Education system in Spain
Understanding the education system in a new country is a daunting task and can be made worse by a language barrier.

Article 27 of the Spanish Constitution 1978 reads:
1. Everyone is entitled to education. Freedom of instruction is recognized.
2. Education shall have as its objective the full development of the human character compatible with respect for the democratic principles of co-existence and for the basic rights and freedoms.
3. The public authorities guarantee the right of the parents to ensure that their children receive religious and moral instruction that is in accordance with their own convictions.
4. Elementary education is compulsory and free.
5. The public authorities guarantee the right of everyone to education, through general planning of education, with the effective participation of all parties concerned and the setting up of teaching establishments.
6. The right of individuals and legal entities to set up teaching establishments is recognized, provided they respect Constitutional principles.
7. Teachers, parents and, when appropriate, pupils, shall share in the control and management of all the centres maintained by the Administration out of public funds, under the terms to be laid down the law.
8. The public authorities shall inspect and standardize the educational system in order to garantee compliance with the law.
9. The public authorities shall give aid to teaching establishments which meet the requirements to be laid down by the law.
10. The autonomy of the Universities is recognized, under the terms to be laid down by the law.

The Spanish Educational System.
The educational law of 1990, the Ley Organica de Ordenacion General del Sistema Educativo (LOGSE) (Law on the General Organization of the Educational System), established a new system which started in 1991-92 school-year. The main points of the new system are the following:

1. Basic education is compulsory and free of charge, and it is extended up to the age of 16, the legal age for starting work.
2. The educational system includes general and special education, i.e. the different levels of education are adapted to suit students with special needs.
3. All students have basic vocational training, which is given in secondary education. Specific vocational training is organized at two levels, the first at the end of compulsory secondary education, and the higher level at the end of the ‘Baccalaureate’.
4. Improvement in the quality of teaching must be achieved via the renewal of the contents of the courses, improvement in human resources and material resources, and better use of the various instruments of the educational system.
5. Religious instruction is must be available at all schools, but it is voluntary for pupils.
6. Special systems are applied for artistic education and language learning.
Conclusions
The main area of social change in Spain during the eighties was the educational system, in terms of the sums spent on education by the public sector. Spain’s education system has entered the Information Age.

Preschool

Schooling in Spain is not mandatory until the age of six. However recently, the Spanish government has undertaken a new drive to provide early childhood education to many, citing that it’s never too early to start learning.

The preschool education takes place in two phases, from birth to three years old and then from three years old to six years old. The latter half is free.

These centres seek to be more than just a day care facility. They are meant to focus on three main processes

• Self-knowledge and personal autonomy.
• Knowledge of the environment.
• Communication

Many preschools begin between around 7am to facilitate working parents who need to get to work on time, and stay open until 5pm or later.

Primary School
This is where mandatory schooling begins. The age range is from six to 12. Like the preschool level, primary school education is divided into two cycles; from six to nine and 10 to 12. At the end of each cycle, after an evaluation process, the teachers will decide if the student is eligible to move on.

Do note that children in the Spain are enrolled according to the year in which they are born, and not the months unlike some countries. Therefore they may be placed in a year above their level. Since failing and repeating a year of school is common, teachers usually are not worried if the child is a little over his head.

Primary school hours differ from preschool. The school day typically starts at 9am, break for lunch at either 12 noon or 12:30 pm, recommence at 3pm or 3:30 pm and finish at 5 pm. Children can go home for lunch, but many teachers recommend that they stay at school to help with socializing and learning Spanish.

Secondary school
Secondary school consists of four academic courses that are typically attended by teenagers aged between 12 and 16 years of age.

At 16, the student will receive a Certificate of Education. At that time they may go on to
• Bachillerato
• Middle level vocational training
• Associate degree in professional arts (music, dance etc.) and design.
• Training middle-level Sports

Doing the Bachillerato is necessary if the student wants to attend university in Spain. This starts at age 16 after mandatory secondary education. The process involves a two-year-programme in three different tracks (Arts, Science and Technology, and Humanities and Social Sciences). Then the General Bachillerato Exam is taken to achieve the official certification of bachiller. If a student does not pass the exam but passes all of the Bachillerato subjects, they can receive a certificate which allows them to work and then take a test to go on intermediate level professional training.

NB: Should you plan to return to your home country during these years, your child should follow the admissions procedure as directed by the local school board. Most schools only require a transcript from the Spanish school in order to enrol.

University
After two years of the Bachillerato students are eligible to take an exam called “Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad” or PAU, known unofficially as la Selectividad. This exam is taken at the university itself and students must pass a cut off grade in order to be accepted

The university system is divided into three levels, the equivalent of a bachelor’s, master’s and then doctorate.

Bachelor’s programmes require a total of 240 credits and usually consist of three to four academic year programmes.

A master’s degree requires 60 to 120 credits, consisting normally of one to two academic year programmes, and the public defence of a thesis.

Finally if you wish to apply for a doctorate, you will need the previous possession of a University Master degree.

The postgraduate studies are divided into two cycles, one of study that requires 60 credits, and another of research. The public defence of a doctoral thesis, an original work of research in any field, is required. There is no time limit for doctoral programmes, but they typically require three to four years of study and research.

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