Spanish
Schools
Spain has a state funded
school system along with private schools and a range of international
/ foreign schools. Around 30% of Spains' schoolchildren attend private
schools the majority of which are co-educational. The line between
public, private and church schools can be blurred, with many nominally
private or church schools receiving their principal support from the
state.
International and foreign
schools are the only schools which use English as the teaching language.
If your children attend any other schools they will be taught their
lessons in Spanish.
Compulsory education
begins at six years of age with the children attending primary school
which, in most cases, is local. This lasts for eight years when, at
fourteen, the child receives a school leaving certificate. Those with
higher marks are able to attend a higher secondary school with less
academic pupils moving onto a vocational school.
Enrolling in a Spanish
school requires an interview. New arrivals in Spain must have their
children's education record verified which can be a long and expensive
process. This is called convalidation. A pupil will not be accepted
with the necessary paperwork so is best to get this done before arriving
in Spain so the child can immediately enter upon arrival in the country.
To enrol you must also
have:
· proof of
convalidation (see above)
· your child's birth certificate or passport, proof of immunization;
· proof of residence in the form of a bill in your name. If you haven't got one
then a rent receipt, or lease is acceptable.
· a passport-size photograph (for a student ID card) for a child entering secondary
school.
Spanish
school hours: These vary from place to place and according to type of school.
One
typical
schedule would run from 0900 until 1700 with a two hour break for lunch;
another typical schedule would go from 0900 with no break and finish
classes for the day at 1400. When there is a lunch break of more than
hour, students typically have the option to go home for lunch, which
many do to take lunch with their entire family.
For more in depth
information on this topic, we highly recommend:
Living
and Working in Spain: A Survival Guide
Click the link above
to check the price at Amazon UK.
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