banter182

Hi all!

I am writing with regards to quickly registering my children in a Spanish State school (6 years old).

I have received an offer of employment starting January in Gran Canaria, though having looked online, the process of setting a child up to go to a school appears to take months and cannot be started until we are effectively already living there (followed by applying for NEI/EU citizen residency/signing up with Padron – register of inhabitants and having your children’s medical and academic records verified - according to the page on expatica).

Naturally, in ideal circumstances, people move in line with enrolment dates, though employment opportunities are not so convenient as to fall directly at the right time and surely people move to Spain throughout the year without their children taking months away from school? Do local municipalities not have a duty of care to provide education for children residing in their area? I know in my local UK school that my children go to, this happens all the time. Would anyone be able to share their experiences of getting their children into a Spanish school as quickly as possible?


At the moment, it looks like the only option is to leave my family in the UK while I live in Spain by myself, while I sort out the paperwork for 6 months! It just seems like an irresponsible thing to turn up a few weeks before employment starts and say in broken Spanish and with a smile 'here we are, deal with us'!

The fact the weeks before I start employment will be during the festive season will not help as everything will be on shutdown.

Any feedback and advice from people that have been in a similar situation and came out the other side would be much appreciated!

Many thanks for your assistance with this, it is much appreciated.

1sexsmith

You seem to be making a lot of assumptions here. There will be no problem putting your kid in school. Yes you will need certain things like an address and signed on padron but it is no more complicated than in the UK. Kids come and go in my son's class almost weekly!!. The only thing that makes it hard is if you don't speak Spanish then you won't understand how it really works behind all the official stuff you have read or been told. Schools here are pretty accommodating here it's the actual education standards you should worry about

Saycheese

I wouldn't panic so much this must happen all the time. I home educate my kids. They were in the state school. In the UK if you want your child to go to school they do have a duty but it's always more complex than that, places, availability etc. I would say it's probably the same in Spain. If you can take your son with you and provide an education other than in school while you wait for a place you could try that too? It's not as scary as it seems, kids learn through play at 6

battlezone123

When we moved to Spain we turned up at the local school on the Monday. Filled out some paperwork and once that was done we asked when our children could start. The school's reply - now. We all had a NIE and were on the Padron but that was about it. And the school bus will bring them home. The school will be more than happy for foreign students as the school will be provided with more money from the Government.

1sexsmith

Home schooling is illegal in Spain

banter182

Thanks, all

This is all starting to sound a little bit more manageable - the Expatica site made everything sound so complicated!

I will be looking to go to Gran Canaria ahead of time with a copy of my employment offer and sort out an NEI, apartment and Padron registration, so everything is easier when going over with the kids.

I don't speak Spanish well, but have some local friends, so hopefully it will all make more sense when we are there and the kids can quickly get settled.

Then hopefully I'll also sort out the residency aspect before the official Brexit date at the end of March, just to be on the safe side! If Spain reciprocates the UK's existing position on EU citizens living in the UK post-Brexit, everyone already resident in Spain should be safe. Plus we should be able to count on a 2 year transition period anyway (touch wood).

Saycheese

It is, my point being if she moves and is unable to get a school place she isnt totally stuck looking out of the window lol It would not be illegal if she was waiting for a place in a school. It illegal in most of europe.