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| Education in Spain |
Moving house is one of the most stressful things
that we go through in life, even more so when it
involves relocating to a different country. As an
adult it is hard enough, now imagine what your
children go through. Yes they adapt quicker than us,
but taking them away from their familiar environment
and friendly faces can be very daunting.
That’s why
its important to get it right when you get to Spain.
Here you can find general information on the Spanish
education system and some of the multilingual
schools in and around the Costa Blanca and Costa
Calida. |
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Language |
Language difficulties are the first obvious hurdle
that children will need to overcome when integrating
in to a new school. However, recognising that there
is such an influx of foreign children coming in to
local schools, specialised language courses are
implemented to ensure that they are soon speaking
Spanish.
The academic year in Spain is similar to the UK and
runs from September to June. School times vary
depending on which area you are in and the age of
your child. In the more traditional you child could
be at school from 08.00 - 13.00 followed by 15.30 -
17.00. A long day but good preparation for the
traditional siesta in the Spanish working day. |
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How to enrol your child in school |
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State schools have an annual quota for pupils and
places are allocated on a first-come, first-served
basis. The enrolment period usually lasts for two
months early in the year e.g. February to March or
April to May, although it varies from region to
region. Contact your prospective school for exact
dates.
The process of enrolment depends on the age of your
child but requires an interview and in rare cases an
examination. |
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To enrol a child in a Spanish school you must provide the following documents: |
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Your child’s
birth certificate or passport (original and
photocopy), with an official Spanish translation |
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Your own
passports (original and photocopy) |
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Proof of residence |
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Proof of verification, if
applicable (see below) |
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Two passport-size
photographs (for a student identity card and
school records) |
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Verification |
If your child is going to start a Spanish secondary
school in the third year of ESO (around age 14) you
must also present proof that your child’s education
record has been verified by the Spanish Ministry of
Education. The process is known as homologación or
convalidación. To do this you must complete the
official form provided by the Ministry, which is
available from Spanish consulates and embassies
abroad, from regional departments of education
or directly from the Ministerio de Educación y
Ciencia (Tel: 902 218 500).
You should also submit your child’s school record
book and/or exam qualifications, plus their birth
certificate.
It is advisable to complete this process before
arriving in Spain, as a child may not be accepted at
a school until these official verification papers
have been received and stamped by the Spanish
Department of Education. The process takes around
three months, although if you show a school proof of
the Ministry’s receipt of the verification
documents, your child should have no problems being
accepted. |
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State Schools |
State funded schools are termed “public schools” or
colegios públicos and State education is ultimately
the responsibility
of Ministry of Education and Science (Ministerio de
Educación y Ciencia), although the 17 autonomous
regions now have responsibility for their own
education system (including higher education).
State education is free but parents must usually pay
for schoolbooks, school supplies and extra
curricular activities such as sports and arts and
crafts. Pupils usually go to the village nursery and
primary schools, although attending secondary school
may entail travelling long distances (buses are
usually provided).
School starts with nursery or pre-school
(preescolar), from around the age of four.
Compulsory education (escolaridad obligatoria),
termed the basic general education or Educación
General Básica/EGB, begins at six years of age in a
primary school (escuela primaria) and lasts for six
years.
At the age of 12 pupils move on to secondary
education (education secundaria obligatoria/ESO)
which lasts for four years.
At 16, having completed ESO, students are awarded
the graduado en educación secundaria certificate and
from there, go on to higher secondary school (in the
same school in some cases) to study for their
baccalaureate leading to university entrance.
For those who haven’t successfully completed the
four years secondary education, they are awarded a
school certificate (certificado de escolaridad) and
have the option of attending a vocational school
(formación professional) providing specialised
training for a specific career.
There are also special state schools for pupils with
special education needs, e.g. learning difficulties
due to psychological, emotional or behavioural
problems and slow learners. However, pupils are
taught in special education units or schools only
when their needs cannot be accommodated in a
mainstream school.
Children must attend a state school (primary or
secondary) within a certain distance of their own
home, so if you have a preference for a particular
school, it’s important to buy or rent a home within
that catchments area. Town halls and provincial
Ministry of Education offices can provide a list of
local schools at all levels. |
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Private Schools in the Area |
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British School of Alicante
British education for children from 3 to 18
years old. Cambridge examination centre for wide
range of IGCSE and A level subjects.
www.bsalicante.com |
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El Limonar International School - Murcia
Private fee-paying school providing a bilingual
English/Spanish education for children of 6 to
18 years old.
www.ellimonarinternational.com |
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El Limonar International School - Villamartin
Sister school to the one in Murcia for 3-14 year
olds. The School day is conducted in English and
education follows the English National
Curriculum combined with the requirements of the
Spanish system.
www.ellimonarinternational.com |
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First Independent Primary School - Javea
Private co-educational school following the
traditional British system for children aged
from 3 to 18 years old.
http://www.nabss.org/sierra.htm |
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The British Prep School Elche
Bilingual education for pupils aged 2-6 years
preparing children for English/Spanish primary
school. » e-mail Tel: 965 469 733 Fax: 965 440
455 |
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The British Primary School - Javea/Lliber
International co-educational school for children
aged 3-18 years old. The school follows the full
British curriculum and is based on two sites:
the Juniors are in Javea and the Seniors in
Lliber.
www.thebritishprimaryschool.com |
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Xabia International College - Javea
Education is based on the English National
Curriculum. The College comprises primary and
secondary sections ranging from nursery at 3
years of age, through to GCSE and A level
www.xabiainternationalcollege.com |
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The Lady Elizabeth School - Javea
An international co-educational school with 700
pupils aged 3 – 18. Full British National
Curriculum delivered by qualified and
experienced staff from Nursery to GCSE and A
Level.
http://www.nabss.org/lady-e.htm |
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Den Norske Skolen - Rojales
Takes Norwegian children from Grade one to Grade
ten.
www.norskeskolen.com |
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Nursery Schools |
Spain has a long tradition of state-funded pre-school (educación
infantile), with over 90 percent of children aged 3 to 5
attending at least a year before starting compulsory
schooling. The term pre-school embraces a play school,
nursery school (guardería), kindergarten (jardín de la
infancia) and infant school (escuela infantile).
There are also many private, fee paying nursery schools,
usually taking children aged from two to six, some of
which are part of a primary school. Arrangements are
generally flexible and parents can choose attendance
during mornings or afternoons, all day, or only on
selected days. Many schools provide transport to and
from homes. Fees are generally low and schools popular,
well-organised and good value.
Note that some nursery schools are more nurseries than
schools and simply an inexpensive way for parents to
obtain supervised childcare. The best pre-schools are
designed to introduce children to the social environment
of school and concentrate on the basic skills of
coordination, encouraging the development of self
awareness and providing an introduction to group
activities. |
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Don’t Just Leave It To The Children...... |
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It’s all too easy to let your children learn the
lingo and forget about yourselves. Don’t! There are
plenty of places to go to pick up some basics and
not only will it help you to get by and great
respect from the locals, its also a great |
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