Are you moving to Madrid soon and want to enrol your children in a spanish public school? It’s not always easy to find your way through all the administrative procedures. In this article, we share the step-by-step procedure for enrolling your children in a Spanish state school.
Note: We have drawn on our own experiences as expatriates in Madrid. You should be aware that in Spain, things can sometimes work differently from one region to another. In this case, I suggest you supplement our information with that of your local council.
How does the Spanish public system work?
The spanish public school system is a little complex at first glance. There are 100% state schools, fully funded by the state and run by the national education authority.
There are also schools known as “concertadas”, which are subsidised by the state and therefore also public. The difference is that parents pay a monthly “cuota”. The amount may vary depending on the activities and teaching methods used. Timetables are generally more flexible.
But it’s important to know that the programs and guidelines are the same as those of the French national education system.
The enrolment procedures for public and concertados are therefore the same. On your list of choices, you can mix the 2 types of structure.
For public school applications, you should contact the schools concerned. They have their own admission’s system, independent of the state system.
How does the allocation of places in the public system work?
The allocation of placements in spanish public school is slightly different from France.
Spanish public school are open to everyone, including people from outside the local area. Of course, the latter are not given priority, but it is possible to enrol without needing an exemption as is the case in France.
Parents choose schools and submit their wish list by filling in a form.
A points system is used to allocate places. These points are determined mainly on the basis of the child’s place of residence/work and whether he or she has a brother or sister in the establishment.
Depending on the number of points, you may or may not get a place at the school you want. In general, they do their utmost to respect parents’ 1st choices, but unfortunately this is sometimes not the case (see below for the procedure if this is not the case).
You can find the official document detailing the points scale here: BAREMO DE SOLICITUDES.
When you apply, you can choose up to 5 schools, listed in order of preference. This is very, very important.
This system works for state schools and concerted schools.
When should children enrol at a spanish public school?
Each year, in April, we have 15 days to submit our applications. Applications can be made on the web: solicitud de matricula or submitted to the school of your first choice.
Important note: You must make 1 application per child. If you make more than one application, your registration will be cancelled.
If you have missed these dates, you should go to your local town hall and ask for an appointment with the SAE: Servicio de Apoyo a la Escolarizacion. The person in charge will try to find you an available place in the local schools. Of course, it is unlikely that you will have a choice, but you will have the opportunity to change the following year if necessary.
Once all the applications have been studied, the lists are published around 10 May.
The following days are devoted to complaints. These should be made to your SAE at your local town hall.
Around 15 May, the draws are made in the event of a tie.
After that, a few more days are reserved for complaints and the final lists are available at the beginning of June.
This takes around 2 months.
How do I fill in the registration form?
For the Community of Madrid, you can find the application form here : Solicitud Matricula .
You must give 3 copies if you hand it in personally.
Supporting documents required to complete the application :
- Copies of the identity documents of the father, mother or guardians and children.
- Copy of the Padron
And depending on your situation :
- Copy of “renta”, minimum social benefits.
- For children with disabilities, a certificate of disability (schools have priority places for children with disabilities).
- If you are a large family, provide a copy of the supporting document.
Complete the “matricula” at the selected school
Once you know your children’s placement, you can submit the matricula application.
To complete the application, you will need to provide additional supporting documents.
- Copy of the family record book
- Copy of children’s identity papers
- 4 passport photos
- Certificado de traslado (to be requested from the previous school to certify the child’s level of education)
- Application for the ACEDE book loan programme
Depending on the school, you may have to fill in additional documents: canteen form, permission to go out, etc. Ask your school for more information.
What should I do if my child is not assigned to a school?
It may be possible that your children are not assigned to the state school of your choice. If this is the case, we advise you to visit your first-choice school first to find out what is happening. Sometimes places are temporarily blocked for children with disabilities. If the school has no applications, these places are reclassified as ordinary places.
If the school does not have any places at all for your children, in that case you should contact your mayor and the SAE to have your child’s application considered by a special allocation committee.
What do I do if one of my children is not assigned and the other is assigned to the school of my second choice (based on your list)?
Yes, that’s quite possible, because that’s what happened to us. My youngest was assigned to our second choice and our son was assigned nowhere. Quite simply because there was no place for his brother in the second-choice school.
In this case, contact the school of your first choice to make sure that all the places are taken. Then contact the school assigned to you to ask if there is a place for your second child.
Then contact the SAE at your town hall to have your application reviewed by the committee. In general, they do their utmost to reunite the children in the same Spanish state school.
One thing is certain: your child/children will be assigned to a school.
Are Spanish state schools free?
he lessons alone are free. You will have to pay for the canteen, extra-curricular activities and the uniform if the school has one.
State school hours are short, generally 9am to 4pm or 9.30am to 4.30pm. So, unless you don’t work, you can count on the fact that you will have to pay for extra-curricular activities.
The cost depends on the activities and the association that organises them. Normally, it is the parents’ association, AMPA (Asociación de Madres y Padres de Alumnos), which manages the activities (service providers, etc.). Contact your school for more information.
What are the timetables for state schools?
It depends on the school: some finish at 4 or 4.30pm, others run continuously from 9am to 2pm and the children eat afterwards.
School holidays in Spain
There are far fewer school holidays than in France.
Christmas holidays: 2 weeks or a little more depending on the calendar.
Easter holidays: Semana Santa: 1 week (+ Friday and Monday).
Summer holidays: 3 months (approximately from 15 June to 15 September). It all depends on your level.
In between all these periods, there are public holidays, so you can take advantage of bridging holidays!
See our article on public holidays in Spain.
How do you choose your spanish public school?
First of all, you need to know the list of state schools in your town. You can use the school search engine on the comunidad de Madrid website.
Secondly, if you can, I recommend that you ask people you know for their opinion of schools. They’ll soon tell you which schools to avoid. In all honesty, the education system in Spain is very good. The standard is quite high and quite innovative. Spanish state schools are bilingual in most cases.
But as everywhere, this also depends very much on the teaching staff. A school may have a good reputation, but you may come across a teacher who doesn’t suit you. And vice versa.
So it’s a personal choice, because we all have different expectations as parents.
Depending on the age of the child, too, the issues will be different.
Trust your instincts as a parent! To help you, ask about the educational project, the activities, the level of English, etc.
How can I visit spanish public school?
Every year in March/April, spanish public schools hold open days. Families are only welcome at these events. It is not possible to visit at your convenience. Check with the school management if you are not available on these dates.
For the “concertadas”, you can request an appointment with the management for a personal visit. This allows you to ask your questions in a more intimate setting.
I invite you to visit the websites of the schools you have chosen and note the dates of the open days.
I hope that this article will be useful to you when enrolling your children in a spanish public school. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.
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Emilie
