Ask most Spanish parents
what they think of Spanish schools and
the answer is invariably "not much"!
Fortunately this opinion is based more
on "what was" as opposed to "what is"
and whilst Spanish schools still do lag
behind most countries of the EU, the
system is dramatically and rapidly being
improved. Perhaps more so than in other
countries, Spanish parents take the
education of their children very
seriously, recognizing the profound
effect it can have on their adult lives.
The "yearn to learn" among Spanish
children is probably stronger in Spain
than most other EU states. In
recognizing this sentiment among parent
voters, the government is constantly
increasing the education budget.
There are literally tens of thousands of
foreign children currently being
educated under the Spanish education
system but in some areas it is failing
seriously - being either incapable or
unwilling to spend the amount of money
necessary. In some of these areas,
expatriate children have never achieved
further education and truant, bullying
and other problems are part of the
curriculum. In these areas, little point
exists in taking your bright child who
has just passed his or her eleven plus
in the UK and thinking you can continue
education at a state school. It may
continue but learning will stop.
As with the UK state system, the Spanish
system is not without criticism with
many complaining that it is weighed down
with traditional and unimaginative
teaching methods. Poorly paid and poorly
motivated teachers, poor teacher
training and a high student failure rate
led to considerable improvement in the
system over the past decade but many
argue that Spain's education system
still has a long way to go.
One criticism addressed was the
requirement that children upon reaching
the age of 14 decide then and there on
whether to pursue an academic or
vocation career. Many argued that this
was too young and eventually the age was
put back to 16.
The Spanish education system consists of
state-funded schools supported by a
comprehensive network of private
schools, many of which are foreign and
include a considerable number of British
institutions.
Thirty per cent of Spanish
schoolchildren are currently being
educated in private schools, most of
which are co-educational day schools.
Education in Spain is free - from
nursery school through to university and
is available for the children of foreign
residents. Notwithstanding this, parents
may have to pay for school books, a sum
which could work out at €1 or 2 per week
over the year. Perhaps a little more now
that inflation is starting to bite once
again.
Education statistics make interesting
reading. 90 per cent of all children
between the age of four and five attend
nursery school and over 55 per cent of
students remain at school until their
18th birthday. Of these, a further 25
per cent go on to vocational training
and 30 per cent to university. When it
comes to Spanish universities, criticism
stops. They are comparable with any
university in Europe but suffer the same
problems in that most are overcrowded.
It's not unusual among expatriates for
them to send their children to British
or American universities if they can
afford to do so because courses tend to
be shorter with far more flexibility
than is the case in Spain.
Of particular significance to anyone
with children who may be contemplating a
move to Spain is the simple fact that
the younger a child is when he enters
the Spanish school system, the easier he
will be able to cope. It is also the
case that the older he is, the more
problems he will have adjusting. Not
only because of language problems but
because the school curriculum is more
demanding.
Teenagers often have great difficulty
learning Spanish and adjusting to
Spanish school life with the result that
many are unhappy for quite some time.
Many expatriates, upon understanding the
system choose to start their children's
education in Spanish nursery and primary
schools and then switch their secondary
education to a private school.
Most foreign children cope well with
being educated in Spain be it private or
state education. Living in a foreign
land is an adventure for most of them
which offers both change and challenge
and most rise to the occasion. In no
time at all their thinking becomes
international, allowing their behavior
to become the same in later life.
Spanish children are more than aware
that the EU is made up of many different
nationalities as most attend schools
with pupils from many different
countries.
Information about Spanish schools, both
in the state and private sectors, can be
obtained from Spanish embassies and
consulates abroad and from foreign
embassies and educational departments in
Spain. If you are contemplating a move
to Spain and have children of school
age, education is probably the most
important thing for you to consider.
For a child to enroll in a Spanish
school requires an interview and medical
but as with so many things in Spain,
neither seems to happen. At the
discretion of the school, there may also
have to be an examination but in the
case of a foreign child, the latter may
prove difficult and this too rarely
occurs.
If you have children of school age and
are set on moving to Spain, this is,
more or less, is the information you
require.
Be advised that procedures may change
from area to area and time to time
entirely at the discretion of the
schools. In the main, the enrollment
process used by Spanish schools is
dependent upon the age of the child, who
in Spain, must attend a school within a
certain distance from his home. If you
hear good things about a particular
school and you would like your child to
attend, it will be necessary for you to
either buy or rent a property in the
area.
Spanish schools have annual quotas for
their pupils and places are allocated
quite simply on the basis of "first
come, first served". The school
enrollment period usually takes place
early in the year and lasts for two
months. Enrollment varies between
regions but you will be able to
ascertain the exact dates by contacting
any of the schools in the region you
intend to live.
To Enrol Your Child:
To enrol your child in a Spanish school
you will require the following:
1. Child's birth certificate or passport
together with a photocopy, official
translation (which may not be required)
parent's passports together with a
photocopy.
2. Proof of child's immunization.
3. Proof of residence. Obtain this from
the town hall in your locality.
4. If your child is over 12, proof of
convalidation.
5. Two passport-size photographs. One
for student Identification card, the
other for records.
Homologation/Convalidation
If you have a child over the age of 12
whom you wish to place in a Spanish
secondary school you will also require
proof of homologation or convalidation,
which is the official verification of
your child's education record.
The forms to do this can be obtained
from:
Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia
C/Alcala,34
28014 Madrid
Telephone 0034 917 018 000
Send the completed form together with
your child's school record book and/or
examination qualifications, plus his
birth certificate. If possible the
process should be completed before
arrival in Spain because in theory, a
child will not be accepted at school
until the official papers have been
received and stamped by the Department
of Education.
Expect the process to take between 3 - 6
months although a receipt from the
Ministry for the homologation documents
for your child should be acceptable.
Whilst understanding that their children
are going to have to attend school in
Spain, many parents are concerned as to
how their child will cope with the
language problem.
It is a natural enough concern and there
are many considerations to take into
account when choosing a school for your
child's education. If you cannot afford
to educate your child privately then of
course, the decision has been made for
you. Your child will go to a State
school within the area in which you
choose to live.
The opinion of many and supported by the
writer, is that children under the age
of nine, and preferably younger, are
better off going to a State school. They
settle quickly and learn the language at
a speed which borders on the
incomprehensible for their struggling
parents. However, others disagree and
ultimately you will have to make your
own decision. In many areas of Spain,
placing a bright expatriate child over
the age of 10 in a Spanish school is
doing nothing good at all for his or her
future.
The only schools in Spain using English
as the teaching language are foreign and
international private schools. The costs
of these vary considerably and something
we will cover later in this section. If
your child attends a Spanish state
school you would expect all lesson to be
taught in the language of Spain. Not so!
In some regions of Spain, lessons are
taught in the language of the region
which may be Basque, Catalan or
Galician.
In some of these areas, parents may be
offered a choice between Spanish or the
regional language but this is by no
means certain. Learning a regional
language can prove difficult for Spanish
children who have all the advantages of
culture. For foreign children it can be
much more difficult. If you have decided
to live in an area where education is
dominated by a regional language you may
have to give serious thought to private
education.
If you send your child to a State school
where regional languages are not
applicable you will soon see that
language does not pose the problem you
may initially have believed it would.
This is particularly true in the case of
children below the age of 10. As with
all learning, children of this age
absorb information and retain it at a
rate which can only be envied by adults.
Reasonable fluency in 6 months is not at
all unusual.
For children over the age of 10, the
going may not be quite so easy as the
ability to learn languages starts to
diminish quite quickly after this age
has been reached. Some experience
considerable difficulty in the first
year but usually achieve a degree of
competency far quicker than their
parents could ever do.
Some but not too many state schools
operate a system of providing intensive
Spanish lessons for foreign children in
order that they speak the language as
soon as possible. As increasing amounts
of foreigners settle in Spain, this
method is likely to be developed
further. Children who cannot read and
write in Spanish are often relegated one
year in order to be able to "catch up".
Once fluency is attained the child can
then be put into a class appropriate to
his age group and knowledge.
When it comes to foreign children
learning Spanish there are several lines
of thought. Some believe a gradual
introduction to the language is
appropriate while others believe in
throwing a child in at the deep end. It
may well be there is merit in all
methods but in the final analysis it
will certainly depend upon the
character, ability and self-motivation
of each individual child.
If you know you are moving to Spain,
before you leave your own country you
should perhaps try to find Spanish
lessons for your children. Night school,
private lessons, computer programmes, it
will all help bridge what is a very
different but thoroughly enjoyable way
of life in a country which has more than
its fair share of sunshine.
There are many young families who embark
upon what they believe will be the
ultimate adventure. Having considered
the matter for quite some time, they
take the plunge and together with their
young children move to Spain.
Their children are put into Spanish
State school and as stated elsewhere in
this section, soon learn to speak
Spanish. Their own language, whilst
taught, may only be an hour or two each
week. After three or four years, It is
by no means unusual for some of these
families to return to their home country
for a variety of reasons. At this time
problems may start for their children
who whilst competent in Spanish, are
seriously behind in the study of their
own language, particularly grammar and
writing. If you move young children to
Spain and then return to your own
country, the price to be paid is more
likely to be paid by your children.
Many parents who send their children to
Spanish state school are aware of this
problem and ensure that their children
receive extra tuition in their own
language, often paid for privately. The
cost for this is about £6 - 8 per hour
and probably worth every penny for the
peace of mind it brings.
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Schools in Spain - Spanish Education |
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Home Insurance Spain |
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UK Pension Scheme
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Solicitors in Mallorca |
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DISCOUNT CAR HIRE |
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