Education
More and more young couples or families with small children are making the move to Spain, and when moving to a foreign country, choosing a school can be slightly more difficult than in the UK.
The Spanish Education system has been subjected to a number of reforms in recent years. Children are admitted once a year in September, according to the calendar year of their birth. This means that children born in January are the oldest in their class, as opposed to September as in UK, and children born between October and December actually start school before their third birthday.
Spanish state schools are a good way for your children to integrate into the community fully and they will learn Spanish more quickly too as well, as all lessons will be in Spanish. Standards are on a par with British state school and at the age of 14 children are streamed and either follow an academic education or a vocational education designed to prepare them for a career at 16.
Many foreign families in Spain choose a private education for their children, especially in one of the many international schools where pupils study in a cosmopolitan atmosphere encouraging greater tolerance as far as race, language and culture are concerned.
Children can follow the GSCE/A level curriculum at a private English speaking school. Although fee paying, the costs here are well below that in the UK.
Enrolling in a Spanish school can be a lengthy process for foreign nationals, so you should allow plenty of time before the school year starts. The usual registration period for all ages is in May for the following September, and is usually done via the local Town Hall, or can sometimes be done by applying directly to the school.
