As an alternative to the state system, many expat parents choose to send their children to private schools. Here's a guide.

There’s a wide range of private schools (escuelas privadas) in Spain including parochial schools, bi-lingual schools, international schools and a variety of foreign schools, including American and British schools. Together they educate around a third of all children.

Most private schools in Spain are co-educational, Catholic day schools, although a number of schools (including some American and British schools) take weekly or term boarders.

Like state schools, most private schools operate a five-day, Monday to Friday timetable, with no Saturday morning classes. Private schools in Spain teach a variety of syllabi, including the British GCSE and A-level examinations, the American High School Diploma and college entrance examinations (e.g. ACT, SAT, achievement tests and AP exams), the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Spanish bachillerato.

Most Spanish private schools, i.e. schools teaching wholly in Spanish, are state-subsidised and follow the Spanish state-school curriculum.

Some international schools are also subsidised and follow a totally bi-lingual (English/Spanish) curriculum and are authorised to accept Spanish pupils. They must teach the Spanish curriculum including primary and secondary education, and the bachillerato. They provide the opportunity for children to become completely bi-lingual and to choose between a Spanish and English-language university or career.

To receive state subsidies and accept Spanish pupils, 25 percent of a school’s total number of pupils must be Spanish and at least 20 percent in each class. As a condition of receiving government funding, schools with Spanish pupils are subject to inspection by the Spanish school authorities.

Many international private schools have mixed Spanish and foreign student bodies, e.g. one-third American or British students, one-third Spanish and one-third other nationalities, although they may be called American or British.

Private school fees in Spain vary considerably depending on, among other things, the quality, reputation and location of a school, and are low compared to the cost of private education in northern Europe and North America. Not surprisingly, schools located in Madrid and Barcelona are among the most expensive.

Fees at subsidised Spanish schools are around EUR 700 a year, whereas fees at independent foreign schools range from around EUR 4,000 a year to well over EUR 8,000 a year at senior schools (particularly for boarders). Fees don’t usually include registration, books, materials, laundry, insurance, extra-curricular activities, excursions, meals and transport (most private schools provide school buses). You should allow around EUR 800 a term for meals and other extras.

Most private schools subscribe to insurance schemes covering accidents, both in school and during school-sponsored activities. Some schools award scholarships and offer grants to help parents pay fees, depending on their financial circumstances.

International schools

Your choice of foreign schools will depend on where you live in Spain. There’s a good choice of English-speaking schools (accepting children aged from three to 18) in Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife and on the costas. For example, there are British schools in Alicante, Barcelona, Cádiz, Fuengirola, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Madrid, Menorca, Palma de Mallorca, Marbella, Tenerife, Torremolinos and Valencia. In other cities and areas there may be only one English-speaking school or none at all.

In addition to American and British schools there are also French, German, Swedish and other foreign-language schools in Spain. Under Spanish law, all foreign schools must be approved by their country’s embassy in Spain. 

Private foreign and international schools may have smaller classes and a more relaxed, less rigid regime and curriculum than Spanish state schools. They provide a more varied and international approach to sport, culture and art, and a wider choice of academic subjects. Many also provide English-language summer school programmes combining academic lessons with sports, arts and crafts, and other extra-curricular activities.

Their aim is the development of a child as an individual and the encouragement of his unique talents, rather than teaching on a production-line system. This is made possible by small classes, which allow teachers to provide pupils with individually-tailored lessons and tuition. The results are self-evident and many private secondary schools have a near 100 per cent university placement rate. 

On the other hand, one of the major problems of private foreign-language education in Spain is that children can grow up in cultural ‘ghettos’ and be ‘illiterate’ as far as the Spanish language and culture are concerned. Although attending a private school may be advantageous from an academic viewpoint, integration into Spanish society can be severely restricted.

You should make applications to private schools as far in advance as possible, as some international schools have waiting lists for places. You’re usually requested to send school reports, exam results and other records. Before enrolling your child in a private school, make sure that you understand the withdrawal conditions in the school contract.

It’s advisable to check whether a school is recognised by the Spanish education authorities and whether it belongs to an accredited organisation. Most British schools in Spain belong to the National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS, www.nabss.org), whose members are visited and approved by British school inspectors. Advice about British English-language schools in Spain can be obtained from the British Council, Paseo Martínez Campos, 31, 28010 Madrid 913-373 500, www.britishcouncil.es). Or consult ECIS on ( UK 01730-268244 www.ecis.org).

For information about American schools in Spain, write to the Instituto de Cooperación Ibero-americana, Avenida de los Reyes Católicos 4, 28041 Madrid (915-838 526). Information is also obtainable from embassies in Spain.

This is an extract from Living and Working in Spain, by David Hampshire. Published by Survival Books.