Choosing the right school

If you are moving to Spain as a family, you might be wondering about one of the most important aspects – the education system. Understanding the schooling system in Spain can be a stressful and daunting task, with lots to plan and the thoughts and feelings of your child to consider. Whether it's playschool, primary school or secondary school, expat parents have lots of important choices to make. But you’re not alone! With millions of expats successfully making the move in the past, there are brilliant systems in place for foreign children. In this education supplement we will be looking at how to choose a school in Spain, the education system in Spain, school life post Covid, bridging the gap between digital and traditional learning, and much more.

The education system in Spain

Education in Spain is of very high quality, scoring over the OECD average in maths, literacy, and sciences.

Spanish schools are classified into three types - public (colegios publicos), private (colegios concertados), and privately-funded (colegios privados), which include international schools.

School ages in Spain

School is obligatory in Spain between the ages of six and 16.

Spain’s educational system is divided into four stages. Infant school for ages 0 to six, primary school for ages six to 12, secondary school for ages 12 to 16, and university preparation or vocational training for ages 15 to 18.

Choosing a school in Spain

Your choice will be influenced by variables including your financial situation, the age of your children, and their aptitude for learning a new language.

International school or Spanish school?

First choice you need to make is whether you want your child to continue speaking their native tongue at school or if you are comfortable with them enrolling in a Spanish school. Many international and British schools in Spain will teach according to the US or UK curricula, and there are also Norwegian and French schools.

Public, private or concertado? Public schools in Spain are free, private schools charge a fee, while concertado schools are usually subsidised and have a religious element.

Spain has the most international schools in Europe, and they are paid private schools that follow an international curriculum (either the International Baccalaureate or the curriculum of your native nation).

Location and transport are very important considerations. Typically, you'll need to enrol your child in the town’s school. If a nearby school has open spots, you might be allowed to enrol there, however, local children will get priority.

The duration of the school day varies school-to-school in Spain. Classes typically begin at 8am or 9am and finish anywhere between 2pm and 5pm. Schools that end earlier will just have a snack break and won’t have a lunch break. Instead, children will eat when they get home. The schools with later finishing times will have a lunch break.

The languages taught and extra available help for non-Spanish speakers is very important and, by law, Spanish public schools must help foreign students integrate into the Spanish school system.

After school activities encourage your child’s interests and can also come in handy for parents who are working and need to keep their child in school a little longer. Well-designed and maintained facilities will be crucial in determining how your child will learn.

Speak to other expats. A great idea is to join expat groups online and on social media to speak with other foreign families who have made the move to Spain.

MTA Group has been established over the last 15 years helping many students with their academic studies across a wide age range and academic ability.

Our journey started in September 2009 when we first took the initial steps to open our education centre, near Palma de Mallorca.

Since then, many things have changed, and our business has grown into what it is today. We now have two academies supporting students in a number of areas; maths, English, sciences, humanities and languages

Based in Mallorca and the Costa Del Sol at prestigious premises that are perfect for senior stu - dent studies, we are extremely flexible in our approach and are able to offer tuition that matches the students learning style in very small class sizes coupled with day to day mentoring on a 1.1 basis.

We specialise in:

* Revision for all exams for IGCSE, A level and IB, exam season begins as early as April 24 for A levels.

* An A level offering that is both and enjoyable and effective. We are committed to continue to work closely with our clients utilising our highly regarded academic excellence and experience.

Our individually tailored AS and A level programme is offered in conjunction with our online partner Wolsey Hall.

Why choose MTA ?

* We are able to offer expert support to students who may have learning difficulties.

* We are able to offer specific revision activities for all IGCSE, A level and IB subjects.

* We give impartial advice on A level choices, with the knowledge that these choices have to be right for the students.

* We fully understand the complexities that the students will be faced with over a two year programme.

* We offer many A levels, some of which are not usually available in a traditional school setting.

* We are able to tailor the programme to suit both student and parents' lifestyle and needs. We have a lot to talk to you about that cannot be captured in this advert. This can be done preferably face to face or online.

Even if you choose another alternative, we are only too happy to help you with those decisions.