State education

Schooling in Spain is co-educational but remains very formal in terms of the teaching style. It is provided free of charge, and it now ranks alongside Europe’s best, so you should have no worries if your children are educated in a state school on the Costa del Sol. Between the ages of 6 and 16 education is compulsory and Spanish parents are all now very determined that their children will have a good education.

Pre-primary, there are state schools available and these are also free. (They are supplemented by fee-paying pre-primary school education should you wish to follow this route.) The only potential problem with Spanish pre-primary school education is the very formal attitude that is still in place. The children may not be allowed to follow the ‘self-expression’ form of teaching which is now normal in the UK. They will sit behind a desk and be taught very formally. Such schools prepare children for the educational procedures that follow during the compulsory period of education.

Beyond the age of 16 state schools are available that will allow your children to proceed to the bachillerato, which is an additional two free years of education which should result in an entrance qualification for university. This qualification is generally recognised worldwide.

Examinations

One potential negative to British parents is that, in the state system, annual examinations are still considered to be very important and if children do not pass these exams they could be held back for a further year until they do pass. This is very similar to the educational system I followed in Scotland in the 1960s and it is the way that the state system still functions in Spain.

Vocational training

One thing that remains important in the Spanish state system is a continuing emphasis on vocational training. The Spanish still recognise the fact that not all children will progress – or indeed want to – to university and it is therefore important that pupils are given a grounding in clerical work, electronics, design and all the other things which are an important part of modern life and society. This is absolutely wonderful for those students who may not be academically inclined and really sets them up for a vocation in life.

University

With all the publicity surrounding university fees in the UK over the last few years it is a sobering fact that only about a quarter of Spanish students actually go on to university but it is probably the case that only a quarter actually want to progress through this route. Throughout the educational process in Spain there is always the possibility that students can switch between the more academic programme with the long-term view of university entrance or the more practical programme of vocational training. Needless to say there is no real difference between a university education in Spain and a similar education anywhere else in the EU. While still at school even those students who follow a vocational route can still switch over to the bachillerato should they decide this is the way forward. All they need to do is to take additional specialist training and pass the relevant exams.

University education in Spain varies from three-year courses which are essentially vocational – teaching or nursing type courses following which the student receives a diplomado (diploma) – through to five-year courses from which the student emerges with a qualification which would be the UK equivalent of an MSc or comparable degree in the UK (licenciado). At the moment, university education for residents of Spain is free for those students who can demonstrate that they would benefit from university education and are therefore awarded a scholarship or bursary. The courses differ from those offered in the UK and they can be longer, which is why many Spanish students do tend to go abroad to study at university (if they can afford it).

International schools

Many parents opt for private education in Spain since they prefer to have their children educated according to an international curriculum based largely on the British system. They feel confident that their children will leave school with qualifications that are recognised around the world for university entrance.

There are many private, international schools all along the Costa del Sol and many of them are very affordable. Obviously, the choice depends on where you live and how convenient the school will be for your children. It is vital that you check the prospectus of any schools under consideration. Many are run as businesses and may even be owned by the headmaster. They may promise a class size of 15 but your child may end up in a class much bigger than this simply because more children have been accepted into the school because at the end of the day each child is a revenue source. If parents complain they may be told that if they do not like the system they can take their children elsewhere.

As you get closer to Malaga there will probably be a greater choice, which can be a real benefit because increased competition can reduce the fees. Reference to Internet sites during the preparation of this book suggested that annual fees in this part of the coast can be between €3,200 and €5,500 for primary (the lower figure) to secondary education.

However, even at the western end of the Costa del Sol, one of the most prestigious schools in the area only charges between €4,100 and €9,300 depending on the age of the child. This is in a school where the pupil count is 630 and the teacher count is 67! How many schools in the UK can offer one teacher to every 10 children? The only negative is that there can be quite a high turnover of teachers since many only stay on the coast for two or three years.

A typical school

Having downloaded the information from the Internet about the school mentioned above, the details are quite astonishing compared to the average UK school. The buildings are all new. There is a central learning centre, which has a theatre, a multimedia library, a computer suite, art and music studios and a cafeteria. There are wireless communication links throughout the school, which means that the students can access the Internet or the school’s own intranet. There are wonderful sports facilities including a 25-metre swimming pool and a sports pitch and running track. Great emphasis is put on outdoor activities.

Secondary students in this school follow a curriculum that is based on the best features of the English, Spanish and European curricula, and students can leave with the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and GCSE qualifications. Students who stay on for a further two years can take the International Baccalaureate Diploma. This qualifies the holder for entry to most of the world’s best universities.

One minor point worth noting about this school is the fact that it supplies school buses to transport the children to school from a very wide catchment area. In fact, school buses remain an important fact of general school life in Spain in both the private and state sector all along the coast. The ‘school run’ by individual mothers is not such an institution on the Costa del Sol.

Further reference to the Web site for this school shows that they have a very high success rates at all levels of exams.

I would not presume to know the situation with all the private sector schools on the Costa del Sol but I do know this school and many of the students who attend it. Without exception, both parents and children are more than satisfied. The potential benefits to some parents is the knowledge that in an international school their children will be educated in English as well as being taught Spanish, so once more they should leave school bilingual.

For parents who are interested in international schools a simple search on the Internet for international schools, Costa del Sol, will provide a list of schools that can be selected according to the part of the coast in which you live. Most schools now have their own Web sites. Parents should make their own decisions. A list of schools is provided in Appendix 5.

There are, of course, also Spanish schools in the private sector. These schools actually attract a state subsidy but they do follow the Spanish curriculum and teaching will be in Spanish.

How children react

I have heard only positive comments from parents on the Costa del Sol when they talk about their children’s education. The schools appear to be much better than the majority of schools in the UK. The classes are generally smaller. There still appears to be quite a high level of school discipline. Children still wear school uniform. Most schools do provide very good extra-curricular activities and the children all seem to be very happy. I know families who have moved here with their children and on the first day the children were very concerned about going to a new school but by the end of the first day they could not wait to go back to school the following day.

Younger children learn the language very quickly and soon they may even be teaching their parents Spanish. Children become the interpreters for their parents on occasions. Therefore young children could benefit tremendously from entry into the Spanish state system at least for primary education. After primary education only you can make the decision as to how you want your child to be educated at secondary level.

Older children may have more problems in learning Spanish to the level adequate for their educational needs so older children who have relocated from the UK may be better off placed in an international school where they will be taught in English but given the opportunity to learn Spanish as a second language.

Level	Options	Age group	State* (qualifications)	Private (qualifications)
Pre-school	Voluntary	1–6
Primary	Compulsory	6–12
Secondary	Compulsory	12–16	(Graduate in Secondary Ed)	(IGCSE)
Secondary	Voluntary	16–18	(Bachillerato**)	(A/S or A Level or International Baccalaureat
	Vocational	16–18	Vocational Diploma

Whatever decisions you make as a parent, I believe that your children could benefit tremendously from education on the Costa del Sol. They will achieve qualifications that equal those from any other European country and will provide access to universities around the world. They should leave school able to speak two languages fluently. They will also have been immersed in a European culture with all the benefits that that will provide in their future lives. If they wish to progress to university they can then decide whether they want to go to university in an English-speaking country or in Spain.

In fact, children often seem to adjust to a new life on the Costa del Sol even more rapidly than their parents so education should not be a worry for parents who want to move their children here. The children will benefit!

Education type	Age	State or private	Qualification
University	18–21	Grant-aided state university	Licenciado*
University	18–23	Grant-aided state university	MSc (equivalent) Diplomado**
Foreign university or college (e.g. UK)	18–21	Fee paying (UK)	UK degree (depends on subject)