How to school a foreign child out of term in Spain?

Education is an essential pillar in the development of any child, and for foreign families planning to live in Spain, the question is often asked: Is it possible to send a child to school after the deadline? 

Yes, it is possible to send a child to school out of term in Spain, although the process may vary depending on the autonomous community and the educational centre.

What does late schooling mean?

Late schooling is an extraordinary way of allowing families who have not been able to participate in the ordinary admission process to apply for a school place for the school year. This may be due to various circumstances, such as a change of residence, a recent arrival in Spain after the deadline, or simply having missed the official deadline.

Although the application periods are clearly defined in the official calendars of each autonomous community, education is a basic right, and therefore, the education system provides mechanisms to incorporate those students who have not been able to enrol in time.

This extraordinary procedure ensures that no child of compulsory school age (Primary and ESO) is enrolled in the school system on time.

Steps to take to enrol a foreign child out of school after the deadline:

Firstly, it is necessary to find out about the procedure; each autonomous community has its own rules and deadlines for schooling, so it is important to check with the Territorial Delegation of Education or the corresponding Town Hall.

Then contact the educational centre; the school can provide specific information about the requirements and the admission process after the deadline.

• Documentation required to apply for schooling out of term:
• Identity document of the child (ID card, passport, etc.).
• Identity documents of the parents or legal guardians.
• Family record book or birth certificate.
• Certificate of census registration.
• School records.

After gathering all the necessary documentation, the application must be formally submitted and handed in to the educational centre or to the corresponding educational authority.

Finally you have to wait for the decision of the educational centre of interest, as the availability of places and the application of the admission criteria may affect the final decision.

How do I apply for a school place after the deadline?

Those who have arrived late to the application process have to do the following:

1. Complete an ‘Out of term’ application form which they will need to download:
2. This application should be sent by email to: 46012999.secretaria@edu.gva.es

Additional considerations:

Specific deadlines: some Autonomous Communities allow out-of-term applications during the whole school year.

Autonomous Communities: each Autonomous Community may have different requirements and processes for out-of-term schooling.

Vacancies: the possibility of out-of-term schooling depends on the availability of places in the school.

Priority: applications submitted on time are usually given priority in the allocation of places.

Important Recommendations

• Do not delay sending the application form: The sooner you submit it, the more chances you have of obtaining a place in a centre near you or of your choice.
• Verify the data before sending the form to avoid errors that may delay the process.
• Keep the proof of sending the e-mail as proof of having submitted the application after the deadline.

Who can apply for late schooling?

This procedure is available to all those families who are in any of the following situations:

• They have recently arrived in the locality, autonomous community or country.
• They come from abroad and need to integrate into the Spanish education system.
• They did not participate in the admission process for justified reasons or lack of knowledge.
• They need to send a child of compulsory school age to school for the first time.

In all cases, it is essential to start the process as soon as possible to facilitate the allocation of a place and the integration of the child into the educational environment.

What happens if there is no place in any of the requested centres?

If there is no availability at your preferred schools, you will be allocated a place at a school with vacancies within the relevant education zone. This may not be the school of your choice, but the priority is to start your child’s education as soon as possible.

Subsequently, you can apply for a change of school if vacancies become available during the academic year or in the next ordinary process.

Legal framework

• Compulsory education from 6 to 16 years of age: guaranteed by the Constitution, the LOMLOE and regional regulations.
• No child can be excluded from the system for administrative reasons or for arriving after the deadline.
• Schooling can be provided at any time during the school year if circumstances so require.

Where can you find information about schooling?

The following information can be found on the notice board of the schools:

• Regulations governing the admission of pupils, where you can find the criteria for the ranking.
• Vacant places.
• Area of influence of the centre.
• Admission calendar.
• Educational project of the centre.
• Authorised language project of the centre.
• Provisional lists of students admitted to the centre (30 May).
• Definitive lists (12 June).

In different areas of the website of the Regional Ministry of Education, Research, Culture and Sport:

• Regulations governing the admission of students.
• Information on the areas of influence of the schools.
• Telematic assistant for admission applications
• Individualised consultation of the results of the procedure and the points obtained (provisional, 30 May, and definitive, 12 June).

Timetable of actions (estimated dates) for late enrolment of a foreign child?