Feature Articles | School Applications in Barcelona |
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31 Mar 2008 Whether your child is starting school in Barcelona for the first time, changing schools or moving up from primary to secondary education, the pressure to find the right place for your child can be overwhelming.
A common issue for the expat or multilingual community is which language should be the dominant one for your child's education. The good news for parents that want to see more English in schools, is that as well as emphasis on Catalan immersion in the public system, English is also being given priority. Most public primary schools are now introducing English at parvulario level from age 3. Children may be taught PE or dance in English once or twice a week rather than having a formal language class. The government drive is to ensure all children have a proficient level of English ( equivalent to the 3rd stage of the L'Escola Oficial d'Idiomes) at school leaving age.
In most cases, however, it is the lack of choice and not the abundance of choice that is the problem when applying for schools. After all, your child is most likely to attend the school closest to you in your catchment area. The key to state school entry in Barcelona is that points mean prizes. The more points your child is allocated the greater chance of finding their name in the final draw. Your child will be awarded them for everything from proximity to the school, the location of your workplace, where other siblings attend and a child's disablilites or illnesses.
Other, desperate measures, of point boosting that are being clamped down on are falsely claiming to have "empadronamiento" or residence at a family member's home near the desired school or, in exceptional cases, producing a fake medical certificate to give a child bonus points for special needs.
This year's process will also be enhanced by a text messaging SMS service which will notify you on your mobile when your child has been shortlisted and if they are on the final acceptance list at the school.
Preinscription
Preinscription is the initial process of application whereby you submit a completed form and relevant documents for the school of your choice. You can collect the Preinscription form at the school directly, at the Serveis Territorials d'Educació, Av. del Paral·lel, 71-73 (Tel. 93 443 95 00 Mon-Fri 9am-2pm and 3pm-5pm), or from your ayuntament, local Town Hall.
As of the 12th March for infants, primary and secondary pupils it has also been possible to find out how many places each schools has available. You must only make one application per child but you are able to list your choices by order of priority. Documents you will need You will need to submit the following along with your Preinscription form:-
An original and photocopy of your Libro de Familia.
Before the deadline arrives, present your application form and documents your first school of your choice or at the Education offices. Note: If you are applying for schools at other times of year then you can find out about available places from the Department of Education or directly with the school. Independent and International schools may not have official open days but will allow you to call and arrange a private visit. These schools typically have rolling admissions at anytime of year.
Timeline for 2008-2009 School Applications
Educació infantil (Infants 3-6 yrs), Educació primària (primary 6-11 yrs) and Educació secundària (secondary 12-16 yrs).
12th March:- Publication of initial places available at schools.
5th - 16th May:- Preinscription period for Escoles Bressol. 9th-13th June:- Successful applicants complete application process.
Applicants lists are made available at the school and online.
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Without any real league tables or objective yardstick in Spain by which to tell the good establishments from the bad, you mostly have to base your judgement on the word on the street and your Open Day visits - that is of course if you managed to make them. You may, however, try and arrange a last minute tour at the school's discretion.
If you think you might boost your points in a less than official manner, then think again. This year the Department of Education is placing tighter controls on the process. This extra vigilance comes after a Premia da Dalt school was caught employing parents, on a temporary basis, so that they would be awarded the extra 10 points given for working at a school. The contract given was so temporary that the parents themselves only actually worked at the school for 13 days in a 6 month period.
