Education in Spain

Pre-school education includes kindergartens (from 2 to 3 years old) and primary school (from 3 to 5 years old). Pre-school education is voluntary, and in public institutions it is also free. Kindergartens are very different among themselves and depend on organizations or foundations that provide their support or on private initiative.

Basic education (EGB) consists of eight courses and covers the age group of children from 6 to 14 years. Basic education is compulsory. During the first five years, students have only one teacher (Educación Primaria). With it, they study such subjects as their native language, literature, mathematics, environmental studies, music, etc. One of the main innovations of the educational program at this level of education is the early start of learning a foreign language (from the age of 8).

In the second part of this educational stage ( Educación Secundaria ), different teachers are already teaching.

School classes last from September 15 to June 15 with holidays for Christmas and Holy Week (celebrated in early April). At the end of Educación Secundaria, students take exams , if the results are negative, the student can be left in the second year, but not more than twice, up to the age of 16 years. Pupils who successfully pass the exams may enroll in bachilerato or continue their education, receiving a working specialty in FP.

Bachilerato resembles the upper classes of a comprehensive school , but includes 2 courses. In the second year, students can also receive vocational education, but this is not necessary. The BUP education level is free only in state institutions. In the third year of bachilerato, students can choose a particular specialization in the humanities or exact sciences. Final exams in bachilerato are the entrance to the university. Holders of higher average points have more extensive opportunities for admission to the university.

Professional education ( La Formación Profesional , FP), by type of vocational school or technical schools , consists of two steps and can be obtained instead of bachierato. Upon completion of a BUP or FP student receives a high school diploma. Also integrated into the education system: adult education, specialized education, such as: schools of applied arts, languages, art schools, etc.

University education is paid. In total, Spain has 47 public and 10 private institutions of higher education. 1980–2005 the number of students increased from 500 thousand to more than 1.5 million people ^[1] .

Requirements for foreign students

In the summer of 2014, the Royal Decree entered into force, according to which foreign schoolchildren are exempt from the need to take the internal school exam Selectividad. Thus, a child’s school diploma with a translation into Spanish is sufficient for admission to a Spanish university.

Universal compulsory schooling for children under the age of 13 was established by the Law of 1970 ^[1] . In 1990, compulsory education was extended to children under 16 years of age ^[1] . Since the end of the 1990s, the number of children of foreigners in Spanish schools has sharply increased: 80 thousand in 1998 and 393 thousand by 2003 ^[1] .

In the 2000s, education became more secular: in 2006, a law was approved, providing only an optional study of Catholicism in schools ^[1] .

• Spanish Ministry of Education (isp.)
• The spanish university system
• Courses and universities in Spain
• Spanish Ministry of Education, Social Politics and Sports