# Anyone have kids attending public school in southern Spain?



## Sueños Españoles (Oct 4, 2013)

Great community here. I hope to join you in expat status next year. Here’s our plan and I’d love to hear any suggestions you may have.

*Background*
Our family would like to live in Spain for at least one year starting in June/July 2014. We are currently living in the USA. Our main goal with this adventure is for our twin boys (currently age 8) to attend a fully Spanish-speaking school to solidify their fluency and for all of us to immerse ourselves in the culture.

*Other Notes*

We plan on applying for non-lucrative visas. This type allows foreigners to live in Spain, obtain an NIE (_Número de Identificación de Extranjero_) and send kids to school for one year. It does not allow us to work in Spain.


We would like to move to either the Andalucía, Murcia, or Valencia regions. We've lived in the upper Midwest of the United States the last 20 years (snowy winters) and look forward to living in another climate.


Our ideal situation would be to live in the center of an active town or city with good schools where we could walk or bike to most events in our daily routine.


Our boys are in their third year of Spanish language immersion school here in our hometown so I think they'll have a very good base foundation of the language once we arrive. I do not anticipate they will need special accommodations from a language perspective.

I understand there are 3 options for schooling in Spain: public, _concertados_, and private. I'm leaning toward public because my impression is that private are usually English-based and pricey. I also understand the _concertados _while more affordable are largely Catholic-based and we're not Catholic. Lastly, I've heard that public schools in regions like Valencia teach a portion of their classes in the Valenciano language so I'm not so sure that would be the best fit for us. I'm hesitant to put our boys in a position where they need to learn another language beyond castellano.

Because of all of these considerations, I'm leaning toward Andalucía. What do you think? Is my thinking/assumptions on this correct? Do the public schools in Spain vary all that much from town to town or within each town itself? Does anyone have any experience with specific public primary schools in southern Spain?

Thanks, in advance, for your consideration.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Sueños Españoles said:


> Great community here. I hope to join you in expat status next year. Here’s our plan and I’d love to hear any suggestions you may have.
> 
> *Background*
> Our family would like to live in Spain for at least one year starting in June/July 2014. We are currently living in the USA. Our main goal with this adventure is for our twin boys (currently age 8) to attend a fully Spanish-speaking school to solidify their fluency and for all of us to immerse ourselves in the culture.
> ...


:welcome:

I'm in the Valencia region - which isn't in Southern Spain at all  

both my daughters are in the state education system & have been for nearly 10 years now - if you're only coming for a year I'd avoid this area - wonderful as it is - almost all teaching is done in Valenciano - the very minimum would be 40% of teaching, rising to 100% in some schools

just as in anywhere in the world, schools can vary tremendously - there are several state primary schools in my town - all VERY different in atmosphere, although all producing good results

a couple are very good with helping & supporting non-Spanish speaking kids - & a couple are dreadful  

& it's not all sunshine either - look what just came down in my town a couple of hours ago


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## Sueños Españoles (Oct 4, 2013)

Thanks for your quick reply, xabiachica!

Sounds like I need to learn more about how the various regions are referenced in Spain. As I think about it, my idea of "southern" Spain is anything south of Madrid - ha! 

Thank you for confirming that most public schools in Valencia teach in Valenciano. I love that part of Spain, but will probably rule that area out for this adventure. We'll be sure to put it on the 'visit' list.

I was afraid you would say the schools vary tremendously. Without a contact in the area, do you have any suggestions as to the best way to put in the research to try to narrow down target schools given what we are looking for? Any particular sites online that people have found useful giving more specifics about the different public schools?

I'm finding a lot of information on private international schools but not as much on public primary. I plan on making a cursory trip to Spain early next spring but would like to have a couple of 'target' schools at that point that I can research in person but am finding it difficult getting started.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> :welcome:
> 
> 
> & it's not all sunshine either - look what just came down in my town a couple of hours ago


Could have been worse, it could have been here ! :behindsofa:
I had one hit me on the ear a few weeks back. I thought it had torn it off.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Sueños Españoles said:


> Thanks for your quick reply, xabiachica!
> 
> Sounds like I need to learn more about how the various regions are referenced in Spain. As I think about it, my idea of "southern" Spain is anything south of Madrid - ha!
> 
> ...


well I guess if you look at it as 'south of Madrid' you'd be right.... we usually refer to the Valencia region as eastern Spain though - SE at a push

we have members here from Andalucía & I think Murcia - some with children - but both regions are huge, so that might not help much

you'd be allocated a school in any case, depending on where you live - & if you were to move to a particular 'catchment' area that's still no guarantee that there would be room for your children

I don't know of any websites for comparing schools - & many/most? state schools don't have their own websites, either

you could try looking for local facebook groups for specific info - we have a couple of active ones in my town & I dare say other towns/areas will too


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> Could have been worse, it could have been here ! :behindsofa:
> I had one hit me on the ear a few weeks back. I thought it had torn it off.




we only had pea-sized ones in my part of town - & lots of thunder & heavy rain. The picture is a friend of mine who lives a couple of km away at the other end of town 

she reckoned they'd go well in a G&T


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

I've lived in Spain for 27 years and my kids have been through the Spanish public school system from the beginning until the end. And I live in Andalucia - 6 km outside of Seville, in a suburban town. So I guess I can answer some of your questions.

First of all, I don't think you should automatically eliminate _concertados_ from your list of possibilities. The best schools around are all _concertados_. They very often have better installations and also more extra programs. Personally I wouldn't worry too much about the Catholic bit (and I'm not religious) because there's only an hour or two a week of religious education. (Also true in public school, although you can opt out.) And your kids wouldn't be the only non-Catholics because there are plenty of non-believers and also muslims who attend Catholic schools here. But only you can know if this fits with your family. 

I think you should be less concerned about choosing a school and more concerned about getting your boys into one. Here in Andalucia school enrollment for new students is done in March for the next school year. During that time public schools will take any new students who live in the school district, and _concertados_ will take as many students as there are free spaces. But once March is past then good luck getting your kid into a school. They'll definitely admit your child if there is empty classroom space but otherwise they're under no obligation. You can appeal to the principal and maybe, maybe...but with all the economic cutbacks public schools are at the bursting point here. I'm not saying they never say yes but there's no guarantee. I don't mean to be so negative but we have experienced this personally in my husband's family this year. His sister went from school to school this fall trying to get her 10 year old daughter into a new school and she was turned away from I don't know how many. She finally found a school with free places - in another town a 20 minute drive away. Maybe because her daughter already had a placement they were less sympathetic than they would be with you (long story about why she wanted a change), but it just goes to show how crowded all the public schools are.

As for names of specific schools, I know of lots of good _concertados_ in Seville: Altair, Vara de Rey, Portaceli, Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Salesianos de San Pedro, Colegio Aljarafe... Public schools are harder to pin down. The teachers are all equally good (and they are usually good) no matter what school it is because they are all Andalucia government employees who are sent where they're needed. And the school buildings/installations are all pretty much equally spartan. Basically what changes from one school to the next are the students themselves. So in wealthier neighborhoods you have one type of student and in poorer neighborhoods you have another. Draw your own conclusions.

Anyway, good luck trying to work this all out. And keep us posted about how you get on. Your experience could help others who come to the forum.


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## Sueños Españoles (Oct 4, 2013)

Wow. Thank you for the thoughtful replies, everyone. This is exactly the type of information I was hoping for when I registered.

*kalohi*, I appreciate your comments specific to Sevilla as that has always been destination #1 for me (with Granada being a close second). I think my wife is partial to the coastal towns but we'll have to see how this all pans out...

Based on your feedback, I will not rule out _concertados_. I was under the impression they would not be as open to admitting non-Catholics. We'd be fine with it as long as the schools would be. We're a bit of a mixed bag as well since I'm white Protestant and my wife is of (east) Indian descent and Hindu.

I also appreciate knowing that March is when all this gets finalized. It gives me a new sense of urgency.

I'm excited because many of the schools you listed have an online presence. I think I may craft up some emails to the schools to help evaluate our chances of being accepted given our circumstances.

I'd be glad to keep everyone posted on how this goes. Keep the suggestions and considerations coming!

P.S. - If I get this narrowed down a bit further, I may need to hit you up on information about different neighborhoods.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

Sueños Españoles said:


> I was under the impression they would not be as open to admitting non-Catholics.


Your religion is not taken under consideration whatsoever in the admission process. These are publicly funded schools and as such they are open to everyone. 

You need to be aware that the _concertados_ I listed are all excellent schools, but that because of that it is highly unlikely they would have any open places. But nothing ventured nothing gained... Good luck.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

The school where our boy started in September is very good (Torrox). Whilst the registration process took place in March which was compulsory there is also another confirmation registration which for us happened in June - that too was compulsory and had we missed either then he would not have been given a place. Having said that, the class size is supposed to be a maximum of 25 but they gave places to two other kids who were late...


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

I think it's worth mentioning that even if you don't get your 'application' in in March (although that timing varies a little in different areas) , your children WILL get a place in a school 

as both kalohi & I have said though, it might not/probably won't be the school of your choice


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> I think it's worth mentioning that even if you don't get your 'application' in in March (although that timing varies a little in different areas) , your children WILL get a place in a school
> 
> as both kalohi & I have said though, it might not/probably won't be the school of your choice


Yes, exactly. So just living in a neighborhood does not guarantee your kids a place in the neighborhood school if you try to get them into the school outside of the March time frame. But you kids will be placed someplace.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Re Colegios concertados:
Our village optician and wife, didn't want their children going to the "rough" village school and mixing with the "rough" village children so they are sent to the c/c in the nearby town. They lack social skills because they have never mixed with other children, their educational level is poor to very poor, they are sent to the village Academy for English lessons from SWMBO but have to arrive after the other children have gone in and have to leave early to avoid their having to mix with riff-raff. Send your kids to the public school if you can, it will be much more character-building and other kids will help them if they are struggling, keep them apart and they will be considered oddities.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> Re Colegios concertados:
> Our village optician and wife, didn't want their children going to the "rough" village school and mixing with the "rough" village children so they are sent to the c/c in the nearby town. They lack social skills because they have never mixed with other children, their educational level is poor to very poor, they are sent to the village Academy for English lessons from SWMBO but have to arrive after the other children have gone in and have to leave early to avoid their having to mix with riff-raff. Send your kids to the public school if you can, it will be much more character-building and other kids will help them if they are struggling, keep them apart and they will be considered oddities.


that's so sad 

what on earth are the parents thinking!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> that's so sad
> 
> what on earth are the parents thinking!


I think the main problem is the wife who is the main driving force in the business and, we suspect, at home as well. They have a child-minder who also has her own children and the latter take priority over the opticians' children. They wanted the kids to take the Cambridge exam last June and when asked "What is your name?" the response was just a blank look. No matter how SWMBO tries, there is no way of getting through to them. All they want to do is play but only on their own.

However, I can't complain, she is a good optician and was prepared to listen to my theories (I paid attention in the physics lessons at school) regarding resolving my (incurable according to the hospital) eyesight problems and I can now see very well.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> that's so sad
> 
> what on earth are the parents thinking!


AS for the husband, he is more interested in his bike and is, at this moment riding his bike along with 1000 others around the mountains about here
dessafio.org He is also one of the organisers


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> Re Colegios concertados:
> Our village optician and wife, didn't want their children going to the "rough" village school and mixing with the "rough" village children so they are sent to the c/c in the nearby town. They lack social skills because they have never mixed with other children, their educational level is poor to very poor, they are sent to the village Academy for English lessons from SWMBO but have to arrive after the other children have gone in and have to leave early to avoid their having to mix with riff-raff. Send your kids to the public school if you can, it will be much more character-building and other kids will help them if they are struggling, keep them apart and they will be considered oddities.


I will second baldi's "They're not necessarily better" opinion. I have been wildly underwhelmed with most CCs and private schools. 

My MIL also talks about public schools being full of "riff-raff." What these people forget, I think, is that here in the real world you've got to be prepared to coexist with everyone, not just the ones with the popped polo shirt collars.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

I don't know where you're getting the idea that the _concertados_ are full of upper crusts and state schools are where all the riff-raff go. Anyone at all can apply to go to either kind of school, and their admission procedures are identical, which is what the law requires because the _concertados_ are funded by the state. Here's a summary of the admission criteria, taken straight from an Andalucia government publication: (my comment in pink, my highlight in red)

If there are not sufficient places for every application, the following
admission criteria will be applied:
a) Existence of brothers/sisters enrolled at the same educational
institution, or father/mother or legal guardians or custodians
working in it.
b) Closeness of the home or father/mother or legal guardian or
custodian's place of work.
c) Household's annual income. (Being a low-income household gives you an advantage.)
d) Presence of disability in the student, in their father/mother or
legal guardians/custodians or any of his/her brothers/sisters or
other children in care in the same household. For the second cycle of
childhood (pre-primary) education, any development disorders in the
student will also be considered.
e) The fact that the student's family qualifies as a large family.
f) The fact that the student's family qualifies as a single-parent
family and the student is a minor or of legal age subject to extended
legal custody or guardianship.
g) The student's academic transcript results (only for Bachillerato,
that is, upper secondary education).
In the event of a tie, the highest score will be decisive. The score will
be awarded by applying the above criteria one by one in an exclusive
manner as set forth by the applicable legal provisions.
If a tie persists, the result of the public draw will be applied.
When admitting students, there will be no room for discrimination on the grounds of birth, race, gender, religion, opinion orany other personal or social condition or circumstance.

It is true that a _concertado_ in a wealthy neighborhood will have mostly wealthy students, because that is the school district that they draw from and the most admission points are awarded for living within the district. But the exact same thing can be said about a state school.

I can only comment on the quality of the schools that I know of around here. As I said before, many of the _concertados_ have far superior installations and extra programs compared with the state schools. Others have very basic installations, much like the state schools. I think the actual teaching is about equal. 

My own kids, by the way, went to state school. The local _concertado_ is not a stand-out and we were not drawn to it.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Re concertados and State schools...
Concertados are often perceived by parents to be a cut above the state schools, which is not to say they necessarily are. In this area they definitely are thought to be "better" by many. In reality they may or may not have better facilities and sometimes teachers are not as qualified as state teachers may be. However compared to other countries it could be argued that Spanish teachers are not very well trained anyway...
Concertados are quite polemic as, although in theory the admission criteria are similar, in reality they are not. You will rarely find immigrant children, that is to say Moroccan, Romanian, lower class South American children in a concertado for example. There are many concertados near my house. All require an expensive uniform, all but one are catholic to a lesser or greater degree - one is secular. Both of these aspects, being more catholic or being secular, attract parents who are willing to pay for education. Only the obligatory years of education are subsidised so parents have to pay for preschool and bachillerato which means that many parents enrol their children in state school for the bachi years. Apparently bus routes and lunches are pretty expensive throughout the school years.
THere has been a lot of negativity about concertados in this area lately as the local government (PP) has favoured building concertados as opposed to state schools and as they are not in reality for everyone, they don't serve the local population adequately enough. This was basically led by Esperanza Aguirre who has now stepped down from local politics, so I don't know what's happening now.
There was a comment about teachers being sent where they are needed in state education which I would actually question. You'd think it was that way, but it isn't at all. A place for a Physics teacher for example can be open for years before it is actually filled by a permanent contract teacher. That means that the physics teacher position could possibly be filled by a different non permanent contract (interino) teacher every year. In my husband's case (Administracion de empresas teacher) it's usually every 2 years. So all the people who don't have a permanent place do an exam (oposiciones) and then are told that this year they have to go to this school according to a points system. However, maybe the same school where they had been teaching previously still needs a person to cover the same post, but that will go to somebody else. The teachers can be sent all over the comunidad. They are not allowed to refuse a posting on the grounds that it is too far, that there's another one more convenient etc and they have to accept there and then in a public meeting. OH's first job involved a 200km round trip each day. Not the end of the world , but certainly not the best organisation of resources taking into account that there were probably 20 jobs closer to home. I'm saying all of this to demonstrate that a school's team of teachers at the moment is a very fragile concept as they it's likely to experience frequent changes, and also to show that teachers are not chosen by their merits. They are just given the name of a school and told to go.

Despite all of this we too sent our daughter to state school. She survived, actually did quite well and is now at university. She even had quite a lot of good teachers


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

Pesky Wesky said:


> There was a comment about teachers being sent where they are needed in state education which I would actually question. You'd think it was that way, but it isn't at all. A place for a Physics teacher for example can be open for years before it is actually filled by a permanent contract teacher. That means that the physics teacher position could possibly be filled by a different non permanent contract (interino) teacher every year.


Yes, I know this is how the system works, and it is exactly the same in Andalucia. I was just simplifying my explanation when I said that teachers are sent where they're needed. The point I was trying to make is that state school teachers are employees of the Andalucia government and are subject to being sent to any school in Andalucia, while concertado school teachers are hired by each individual school. 

I agree that the system they have for assigning teachers to schools is totally illogical and also disruptive for the teachers and their families. It is no good for the schools either because there is no sort of continuity or team building from year to year. 

At least your OH knows he'll always be in the Comunidad de Madrid. Here in Andalucia you can be assigned to Huelva one year and to Almeria the next!


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

kalohi said:


> I don't know where you're getting the idea that the _concertados_ are full of upper crusts and state schools are where all the riff-raff go. Anyone at all can apply to go to either kind of school, and their admission procedures are identical, which is what the law requires because the _concertados_ are funded by the state.


I'm getting the idea from having worked in them and having a husband and extended family who went to them. 

While it's true that, on paper, their admissions criteria are the same we've got to remember just where we are and how much respect exists for written rules and regulations. From what I've seen, the vast majority of CCs pick and choose who they fill their classrooms with. How can you do that or how can you keep "the rest" out? PW mentioned expensive uniforms but it's not just that. Some have high fees for clubs, patio maintenance or whatever else they can dream up. It might not be exactly what each regional government's education department requires them to do regarding admission, but they sure find a way to make it work! I haven't seen a CC questioned yet regarding their admissions procedures. 

Then again, I'm anti-CC. You want a private school? Pay for it. 
In my experience, CC teachers are paid less and must do *a lot* more than public school teachers. I will also repeat that I have been wildly underwhelmed by the academic performance of most ex-CC students compared to public school students.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

elenetxu said:


> From what I've seen, the vast majority of CCs pick and choose who they fill their classrooms with. How can you do that or how can you keep "the rest" out?


Wow, so much for the stereotype that Andalucia is La España Profunda. It looks like that should be said of other areas. Around here the lists of applicants with their admission points are published for everyone to see. People are free to question their own or anyone else's points. In case of a tie for a limited number of places they have a public drawing of names to see who gets the places. I have seen the lists. I have attended one such drawing. There was no picking and choosing of names. 

What does happen is that some parents submit false information so that their kids get more points. That's not the school's fault.



elenetxu said:


> Some have high fees for clubs, patio maintenance or whatever else they can dream up.


 These fees are optional and if they're not it is illegal and is prosecuted. My kids' _public_ school asked for donations almost every year for patio maintenance or other such things. It's not limited to CC's. 



elenetxu said:


> I haven't seen a CC questioned yet regarding their admissions procedures.


There's stuff in the newspaper every year about schools and/or applicants being investigated for irregularities in the admission process. A quick search brought this up.


I think we're going to have to agree to disagree about concertados. We've each had our own experiences with them and they're different. Maybe the difference is regional?


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

All three of my children go to a concertado and are extremely happy there as are we. The school is NOT elitist in any way shape or form.

The school just happens to provide a better educational standard than other schools in the area - simples!


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## Sueños Españoles (Oct 4, 2013)

Thanks all, for the replies and interesting discussion.

My wife and I have no qualms sending our boys to state school and appreciate the diversity and experience that provides. We believe it is important for kids to learn to get along with others from different backgrounds (economically and culturally). We currently live in a relatively well-off neighborhood (although far from fancy) and have elected to send our kids *not *to our local school but to the more urban, less affluent elementary school. As a requirement to their dual-language immersion program, they need half the classes to come from Spanish-speaking households and the other from English and they aren't able to get the proper numbers in our neighborhood. The school we go out of our way to attend may be considered lesser on paper, but has worked out very well for us.

For those interested, I'm narrowing my focus to Andalucia state and _concertados_ schools. I plan on writing a few of the them, explaining our situation and hope I can get some leads that way. I am also in contact with the director of the language assistant program for _concertados _as I was thinking of applying to help out that way (BEDA). That may be another lead - perhaps they'll accept my boys in return for my 'teaching' help - ha!. Lastly, I suspect I'll make a "scope it out" type trip in early 2014 to ultimately pinpoint the final destinations and check out a few schools in person.

Please keep the suggestions and considerations coming. I'm finding I learn something new every day that I put in the research.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

I don't know about other countries, but in Spain attitudes in education take a long time to change or adapt. People will still talk about EGB for goodness sakes which was abolished about 30 years ago! Selectividad (uni entrance exam) is still selectividad even to the teachers, although it isn't. It's PAU Prueba de Aceso a la Universidad and is very different to selectividad.
Formacion Profesional is still seen as "what- people -do -if -they -can't -get -into -university ", even though there are a huge variety of interesting and challenging courses available for students to follow. Governmant efforts to encourage students to sign up for FP have failed too. Twice in recent years we've seen ads for FP sign up - but OH has shouted at the tv that the matricula period was over. Good way to waste our money, isn't ?
So concertados are not for rich kids (but they are for families who have money as the education is certainly not free), but many people see they as being better when they are likely to not have such good teachers nor such good facilities (it will depend) and state schools are full of riff raf They will have a larger number of "immigrant", children though if you live in an area which has an immigrant population.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Sueños Españoles said:


> For those interested, I'm narrowing my focus to Andalucia state and _concertados_ schools. I plan on writing a few of the them, explaining our situation and hope I can get some leads that way. I am also in contact with the director of the language assistant program for _concertados _as I was thinking of applying to help out that way (BEDA). That may be another lead - perhaps they'll accept my boys in return for my 'teaching' help - ha!. Lastly, I suspect I'll make a "scope it out" type trip in early 2014 to ultimately pinpoint the final destinations and check out a few schools in person.
> 
> Please keep the suggestions and considerations coming. I'm finding I learn something new every day that I put in the research.


Does BEDA work in Andalucia? I thought they only existed in Madrid. 
Send me a PM if you need help looking into the auxiliares program.
EDIT: If you're interested, the application will likely open soon and you will absolutely need to apply as soon as it opens. Merits don't matter, speed does.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> I don't know about other countries, but in Spain attitudes in education take a long time to change or adapt. People will still talk about EGB for goodness sakes which was abolished about 30 years ago! Selectividad (uni entrance exam) is still selectividad even to the teachers, although it isn't. It's PAU Prueba de Aceso a la Universidad and is very different to selectividad.
> Formacion Profesional is still seen as "what- people -do -if -they -can't -get -into -university ", even though there are a huge variety of interesting and challenging courses available for students to follow. Governmant efforts to encourage students to sign up for FP have failed too. Twice in recent years we've seen ads for FP sign up - but OH has shouted at the tv that the matricula period was over. Good way to waste our money, isn't ?
> So concertados are not for rich kids (but they are for families who have money as the education is certainly not free), but many people see they as being better when they are likely to not have such good teachers nor such good facilities (it will depend) and state schools are full of riff raf They will have a larger number of "immigrant", children though if you live in an area which has an immigrant population.




The vast majority of highschoolers I know still call it selectividad. 


Another fun concertado trick is about hiring. While they are legally required to publicly announce an opening, they often have it filled or have a candidate waiting in the wings. This is why you get ads for a "Music teacher with religious certification and a B1 in French who has lived in Timbuktu for three months" (I might be exaggerating, but just a bit.) Of course, their candidate ticks all the aforementioned boxes. OH gave up applying to concertados after the third "Yeah, I know the ad was released yesterday but we have already filled the position."


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

elenetxu said:


> The vast majority of highschoolers I know still call it selectividad.


Because their parents and teachers do


> *Pesky Wesky *I don't know about other countries, but in Spain attitudes in education take a long time to change or adapt. People will still talk about EGB for goodness sakes which was abolished about 30 years ago! Selectividad (uni entrance exam) is still selectividad even to the teachers, although it isn't. It's PAU Prueba de Aceso a la Universidad and is very different to selectividad.
> Formacion Profesional is still seen as "what- people -do -if -they -can't -get -into -university ", even though there are a huge variety of interesting and challenging courses available for students to follow. Governmant efforts to encourage students to sign up for FP have failed too. Twice in recent years we've seen ads for FP sign up - but OH has shouted at the tv that the matricula period was over. Good way to waste our money, isn't ?
> So concertados are not for rich kids (but they are for families who have money as the education is certainly not free), but many people see they as being better when they are likely to not have such good teachers nor such good facilities (it will depend) and state schools are full of riff raf They will have a larger number of "immigrant", children though if you live in an area which has an immigrant population.


Sorry about the badly written post. If you look at the time it was 6:59 I have to leave at 7:05 and I was still in my dressing gown


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## Sueños Españoles (Oct 4, 2013)

elenetxu said:


> Does BEDA work in Andalucia? I thought they only existed in Madrid.
> Send me a PM if you need help looking into the auxiliares program.
> EDIT: If you're interested, the application will likely open soon and you will absolutely need to apply as soon as it opens. Merits don't matter, speed does.


Yes, as of this year they have 365 schools (of which 300 are in Madrid) but the remaining in Andalucia, Canary Islands, Castilla-La Manch, Galicia, and Murcia. And they say they are expanding.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Sueños Españoles said:


> Yes, as of this year they have 365 schools (of which 300 are in Madrid) but the remaining in Andalucia, Canary Islands, Castilla-La Manch, Galicia, and Murcia. And they say they are expanding.


Oh, awesome! Best of luck then!!


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## Sueños Españoles (Oct 4, 2013)

Some of you asked to be kept posted on our adventure, so here is an update.

As a brief recap, I came to this forum asking about _concertados _and public schools in Andalucía. We're an American family and our goal is to move to Spain for the 2014 academic year (at a minimum) so our elementary-aged boys can become fluent in the language and we can take in all things _española_.

Well since that time, I was put in touch with an Australian family that is essentially doing just that in Granada as we speak. They have been by far my best lead and we're looking to follow in their footsteps. I've since targeted a neighborhood (Albaicín), found a rental, written the school and know the procedure for reservation (March) and registration (June). We're also prepping for our long-term visa application.

Some additional questions for those who may be able to answer:

1. Does anyone here have experience with Colegio Gómez Moreno? It is the public primary school located in the Albaicín neighborhood in Granada. I've now talked with two different English speaking families that have spent time there and have positive reports.

2. Any recommendations as to the best (and cheapest) way to transfer money to our future landlord for a deposit on a rental? We do not yet have a bank account setup in Spain and will not until we arrive. I'll need to transfer our U.S. dollars into Euros.


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## Anagre (Aug 20, 2015)

*Escuelas concertadas/ public schools*

Hi...I'm new to this site..apologies for posting on the back of somebody else's post!

Finally making our move to Spain....trying to find info on the standard of the public schools in San Pedro de Alcantara (as that's where we have a house ) or suggestions for a good fairly local Escuela concertada?? Our children are age 5 and 7 and we are looking to make the move during the Spring term next year. I speak fluent Spanish as have a Spanish mother and they understand a little. I'm a little anxious about sending them to a Spanish school however as we are setting up a business I think the high costs of the International schools may be too risky for us financially in the short term. However any feedback on best value for money International schools in the area would also be helpful...just incase!!

Many Thanks in advance!


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