# Other costs in state school in Malaga



## TSN.IMM (May 13, 2013)

Could anyone here please advice me how much per year I should budget for school costs of 2 kids in state primary school in Malaga? I know there is no tuition in state school but there must be other costs such as books, uniform, activities we should budget for. Thank you.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

TSN.IMM said:


> Could anyone here please advice me how much per year I should budget for school costs of 2 kids in state primary school in Malaga? I know there is no tuition in state school but there must be other costs such as books, uniform, activities we should budget for. Thank you.


the majority of state schools don't have an obligatory uniform

the books cost 15€ - 25€ per subject - in primary they study about 6 subjects iirc (one is all sciences & history & geography - conocimiento del medi) 

all exercise books, pens, paper, paints, paint brushes have to be bought - in some schools you pay maybe 35€ so that the teacher can buy in bulk, in some you buy it yourself


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

We were paying about 200 euros per child per year for books. In addition there are all the exercise books to buy, pens, rulers etc. There are also projects for which they need material.

In some schools, because of the crisis, you may also have to bring in basics like loo paper!

School dinners (around here) are anywhere from 5-7 euros per day per child.

There are always school trips which could be up to 500 euros (visit to Madrid or similar) plus smaller trips for 'days out'.


Our children had to take 8-9 subjects in primary.


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## TSN.IMM (May 13, 2013)

Thank you both. Do kids take school dinner everyday they go to school? And how about school transport? Is there school bus system in Malaga and if yes how much is the cost?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

TSN.IMM said:


> Thank you both. Do kids take school dinner everyday they go to school? And how about school transport? Is there school bus system in Malaga and if yes how much is the cost?


hopefully someone local will know specifically about Málaga, because it does vary

around here there is a school bus system & if you live past a certain distance you used to get free lunches & free transport, but I think now they are subsidised at best

school meals are usually around 5€ a day & I don't know of any schools which permit packed lunches

they can of course go home for lunch


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

In Andalucia children are given (lent) their school books in state school. But they do have to buy workbooks, ie any books that they write in. Depending on the school and the age of the child that might be one book or it might be 3 or 4. Those books usually cost anywhere from 10-30€ each. You will also need to buy all school supplies (notebooks, pens, markers, ruler, etc), and yes, at my kids' schools they always had to supply loo paper, as well as paper towel and photocopy paper. All in all it can come to 100-200€. 

Uniforms are not required, but they do need sports clothes for the days they have PE. 

School trips are optional and are paid out of pocket. The cost totally depends on the nature of the trip but a normal school trip might be a morning visit to the theater, with a cost of about 15-20€. There's usually one trip a term. At the end of the year there might be a longer, overnight trip that could cost hundred of euros. Again, that would depend on the age of the children and the school, and it's totally optional. 

Most schools offer the possibility of taking lunch at school, but it's not required. Most kids go home for lunch.

Here in the Seville area there is no bus system for public schools. I think that it's the same way all over Andalucia, but to be honest I'm not sure. Some parents organize carpools or even pay a van driver to transport their kids, but it's all privately arranged.


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## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

TSN.IMM said:


> Thank you both. Do kids take school dinner everyday they go to school? And how about school transport? Is there school bus system in Malaga and if yes how much is the cost?


Our children's secondary school runs from 08:15 to 14:45 hrs. Many children take sandwiches to eat at recreo which is 11:15 to 11:45 hrs. There are buses provided to most catchment areas (do not know the costs, but not much). Loo paper is provided - well it is the best school in the town apparently :lol:. Books provided free, just had to buy the work books etc as mentioned earlier. No uniforms.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

el romeral said:


> Our children's secondary school runs from 08:15 to 14:45 hrs. Many children take sandwiches to eat at recreo which is 11:15 to 11:45 hrs. There are buses provided to most catchment areas (do not know the costs, but not much). Loo paper is provided - well it is the best school in the town apparently :lol:. Books provided free, just had to buy the work books etc as mentioned earlier. No uniforms.


WOW! How different things are in different parts of Spain.

Ours (generally) go from 9 - 2 then 3:30 - 5:30

Sandwiches are for 'breakfast' (almuerzo - literally lunch but much earlier). No packed lunches - explanation was 'cross contamination' but they still allow a bocadillo for almuerzo

Books for free - we pay over 400 euros per child

School uniforms and for EF as well (dread to work out the cost!)


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

snikpoh said:


> WOW! How different things are in different parts of Spain.
> 
> Ours (generally) go from 9 - 2 then 3:30 - 5:30
> 
> ...


Yes, WOW! Is this for a state school or is it concertado? The concertados around here are like what you're describing, but definitely not the states schools.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

kalohi said:


> Yes, WOW! Is this for a state school or is it concertado? The concertados around here are like what you're describing, but definitely not the states schools.


my two teens are in state secondary school - so far this school year since September I've spent about 1000€

I'm saving money on a daily basis now that the school canteen has closed down - it costs much less to make a boccy at home than to buy one there 

they both start at 7:55am every day, the younger finishes at 2:10 every day, the older at 3pm Mon - Thurs & 2:10 on Fridays

they have 2 short 15-20 minute breaks each day


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> WOW! How different things are in different parts of Spain.
> 
> Ours (generally) go from 9 - 2 then 3:30 - 5:30
> 
> ...


But it's a concertado, not a state school.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Pesky Wesky said:


> But it's a concertado, not a state school.


True


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## TSN.IMM (May 13, 2013)

el romeral said:


> Our children's secondary school runs from 08:15 to 14:45 hrs. Many children take sandwiches to eat at recreo which is 11:15 to 11:45 hrs. There are buses provided to most catchment areas (do not know the costs, but not much). Loo paper is provided - well it is the best school in the town apparently :lol:. Books provided free, just had to buy the work books etc as mentioned earlier. No uniforms.


Thanks, el romeral! How about school hours of primary school? I hope our kids can have lunch at home as they are too small to buy lunch at school by themselves.


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## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

TSN.IMM said:


> Thanks, el romeral! How about school hours of primary school? I hope our kids can have lunch at home as they are too small to buy lunch at school by themselves.


Not so sure about state primary schools as our girls went to a private one during these years. There is a primary school beside the secondary we use and it appears to start 1 hour later and finish 1 hour earlier than the secondary, meaning lunch most likely would be had at home? :hungry:


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

my daughter went to a primary school for a while and they finished at 2.15, so the kids were expected to eat at home. Altrho I believe there was a dining room for packed lunches??


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Not sure about Malaga, but in Madrid city primary schools run from about 9.00 to 15.30 with a lunch break, outside the capital they tend to have a continuous day from 9.00 to 14.00 without a long break. Concertados tend to run from 9.00 to 17.00. if both parents are working and unable to look after the child in the early afternoon then at state schools they have to pay for someone to do so, or pay for extra curriculur activities. Therefore for many parents the concertados work out cheaper, despite having to buy a uniform and pay a voluntary contribution.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

TSN.IMM said:


> Thanks, el romeral! How about school hours of primary school? I hope our kids can have lunch at home as they are too small to buy lunch at school by themselves.


STATE SCHOOL
Whatever the timetable is they wouldn't have to buy lunch for themselves! The parents pay for the month or term up front, usually by direct debit. The children are then served canteen style for the older ones or at the table for the little ones. In my daughter's primary school the teachers were not on duty at break time and they had dinner ladies (I don't think there was ever a male) who supervised in the dining hall and in the playground. They were trained in breaktime activities and played games with those that wanted to.
I've never heard of packed lunches being allowed in any of the primary schools here. Secondary schools don't have lunch facilities, but they usually have a cafeteria where at the very least they will have sandwiches which may include hot ones and they may have some type of dish of the day too.
They _are_ told to bring something to eat at mid morning break though, and some schools organise a class rota whereby kids take it in turns to bring fruit for the mid morning snack. It works out at once a term approx.


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## TSN.IMM (May 13, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> STATE SCHOOL
> Whatever the timetable is they wouldn't have to buy lunch for themselves! The parents pay for the month or term up front, usually by direct debit. The children are then served canteen style for the older ones or at the table for the little ones. In my daughter's primary school the teachers were not on duty at break time and they had dinner ladies (I don't think there was ever a male) who supervised in the dining hall and in the playground. They were trained in breaktime activities and played games with those that wanted to.
> ....


And how much should I budget for my kids' lunch served at the table by break time ladies per month, please?


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

TSN.IMM said:


> And how much should I budget for my kids' lunch served at the table by break time ladies per month, please?


At my niece's school it costs 4.25€/day and that includes the after school care which finishes at 4:00. In other words, for 4.25€ they get lunch and two hours of after school care (from 2:00-4:00). They sign up and pay monthly. 

The price would vary from school to school but I imagine it's similar in most places. Be aware that not all schools have a lunch/after school program.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

TSN.IMM said:


> And how much should I budget for my kids' lunch served at the table by break time ladies per month, please?


Here, the charge for a three-course dinner in both state schools and concertados is between 6 and 7 euros per day per child. There is no after school care.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> Here, the charge for a three-course dinner in both state schools and concertados is between 6 and 7 euros per day per child. There is no after school care.


According to this it's 4,25€ in state schools, fixed by decree by the Valencian government


_El Comedor Escolar funcionará *de el 1 de octubre de 2013 al 31 de mayo de 2014* con el siguiente horario:_
_De lunes a jueves: de 12'45 a 15'00 h_
_Viernes de 13'00 a 14'00 h_
 


_ El precio público del comedor está regulado por el DECRETO 122/2001, de 10 de julio, del Gobierno Valenciano._
_El *recibo mensual se pasará por banco el día 10 de cada mes*. Si un recibo es devuelto, la familia deberá ingresar en el plazo de 10 días el importe del mes más el recargo bancario correspondiente._
_Cuando dos recibos sean devueltos, el alumno causará baja como usuario fijo, pudiendo asistir al comedor como usuario eventual._
_Los *alumnos/as eventuales* realizarán un ingreso de *30,90 €* en nuestra cuenta bancaria. Al entregar en el Centro el resguardo del ingreso, recibirá 6 vales de comedor. *Estos vales se entregarán en Conserjería antes de las 9’10 h.* del día que desee hacer uso del servicio de comedor._
_El precio de la minuta: _
_Alumnos *fijos*: 4,25 € día_
_Usuarios *eventuales:* 5,15 € por día (6 vales = 30,90 €)_
 
From this page where it says "calendario"
Normas de funcionamiento del comedor escolar del Colegio Público San José de Calasanz de Valencia


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Pesky Wesky said:


> According to this it's 4,25€ in state schools, fixed by decree by the Valencian government
> 
> 
> _El Comedor Escolar funcionará *de el 1 de octubre de 2013 al 31 de mayo de 2014* con el siguiente horario:_
> ...



That's brilliant, thanks. I will pass this on to the parents so that they can question the head!

:thumb:


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> That's brilliant, thanks. I will pass this on to the parents so that they can question the head!
> 
> :thumb:


They may well argue, and they may be right, that the quality is better. After all you can't expect much for 4,25€, can you?


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> ...
> They _are_ told to bring something to eat at mid morning break though, and some schools organise a class rota whereby kids take it in turns to bring fruit for the mid morning snack. It works out at once a term approx.


As an aside, a friend from the Ivory Coast once commented that the difference between what he'd seen in Spain and his country was that in Spain all the kids brought in their own mid-morning snacks and ate them, while back home all the kids brought in their snacks and placed them together in the middle of the table. The kids then took whatever they wanted from the various snacks in front of them. I guess it was controlled in some way, but the kids learnt to share what they had brought in rather than treat it as "theirs", and it helped ensure that all the kids got something, including those from poorer families who maybe couldn't afford to give their children snacks.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Chopera said:


> As an aside, a friend from the Ivory Coast once commented that the difference between what he'd seen in Spain and his country was that in Spain all the kids brought in their own mid-morning snacks and ate them, while back home all the kids brought in their snacks and placed them together in the middle of the table. The kids then took whatever they wanted from the various snacks in front of them. I guess it was controlled in some way, but the kids learnt to share what they had brought in rather than treat it as "theirs", and it helped ensure that all the kids got something, including those from poorer families who maybe couldn't afford to give their children snacks.


Sounds good!
I'd bet too, that in the Ivory Coast kids didn't take Bollycao nor Donettes crap for their mid morning snack


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Chopera said:


> As an aside, a friend from the Ivory Coast once commented that the difference between what he'd seen in Spain and his country was that in Spain all the kids brought in their own mid-morning snacks and ate them, while back home all the kids brought in their snacks and placed them together in the middle of the table. The kids then took whatever they wanted from the various snacks in front of them. I guess it was controlled in some way, but the kids learnt to share what they had brought in rather than treat it as "theirs", and it helped ensure that all the kids got something, including those from poorer families who maybe couldn't afford to give their children snacks.


What a really wonderful idea - how sad that I can't see it catching on here.


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## TSN.IMM (May 13, 2013)

snikpoh said:


> What a really wonderful idea - how sad that I can't see it catching on here.


You've heard the reason, snikpoh: Avoiding "cross-contamination"!


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