Schooling 

From our own experience (and the advice from a Spanish teacher and child psychologist who represents the School where our 10 year old daughter attends) we are satisfied that up to the age of 12 most children pick up languages much more easily and in two years after having learned from an early age can become bilingual, that is, speak their second language the same as they do their first. This means that most children of this age would manage quite easily in a Spanish school; both our children of now 10 & 12 have done this and coped exceptionally well, much better in fact than we could ever have hoped for.

There are plenty of schools for all ages in this area and they welcome children from foreign countries quite readily. Much the same as in the UK it is a case of whether or not you are in the catchment area for entry into the schools or as is quite common in Spain, it depends on who you know ! If you require a place at a school where there are too few places then you fill in a form and apply to the town hall who will place your child in the school they believe they should attend.

The majority of Spanish state schools, allowing for the influx of foreigners, make provisions for extra Spanish lessons above and beyond the Spanish curriculum. Both the schools our children attend have extra Spanish lessons every day and the children will not be moved up to the next curso (year) until the teachers think they are ready. 

Ask most Spanish parents what they think of Spanish schools and the answer may be "not much"! 

Fortunately this opinion is based more on "what was" as opposed to "what is" and whilst some Spanish schools still do lag behind most countries of the EU, the system is dramatically and rapidly being improved. Perhaps more so than in other countries, Spanish parents take the education of their children very seriously, recognising the profound effect it can have on their adult lives. In recognising this sentiment among parent voters, the government is constantly increasing the education budget. 

The Spanish education system consists of state-funded schools supported by a comprehensive network of private schools, many of which are foreign and include a considerable number of British institutions. 

Thirty per cent of Spanish schoolchildren are currently being educated in private schools, most of which are co-educational day schools. Education in Spain is free - from nursery school through to university and is available for the children of foreign residents. Notwithstanding this, parents may have to pay for school books, a sum which could work out at about 120 euros per child when they first start, however subsequent children can then use these books.

Education statistics make quite interesting reading. 90 per cent of all children between the age of four and five attend nursery school and over 55 per cent of students remain at school until their 18th birthday. Of these, a further 25 per cent go on to vocational training and 30 per cent to university.

When it comes to Spanish universities, criticism about schooling stops. They are comparable with any university in Europe but suffer the same problems in that most are overcrowded. It's not unusual among expatriates for them to send their children to British or American universities if they can afford to do so because courses tend to be shorter with far more flexibility than is the case in Spain. 

Of particular significance to anyone with children who may be contemplating a move to Spain is the simple fact that the younger a child is when he enters the Spanish school system, the easier he will be able to cope. It is also the case that the older he is, the more problems he will have adjusting. Not only because of language problems but because the school curriculum is more demanding and different and when given the language barrier on top could be quite unsettling for them. 

Teenagers often have more difficulty learning Spanish and adjusting to Spanish school life with the result that many are unhappy for quite some time. Many expatriates, upon understanding the system choose to start their children's education in Spanish nursery and primary schools and then switch their secondary education to a private school. 

Most foreign children cope well with being educated in Spain be it private or state education. Living in a foreign land is an adventure for most of them which offers both change and challenge and most rise to the occasion. In no time at all their thinking becomes international, allowing their behaviour to become the same in later life. Spanish children are more than aware that the EU is made up of many different nationalities as most attend schools with pupils from many different countries. 

Information about Spanish schools, both in the state and private sectors, can be obtained from Spanish embassies and consulates abroad and from foreign embassies and educational departments in Spain, as well as other websites.

If you are contemplating a move to Spain and have children of school age, in my opinion if you want this major change to your life to run as smoothly as you can possibly make it - then education is probably the most important thing for you to consider.

There are far too many Spanish state schools to list but we will endeavour to find out about the ones in the area which you are contemplating should you require us to do so, we have mentioned a few international schools in the Alicante area, obviously there are others further field.

Enrolment

For a child to enroll in a Spanish school requires an interview and medical but as with so many things in Spain, sometimes neither seems to happen. At the discretion of the school, there may also have to be an examination but in the case of a foreign child, the latter may prove difficult and this too rarely occurs. Unless of course you know or are lucky enough to meet the right people, both our two youngest children were interviewed, had their medicals and began life at their respective schools without a hitch

If you have children of school age and are set on moving to Spain, this is, more or less, the information you require. 

Be advised though that procedures may change from area to area and time to time entirely at the discretion of the school. In the main, the enrolment process used by Spanish schools is dependent upon the age of the child, who in Spain must attend a school within a certain distance from his home, much the same as in the UK. If you hear good things about a particular school and you would like your child to attend, it will usually be necessary for you to either buy or rent a property in that same area. 

Spanish schools have annual quotas for their pupils and places are allocated quite simply on the basis of "first come, first served". The school enrolment period usually takes place early in the year and lasts for two months. Enrolment varies between regions but we will be happy and able to ascertain the exact dates by contacting any of the schools in the region where you intend to live. 

To enrol your child in a Spanish school you will require the following:

• Child's birth certificate or passport together with a photocopy, parent's passports together with a photocopy.
• Proof of child's immunisation medical certificate.
• Padron-Proof of residence. Obtain this from the town hall in your locality.
• Two or four passport-size photographs. One for student Identification card, the others for records.
• If you have a child over the age of 12 whom you wish to place in a Spanish secondary school you will also require proof of homologation or convalidation, which is the official name for your child's education record.

The forms to do this can be obtained from:

Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia
C/Alcala,34
28014 Madrid

Telephone: 0034 917 018 000 

Send the completed form together with your child's school record book and/or examination qualifications, plus his birth certificate. If possible the process should be completed before arrival in Spain because in theory, a child will not be accepted at school until the official papers have been received and stamped by the Department of Education. Don't worry too much though as we were unable to complete this process until the week before ours started and this was not a problem for us, because as with most things in Spain this may or may not be insisted upon depending upon the school in question.

Expect the process to take between 3 - 6 months although a receipt from the Ministry for the homologation documents for your child should be acceptable. 

Coping with the Language

Whilst understanding that their children are going to have to attend school in Spain, many parents are concerned as to how their child will cope with the language problem. 

It is a natural enough concern and there are many considerations to take into account when choosing a school for your child's education. If you cannot afford to educate your child privately then of course, the decision has been made for you. Your child will go to a State school within the area in which you choose to live. 

The opinion of many and supported by us, is that children under the age of twelve, are better off going to a State school. They settle quickly and learn the language at a speed which borders on the incomprehensible for their struggling parents, believe me I know! However, others disagree and ultimately you will have to make your own decision. In many areas of Spain, placing a bright expatriate child over the age of 12 (depending on the brightness of the individual child) in a Spanish school is not doing them many favours for his or her future and this course of action should be very carefully considered. 

The only schools in Spain using English as the teaching language are foreign and international private schools. The costs of these vary considerably and something we will cover later in this section. If your child attends a Spanish state school you would expect all lessons to be taught in the language of Spain. Not so! In some regions of Spain, lessons are taught in the language of the region which may be Basque, Catalan, Valenciano or Galician. 

In some of these areas, parents may be offered a choice between Spanish or the regional language but this is by no means certain. Learning a regional language can prove difficult for Spanish children who have all the advantages of culture. For foreign children it can be much more difficult. If you have decided to live in an area where education is dominated by a regional language you may have to give serious thought to private education.

Having said this our two children both take lessons in Valenciano and are doing very well, our 12 year old also learns French, he also sits next to a German pupil and is picking up some German phrases too. Children are like sponges I get quite frustrated myself at the speed in which they are learning and wish I too could pick it up even half as well as they have. 

If you are concerned and send your child to a State school where regional languages are not applicable you will soon see that language does not pose the problem you may initially have believed it would. This is particularly true in the case of children below the age of 12. As with all learning, children of this age absorb information and retain it at a rate which can only be envied by adults. Reasonable fluency in 6 months is not at all unusual. 

For children over the age of 12, the going may not be quite as easy though as the ability to learn languages starts to diminish quite quickly after this age has been reached. Some experience considerable difficulty in the first year but even so usually achieves a degree of competency far quicker than their parents could ever dream of. 

Some but not too many state schools operate a system of providing intensive Spanish lessons for foreign children in order that they speak the language as soon as possible.

The schools, both Junior and secondary which our two younger children attend, give extra curricular lessons to the foreign children in them - normally having at least one extra Spanish lesson per day.

As increasing amounts of foreigners settle in Spain, this method is likely to be developed further. Children who cannot read and write in Spanish are often relegated one year in order to be able to "catch up". Once fluency is attained the child can then be put into a class appropriate to his age group and knowledge. 

If you know you are moving to Spain, before you leave your own country you should perhaps try to find Spanish lessons for your children. Night school, private lessons, computer programs, it will all help bridge what is a very different but thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding way of life in a country which has more than its fair share of sunshine.

We took our children to Spanish lessons in the UK for about 4 months before we came out here and it undoubtedly gave them the confidence they needed for starting school in a foreign country.

In an article in The CB Friday (the week beginning 13th December 2004) it says that all state schools in the Valencia Community will have a system to teach immigrant children Castilian Spanish & Valencian from the next academic year. The children will follow an intensive language study programme for three to six months, after which other subjects on the curriculum will be introduced. It says that education councilors who conducted a survey in 14 high schools in the region believe that students tread a fine line between isolation from their peers because of lack of extra help in language study.

It is however worth noting that:

There are many young families who embark upon what they believe will be the ultimate adventure. Having considered the matter for quite some time, they take the plunge and together with their young children move to Spain. 

Their children are put into Spanish State school and as stated elsewhere in this section, soon learn to speak Spanish. Their own language, whilst taught, may only be an hour or two each week. After three or four years, it is by no means unusual for some of these families to return to their home country for a variety of reasons. At this time problems may start for their children who whilst competent in Spanish, are seriously behind in the study of their own language, particularly grammar and writing.

Many parents who send their children to Spanish state school are aware of this problem and ensure that their children receive extra tuition in their own language, often paid for privately.