Spanish Education; How to Choose the Right
School
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| Spanish schools system is excellent |
Finding the right education in Spain for your child is perhaps the most important decision involved in moving abroad. It’s also still
just as important if you’re already living in Spain.
All parents do what they feel is best for their child but
what are the best choices when it comes to Spanish education?
Education is handled a little differently in Spain. Spain
doesn’t have an education league table that informs parents about which schools
are the best ones. There are still regulatory bodies that you can contact to
learn more about a school you’re interested in though.
One of the most concerning parts about moving to another
country, including Spain, is that you lose the network of family and friends that
can give you guidance and advice.
No matter which part of Spain you are moving to or you’re
living in there are some things you need to consider including:
·
Would your child be better in a small or large
school?
·
Would you like them to change schools as they
move up or stay in the same school? I.E. do you want them to go to senior
school or change when they reach sixth form?
·
How long is too long for your child to travel to
school?
·
Are there any transport options; especially
transport provided by the school?
·
Which timetable works best for you?
·
Will your children have school meals or do you
want them to come home for their meals?
·
Do you want your child to do extracurricular
activities?
·
Do you want your child to be taught in English
or Spanish?
·
Do you have a particular curriculum or teaching
syllabus preference?
Different Education Options in Spain
When you move to Spain you need to think about which Spanish
education option is the right choice for your child. There’s a little more to
the decision than choosing between private or public education. There is also
another option known as concertado and homeschooling is also an option in
Spain.
Even though homeschooling is an option it’s not a very good
one and you should dismiss the idea. It’s actually illegal to homeschool in
Spain unless you get special permission and are considered a diplomat.
Next comes the choice of Spanish State school education.
State education in Spain is a good choice because your child gets used to
socialising and they immerse themselves in the language and can learn a lot.
Unfortunately the state of Spanish state education isn’t as good as it once was
because there have been government cuts to staff and facilities including
books.
The next option after this is the concertado system. It’s
basically a halfway point between state and pivate education. Concertado
schools were originally religious but these days you can find non-religious
concertado schools. You need to pay to send children to a concertado school but
it is less than the cost of private education.
The final option would be to send your child to a private
school. There are international private schools in Spain as well as fully
private Spanish schools.
These fully private Spanish schools use the same curriculum
as Spanish state schools but they have a much lower teacher-pupil ratio and
often have better facilities. Both fully private Spanish schools and
international schools charge roughly the same fees. You should also keep in
mind that many of these fully private Spanish schools are religious.
International schools in Spain use the same curriculum as a
particular country or the international baccalaureate. If you look around you
can find schools that follow the British, American, German, French and
Scandinavian curriculum. Spanish families will often send their children to one
of the British schools because they believe learning English in a European
country is a better option. There are also some American schools that have good
reputations and the French and German schools are also recommended.
The English language has become the worldwide language of
business and commerce. This is the main reason that Spanish families are eager
to send their children to English-speaking schools and there’s such a demand
for English school education in Spain. As such your school of choice could have
a waiting list or it might be impossible to send your child there.
