Education in Spain is regulated by the Ley General de Educación (LGE, General Law of Education) that expands upon Article 27 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. Education is compulsory and free for all children aged between 6 and 16 years and is supported by the national government together with the governments of each of the country's 17 autonomous communities.
Introduction
Living in Spain - Education in Spain - Planning to move to Spain and worried about schooling? In this vlog, Stuart gives you some insights into the Spanish education system and the types of schools available to kids.
In Spain, elementary school and middle school are considered basic education, or EGB (Educación General Básica). However, there is a traditional distinction between the two to avoid mixing children with great differences in age. Thus, most schools divide EGB into Primaria (kindergarten or first grade through fifth grade), which is the Spanish equivalent of elementary school, and Secundaria (sixth grade through eighth grade), the Spanish equivalent of middle school.
After eighth grade, students start el instituto (Spanish for "high school"), which lasts for four years, grouped into two cycles: three years of BUP (Spanish initials for "Unified Baccalaureate") and one year of COU (Spanish initials for "Pre-university year").
After the financial crisis in 2008, leaving many people, especially children in poverty, there have been many attempts to recover. In 2014, a bill was passed to increase the number of annual exams in order to fund schools. In the following years, the cost of higher education increased due to cuts in the education budget. In 2016, further studies were conducted to best assess education inequality, inclusiveness and diversity. Spain is also working towards reforming vocational education and modernizing education to improve the rising unemployment rates.
Preschool
Preschool for children under the age of six is encouraged. There are two cycles of preschool which are divided by age; 0-3 year olds and 3-6 year olds. The first cycle is not free for students and is often held in daycare centers while the second cycle is free for all students. The first cycle focuses on . The second cycle of preschool in public schools focus in on emotional development, movement and control of body habits, communication and language, and positive body image. The documents required for public registration include proof of residence, passport, birth certificate, and proof of vaccinations and in some areas a certificate of health.
Public Schools
At public schools, the language which classes are taught depends on the region. In Barcelona or Valencia classes are taught in Catalan and Valencian respectively and in Galacia and Basque, Gallego and Basque respectively. These schools are not bilingual, classes are taught in Spanish or the regional language and in some schools, English as a second language. State schools in Spain have improved and have qualifications towards student studying abroad, however they are not on the same level as private institutions.
Catalonia
In Catalonia, language has been associated with identity. After the 1970's, when Spain became a democracy, Catalonia was given rights over its own education system. The entire region shifted from teaching in Spanish to Catalan. Since then, education has been solely taught in Catalan, creating a large support for Catalonia's independence. However, in 2013, national education bills have been passed so that some instruction in schools must be taught in Spanish.
Private Schools
Private schools in Spain vary, some of the schools teach entirely in Spanish, some are Catholic schools, others are private schools and are bilingual and some are international schools which place emphasis on a second language, generally English. Private schools that are state subsidized are required to follow the Spanish syllabus, while international schools are free to follow other curriculums typically from other countries such as the US or UK. Private schools tend to be more costly especially in Barcelona or Madrid. Fees include tuition as well as school supplies and uniform.
Some curriculums include:
- the bachillerato (Spain)
- British GCSE / A-level exams
- United States High school diploma, SAT, ACT or AP exam scores
- International Baccalaureate Diploma
Up to secondary level
Once students have finished COU, they can take their University Entrance Exam (Pruebas de Acceso a la Universidad, popularly called Selectividad), which differs greatly from region to region.
Basic education (EGB)
Divided into two stages:
- Primaria (Spanish for "elementary school": kindergarten or first grade through fifth grade)
- Secundaria (Spanish for "middle school": grades six through eight)
In elementary school, children study the following subjects:
- Spanish
- Mathematics
- Basic science
- Basic history
- English
- Art
- Social studies
- Physical education
In middle school, there are many changes and electives are introduced. Subjects remain more or less the same as those in elementary school, with little variation depending on the region.
Electives in the sixth grade largely depend on the school, and there are not as many as in the seventh or eighth grade, but here are some examples of subjects pupils can choose at some schools:
- A year-long research subject for the whole class which is voted by the students
- Some activities in subjects such as art, social studies ...
- French (some schools)
- Electives in which all pupils in middle school can participate
Electives in the seventh grade are those from the sixth grade, but more options are added, from which you can choose:
- Extra mathematics
- Extra literature
- Cinema (some schools)
- Photo editing (some schools)
- Economy (some schools)
In the eighth grade, you can choose one more elective. The options vary largely between schools, so there is no "common elective" in every middle school.
There are other differences between elementary schools and middle schools:
- The playground is replaced by a courtyard.
- Recess becomes study period (a.k.a. free period), used either to study or to rest from schoolwork
- At some schools, there is a band in which children can partake if they are able to play an instrument.
- At most schools, lockers are introduced.
High school (BUP and COU)
Consists of 4 years, structured as two cycles since the Ley General de Educación (LGE) was brought into effect.
- First Cycle: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year (BUP)
- Second Cycle: 4th year (COU)
These are the subjects and electives for the first two years of BUP. Note: Electives in High School are called EATP (Spanish initials for "Technical and Professional Teachings and Activities").
In the third year of BUP (eleventh grade/junior year), students are offered a choice between two options: literature (option A) and STEM (option B).
The compulsory subjects in the third year of BUP are the following:
- History (often combined with geography)
- Philosophy
- English
- French (some schools)
- Physical education
- One or two electives chosen from the E.A.T.P offered (the same ones as in the first and second year)
Option A (literature) in the third year of BUP also includes:
- Literature
- Latin
- Greek
- Mathematics
Option B (STEM) in the third year of BUP also includes:
- Physics and chemistry (science I)
- Geology and biology (science II)
- Mathematics
- Literature
Once they are in COU (twelfth grade/senior year), a school year designed for preparation for university, students have four options: STEM, biochemistry, social sciences, or linguistics.
The compulsory subjects in COU are:
- English
- French (some schools)
- Literature
- Philosophy
The STEM option also includes:
- Mathematics I
- Physics
- Two electives from the following:
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Geology
- Technical drawing
The biochemistry option also includes:
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Two electives from the following:
- Mathematics I
- Geology
- Physics
- Technical drawing
The social sciences option also includes:
- Mathematics II
- World History
- Two electives from the following:
- Latin
- Greek
- World History of Art
- Literature
The linguistics option also includes:
- Literature
- World History
- Two electives from the following:
- Latin
- Greek
- World History of Art
- Mathematics II
Provision and Costs
Schools in Spain can be divided into 3 categories:
- State schools (colegios públicos)
- Privately run schools funded by the State (colegios concertados)
- Purely private schools (colegios privados)
According to summary data for the year 2008-2009 from the ministry, state schools educated 67.4%, private but state funded schools 26.0%, and purely private schools 6.6% of pupils the preceding year.
All non-university state education is free in Spain, but parents have to buy all of their children's books and materials. This, nominally at least, also applies to colegios concertados. Many schools are concertados, state funded up to the end of EGB but purely private for the high school years. This drop in the fraction of pupils in educación concertada is matched by increases of approximately equal size in the fraction in both state and purely private education for BUP and COU.
There are private schools for all the range of compulsory education. At them, parents must pay a monthly/termly/yearly fee. Most of these schools are run by religious orders, and include single-sex schools.
Schools supply a list of what is required at the start of each school year and which will include art and craft materials as well as text and exercise books. From 2009, this figure was around £300 and in 2011 was nearer £500; as of 2011, the cost of books averaged 170 euros for preschool and 300 euros for elementary school students. In some regions, the autonomous government is giving tokens to exchange them in book shops for free (due to the economic crisis, this has all but ceased in Valencia), this is being adapted in 2006 in regions, such as Andalusia, where kids from 3 to 10 will get the books for free, on the following years it is expected for all compulsory years. School uniform is not normally worn in state schools but is usually worn in private schools.
Usually, EGB is studied in a colegio and BUP and COU are studied in an instituto de Bachillerato (IB). However, some schools only teach elementary school (K-5) or middle school (6-8). Also, K-12 (and rarely K-10) schools also exist.
Admissions to publicly funded schools
The General Law of Education (1970) defines the principles to be applied in the admission of pupils to publicly funded schools. The details of the implementation of these principles vary from autonomous community to autonomous community.
Madrid
In Madrid, there is a largely uniform admissions process for state funded schools, both colegios públicos and colegios concertados. Here the main admissions procedures for pupils wishing to join a school in the autumn are carried out in the spring of the year in question.
Parents can choose the school to which they wish to send their child. It is not uncommon that there be insufficient places in a popular school for all the children for whom places are requested. In such cases places are allocated according to rather strictly defined admissions criteria as defined in Annex IX to the order establishing the process.
Extremadura
The royal decree governing the same process in Extremadura includes admissions criteria structured in a very similar way but differing in the number of points allocated, notably for residence near to the school.
AndalucÃa
An analogous decree for 2007 governing the same process in Andalusia is notably different again in the way it allocates points.
School terms
Broadly similar to the English three term system, but with slightly shorter holidays at Christmas (23 December â€" 8 January) and Easter (one week - 40 days after Ash Wednesday), and longer in the summer (normally from 23 June to 15 September). In 2005, the summer holiday ran from 22 June until 1â€"15 September, depending on the regions. The English half-term holiday does not exist, but there are frequent odd days and long weekends relating mainly to religious holidays and regional and national holidays. Some school, however, use the two semester system.
Regional or district variations
Usually, elementary school is up to the fifth grade and middle school is grades 6 through 8. Nonetheless, some schools include fifth grade in middle school or do not include kindergarten in elementary school. High school, however, is always four years long and does not change from one region or district to another.
International education
As of January 2015, the International Schools Consultancy (ISC) listed Spain as having 210 international schools. ISC defines an 'international school' in the following terms "ISC includes an international school if the school delivers a curriculum to any combination of pre-school, primary or secondary students, wholly or partly in English outside an English-speaking country, or if a school in a country where English is one of the official languages, offers an English-medium curriculum other than the country’s national curriculum and is international in its orientation." This definition is used by publications including The Economist. In 1977 the International Baccalaureate authorized the first school in Spain to teach the Diploma Programme. There are now 86 IB World Schools in Spain, of which 71 deliver an international education but in Spanish.
See also
- Academic Awards in Spain
- Asociación de Inspectores de Educación
- Open access in Spain
References
External links
- Spanish Ministry of Education (Spanish)
- The Spanish university system
- Spain Study Guide for International Students
- Courses and universities in Spain
- Schools and Universities Guide to Study in Spain
- Spanish Ministry of Education, Social Politics and Sports In Spanish.
- Information on education in Spain, OECD - Contains indicators and information about Spain and how it compares to other OECD and non-OECD countries
- Diagram of Spanish education system, OECD - Using 1997 ISCED classification of programmes and typical ages. Also in Spanish