· 
· 
The Spanish education model offers both general and special learning plans (see chart). This chapter covers primarily the former, which are the most common and coincide with the ages indicated in the chart. For the special plan and more specific information on the education system, see the Ministry of Education, Social Policy and Sports website (www.mepsyd.es) or contact them directly at: C/ Alcalá 36, 28071-MADRID. Switchboard: 91 701 80 00. Telephone Information No.: 902 21 85 00. Hours: 9:00 am to 2:30 pm.
Education in Spain is free and compulsory from the ages of 6 to 16, which is the minimum legal working age, although the free and compulsory nature may be extended to the age of 18 in ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education) for a variety of reasons: failed or missed school years, adaptation for foreign students, etc.
Preschool (to the age of 6) is not compulsory. The new education law (LOE) maintains this voluntary nature, gives the stage more educational value. The vast majority of children begin school between the ages of 3 and 6, which is becoming more and more common and recommended. This is the 2nd cycle of Pre-primary Education, which Public Schools offer integrally and free of charge. The LOE allows for subsidization in this cycle, which the Autonomous Regions are applying. Education in Spain is decentralized and education authority has been transferred to the Autonomous Regions. This means that there are certain differences within the general common curriculum; for example, in Autonomous Regions in which there is another official language, it is studied based on different compulsory natures.
Because authority over education has been transferred, for information on obtaining a place at a public school or when to make reservations, you should contact the regional Department of Education directly in the region in which you are residing or will be residing (see the "Useful Addresses" chapter) or ask at the nearby schools that interest you. In general, you must enroll the student in March or April before the start of the next school year, which begins in September and ends in June. The cost of books and school material is normally paid by the parents, although there are more and more policies for free text books for certain Regions, academic grade, family income or other circumstances.
There are three types of centers: public, charter and private.
Public elementary and high schools are run by the government and free of charge. The majority of the population attends these schools, although the percentages vary by Region and stage. Primary schools usually include the second cycle of Pre-primary education and, although still the exception, even the first cycle of Pre-primary, from the ages of 0 to 3. This cycle is still more commonly given at Nursery Schools and Preschools. Ownership of these schools varies, as, in addition to private, there are (in the public sector) municipal, regional and other institutions.
Students between the ages of 3 and 12 generally attend elementary schools. For Compulsory Secondary Education and then Senior Secondary or Vocational Training, students attend high schools, which always offer Compulsory Secondary Education and then the different options for Senior Secondary Education and, in many cases, mid- and upper-level Vocational Training cycles. In other words, it is possible for a student to remain at the same center between the ages of 12 and 20, although the Upper-Level Training Cycles are given separately or in the evening. This wide range of possibilities, together with a wider variety of training options, subjects and educational support are characteristic of public education, which for some time now have included new technologies or, more recently, bilingual education.
Both public centers and charter centers (private schools partially subsidized by the Government) apply similar schooling criteria, which tend to include (although there are some differences by Region):
To find the public schools nearest your home, visit the Ministry of Education, Social Policy and Sports website (http://centros.mec.es/centros/jsp/Entradajsp.jsp) or contact your Region's Department of Education or the Municipal School Board for your town or city.
Charter schools are, as indicated above, private centers that maintain an agreement with the Administration, which pays the professors and subsidizes operations. They must comply with the same legislation, calendars, programs and organization as the public schools and, in theory, the subsidized levels (which are compulsory) must be offered free of charge. In practice, they tend to charge certain monthly fees related to complementary activities, extracurricular classes or other items. They follow a center-wide ideology, normally religious in nature, as most of them are Catholic centers, although there are others that do not have religious affiliations and maintain their own educational definition. In addition to their ideological nature, charter schools share another characteristic with the purely private centers: it is very common for them to require uniforms, the facilities are normally very good and the extracurricular programs are varied.
Private schools do not receive government subsidies, so the main difference compared to charter schools is their price: while at charter schools it is common to pay around ¤100 a month, private schools can cost over €1,000 per month, although must cost around €300-€400 a month. These centers have freedom of organization and operations: registration, calendars, hours, teaching staff... And they tend to place special emphasis on a certain aspect of the education: languages (many are bilingual), religious training, gender-separate education, new technologies, etc. There are lists that claim to rank private schools, but this classification is always subjective and debatable; for example, the selection by Spanish newspaper El Mundo of the top 100 private schools in Spain is available on its website.
Foreign centers
Most of these are small centers (normally with 600 students or less). Nearly all of them offer a system that combines Spanish education and that of the country they represent, so students acquire knowledge from two cultures and are able to access Spanish and foreign universities, or they can have their studies officially recognized. Most are recognized by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Social Policy and Sports and the offer the subjects required by law in Spanish. Many of them also offer an extensive extracurricular program with sports and cultural activities. The tend to be expensive and they are in high demand, son there are often waiting lists. Some of the most common foreign centers are British, French, German and Italian schools.
For more information on these centers, contact the embassy, where they will provide you with a list of the most recommendable centers offering an education in your language.
In addition to the schools that offer general education plans, there are other specialized centers (public, private and charter) designed for children with physical or mental disabilities. Many of them are subsidized. Integration programs have been developed recently to favor attendance by students with physical disabilities at general education centers. For more information on this subject, contact your town council or your Regional Department of Education (see the "Useful Addresses" chapter for Department contact information).
There are 51 public and 22 private universities operating in Spain. There are also several foreign universities that offer studies based on the education system in their country of origin. Universities can offer official degrees (valid throughout Spain) and their own degrees. Official degrees and their minimum content are established by the Government. Each university has its own study plan that includes, in addition to the content established by the Government, subjects required by the university itself, elective subjects and other selected by the student. There are unofficial degrees that are not valid from the administration's point of view, but tend to be highly valued on the job market, such as certain Master's degrees.
For more information on the university system, its centers and official degrees, visit
www.micinn.es/centrosweb/jsp/compBdDo.do
The general structure for university studies includes the following degrees:
University access is available to students who have completed their Senior Secondary Education (2nd year) However, they must first pass the University access examples, known in Spain as Selectividad.
Students who have studied abroad must also pass these exams. The following UNED page offers additional information:
www.uned.es/infomatricula/acceso_2_paau_extra.htm
Taking the Selectividad exams requires certifying that the studies take abroad are officially recognized in Spain. To find out how studies are recognized, visit the Ministry of Education, Social Policy and Sports website at
www.mepsyd.es/mecd/jsp/plantilla.jsp?id=3&area=titulos
See also the chapter in this guide on "Degree Validation and Recognition".
Students normally attend the university with which the secondary education or vocational training center where they have taken their studies is affiliated, unless that university does not offer the degree they are interested in. When studies were taken abroad, students can register at any Spanish university. There are no restrictions for attending a private university. It is important to understand that some universities are highly demanded and have limited places (numerus clausus) available for certain studies and even special admissions exams.
Each university establishes its own procedures, registration deadlines and documentation required to apply for enrollment. Pre-registration is normally in early June. The list of accepted students is published around the middle of the same month and the registration period begins towards the end of the month. Private universities have their own admission and registration deadlines.
There is a list of public universities on the Ministry of Education, Social Policy and Sports website:
www.mepsyd.es/educa/que-donde-estudiar/index.html
Both Spanish universities and postgraduate institutions in Spain offer a wide selection of master's degrees in all areas. It is difficult to make a decision without references, so it is always a good idea to contact former students.
The student's card is obtained at the Alien's Office or at the nearest Police station (Headquarters or Precinct). To apply for the student's card, you must complete the official application, along with the following documentation:
When the duration of the studies or research exceeds six months, you must also submit:
It usually takes one month to issue the student's visa; you have two months from the notification date to retrieve it. You must enter Spain during the visa's validity period. If the study period exceeds 6 months, you must apply for the student's card within one month of entering Spain.
The European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) seeks to ensure the recognition of studies and an appropriate system of equivalence, facilitating the movement of university students within the boarders of the EU and their integration in the job market. The European ministers of education have signed a number of declarations (Sorbonne, Bologna, Prague and Berlin) to enable the construction of the European Higher Education Area. The objective of the Bologna Declaration, signed by 30 European countries (see map), is to harmonize the national degree systems, establishing the framework for the construction of a European Higher Education Area that will culminate in 2010. Spanish universities (as Spain has signed those declarations) issue, in addition to the corresponding university degree, a degree known as the European Supplement to the Degree. This official document, which is valid throughout the country, contains information on the studies taken, results obtained, professional skills and degree level. The purpose is to ensure that the degree earned in Spain, if not fully valid in other countries, is at least in line with the standards that facilitate the process of official degree recognition in the rest of Europe.
The Ministry of Science and Innovation website has more information on the EHEA
