Spanish language Maths Conocimiento del Medio (A general

knowledge subject which includes biology, history, geography, general

and local knowledge and social awareness) Physical Education Art and

craft and a second language, usually English.

In addition most students will study Religion which mainly consists of

teaching Catholic doctrine. Schools are required to offer an

alternative to children who opt out, but if there are not many, they

may end up sitting in with another class or in the staff room with the

class teacher. In some schools this time might be used to offer extra

language support, but this would not be obligatory on their part.

In many regions of Spain the local dialect and culture is also taught

as a subject, although again, it is possible to opt out. English will

be taught by a specialist, but there is no obligation for the class

teacher to speak English. Classes are always mixed ability in Spain,

the concept of "streaming" is unknown.

The state system provides support teams of psychologist, sociologist

and speech therapist which are shared by several schools, and they may

give foreign children language support if they have time. Children

normally have the same class teacher for each two-year cycle.

Teachers make themselves available one hour a week to speak to parents

about their children's progress, which is well worth taking advantage

of. There are also parents meetings every term to discuss class work

and special projects and trips.

From about the third year children are introduced to term exams, but there is

no equivalent to National testing in the Spanish system. Although

state education is free, parents will have to buy all textbooks and

materials. Uniforms are generally not worn, except in religious

grant-assisted schools.

Secondary education

===================

From age 12 (or nearly 12) children move on to Secondary school (El

Instituto). Until about ten years ago, secondary school started at 14

and in some areas the first two years of secondary are still

accommodated in the Primary building if the local Instituto is not

physically big enough to hold them. The new secondary system is

modelled loosely on the British comprehensive system, moving away from

a two level system (similar to Grammar and Secondary Modern) to

complete mixed ability schooling. The first four years are called "la

E.S.O." (EducaciSecundaria Obligatoria). Children can leave school

at the end of this section, or at the age of 16 if they reach this

sooner. The E.S.O. is divided into two cycles with the same system

of repeated years at the end of each cycle as occurs in Primary

education.

A wide range of secondary subjects are taught, including a language

choice between French and English. Until recent years secondary

education in Spain was very conventional with a lot of rote learning

and constant tests and examinations. There have been marked

improvements with the introduction of project work, continuous

assessment and more up-to-date and relevant syllabuses. However, much

still depends on the approach of individual teachers, and there has

been a general lack of investment in retraining and resources to make

a total success of the scheme.

One of the main criticisms of the new Secondary system centres on the

discipline problems involving teenage children who are having to repeat

courses, which results in being placed in the same classes as younger more academically

inclined children. There is still much debate about the success of

reforms in secondary education, and improvements being introduced.

At the end of the four year E.S.O. students may leave school, go on to

the two-year "Bachillerato" academic course, or enroll on practical

training courses called "modulos". There are four types of

Bachillerato - Arts, Humanities, Natural and Health Sciences and

Technology. Modulos include office and administrative skills,

mechanics, catering, and hairdressing. After two years in Bachillerato

students have intensive examinations during the month of May and their

final mark is based on a combination of examination results and

continuous assessment. A month later, in June, students who wish to

go to University take a general University entrance examination (P.A.U.)

and the University course they are able to follow depends on the result

of this examination along with their Bachillerato results.

A far higher percentage of students attend University in Spain than in

Britain. There are very few University grants in Spain so sending a

child to University is a major investment. Students may take as long

as necessary to complete a University course, repeating courses and

spreading out examinations over years. There is a general tendency to

attend the University nearest to your home, and many students stay at

home or live with relatives in the city to save money.

School calendar and timetable

=============================

The school year starts in mid-September and ends in the third week of

June. There is usually a break of two weeks or so at Christmas, and

about a week and a half for Easter. There are no half-term holidays as

such, but there are short breaks throughout the year which are

organised around national, regional and local saints days and festivals.

There are two kinds of timetables, a divided day which allows at least

two hours for lunch, or the innovation of the "jornada continua", a

blocked day which finishes in the early afternoon. Most secondary

schools have now adopted this blocked day timetable, so your teenager

will be free from about 2 p.m. every day.

Homework

========

In Primary school, homework is at the discretion of individual class

teachers, but may be given from the first year of Primary onward. It

is sometimes assumed that parents will be involved in helping children

with their homework, and parents who are unable to do this for any

reason sometimes pay for tutors to help their children for an hour or

so every evening. At Secondary school there is usually a fairly heavy

load of homework and exam studying which require considerable sacrifice

and self-discipline on the part of students who wish to do well at

school.

Things to think about when bring children to Spain

==================================================

The decision to bring children to Spain and incorporate them into the

Spanish state education system should be taken with great care, after

appropriate research, and bearing in mind the needs and personality of

each individual child. The following comments are generalisations

based on experience, but in the last analysis you know your own family

best, and only you can make the right decision about their future.

Never forget that the problems of changing from English to Spanish

schools is more than a problem of language, it is a problem of culture

and customs as well. Many people underestimate the impact of such a

change on their children, are unaware of the cultural differences

involved, and may misunderstand what is happening at the school in

relation to their child. The state system allows for parental

involvement and you should take every opportunity to communicate with

the school, with an interpreter if necessary, to iron out the kinds of

problems that will inevitably arise.

Age

===

As a general rule the younger your child is, the easier it will be for

him or her to adapt to a different school environment and pick up the

language along the way. However, even as early as five or six, a child

can find being thrown into a classroom where he doesn't understand the

language a disorientating experience. If your child has a tendency to

be aggressive or introverted, these tendencies could be accentuated by

the frustration or embarrassment of not being able to make him or

herself understood, and not understanding what is expected of him or

her. For all children there is an adaptation period, during which

little actual academic progress should be expected. This period may

range from a few months to a year or more, depending on the child, but

obviously, the older the child, the longer this period is likely to be.

However, this in itself should not be a deterrent to introducing

children into a Spanish school at primary level, as there is still

plenty of time for them to adjust and adapt.

At secondary age the process is much more tricky. Firstly your son or

daughter is coping with the normal problems of adolescence, which may

not be helped by such a radical upheaval. Also in terms of their

academic work, they are being introduced into a fairly intense

academic system which is alien to them in terms of its operation and

organisation, as well as its language. They will be expected to keep

up with studies in a wide range of subjects with little or no support

from teachers. Most children in this situation are placed in a year

below that corresponding to their age for good academic reasons, but

this fact in itself can cause problems at a psychological level. As

a general rule, it is very ill-advised to place an English child

"cold" into the Spanish system at this stage of their lives. However,

there are a number of ways around this problem if you are moving to

Spain with secondary age children.

Firstly you should obtain a Spanish language tutor for your child in

your home country for as long as possible before you intend to move.

A year would be a minimum to give a child some grounding in the

language. Your child should be taught not only the language itself,

but should be introduced to subjects such as Science and Maths as they

are taught in Spain, since many techniques and ways of calculating are

very different. Also, the level of these subjects is often higher

than the equivalent level in Britain, which is another reason why your

child may be put down a year on arrival in Spain. After such a

period of study, you would be well advised to obtain some sort of

objective assessment from a Spanish national with a professional or

academic background of your child's progress and likely ability to

cope at the level which will be expected.

Another way around the problem which depends on your economic

situation, is to place your teenage child in a private bilingual

school for at least their first year in Spain to give them a kind of

half-way house experience, before going totally into the Spanish

system. There are many such schools in Spain, particularly along the

Mediterranean coast, each with their own philosophy and educational

methods. Again, you need to research these, visit them and judge for

yourself their appropriateness for your own child. On an economic

level, bear in mind that apart from tuition fees, you will probably

also have to pay for school uniforms, text books, lunches, transport

as well as extra-curricular activities, school trips and so on, so be

absolutely sure what the full financial commitment is likely to be as

you may not be given all these details immediately.

Catchments area

===============

There are particular problems which have arisen in Spanish schools

which are located in areas with a high concentration of foreign

nationals. There are state Spanish schools where Spanish children are

in the minority, alongside English, Irish, Scandinavian, Russian and

East European children. Teachers at these schools will not speak the

first language of most of their students, and local Spanish people

often resent the lowering of standards for their own children that this

situation implies. Bullying is another real danger here. This can go

on between children of different ethnic groups, and not be dealt with

adequately by the school, purely becaqse teachers are at a loss to be

able to understand clearly what is going on. This is not the fault of

school staff, who as a general rule deal with such matters firmly. If

your child has a bullying problem, particularly one that involves

children of other foreign nationalities, you must approach the school,

with a translator if necessary, and explain the situation to them.

More often than not, if you approach the matter with a non-belligerent

attitude, you will find staff supportive and sympathetic. If you are

moving to a predominantly Spanish area, you are less likely to come

across this problem, as school staff will be more aware of your

children and will encourage their classmates to befriend them and make

them feel welcome.

School dinners

==============

If you are unable to have your children at home in the middle of the

day they will have to have school dinners as children are not normally

allowed to take packed lunches. Bear in mind that the menu will be

entirely Spanish, and that Spanish parents expect their children to eat

a good size lunch. Dinner monitors will firmly encourage your child to

eat, which can be traumatic if they are used to a more relaxed attitude

at home, and given that your child will not always understand

everything that is being said. Your child may come home complaining of

being force-fed something that he or she found disgusting to eat. You

child will NOT have been force-fed, but will have been cajoled into

making an effort, as all Spanish children are done by their parents at

lunch time. Again, tact and understanding is needed to deal with this

problem, but it can be very upsetting for your child. Please remember

that the Spanish adore children, and would never be intentionally

unkind to them. The fact is though, that if your child is a poor eater,

he or she will have to make an effort to eat more and more varied food.

Conclusion

===========

Moving your children to Spain can be a rewarding and enriching

experience for them. However, do not make the mistake of assuming that

because they are young they will automatically adapt to their new

situation, and do not underestimate the cultural as well as linguistic

challenges that such a change implies. However, with careful research,

patience, openness and understanding, there is no reason why your

child's move to Spain should not be a success.

►Reprint Rights◄

» left by Sophie from UK (3 years 91 days ago.)

This article has been put together very well and has been extremely useful as a guide to the Spanish education system. I'm sure others will find this helpful too.
Respond to this comment

» left by Martha from Chicago, IL (3 years 2 days ago.)

This website is very informative and helpd me with a very coplicated project. Thank You!
Respond to this comment

» left by Anonymous (231 days 5 hours ago.)

This site is very helpful. It helped me a lot with my Spanish project. Thanks so much!!!
Respond to this comment

» left by Anonymous (86 days 9 hours ago.)

Very useful. Is there an equally accessible site that goes through the costs os bringing up a child in Spain - I am particularly interested in costs that would not be charged in britain, e.g. medical costs and what finsncisl help parents get from the state if it is over 5 years since they left England. I appreciate this is an education site but am floundering in the array of information available in general.

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