1. The Spanish Education System

2. Pre-Primary • Children aged from 3 to 6 • Free and offered to all children • Not compulsory for families • Mostly in primary schools • 5 hours a day –same as primary-

3. Primary school • Students aged from 6 to 12 • Organized in three two-year cycles • Specialists for Foreign language, Music P.E. and, optionally, religion • School timetable • School starts at 9 and finishes at 14 or • From 9 to 12:30 in the morning • and from 15:30 to 17:00 in the afternoon

4. E.S.O. –Secondary Obligatory Education • Students aged from 12 to 16 (two cycles) • Religion optional • First cycle: Most of the students do one second foreign language but those with learning disdvantages have a Maths or Spanish support class • Second cycle: One two hours a week optional subject per year

5. E.S.O. • School year finishes in June • Students who fail any subject, can be examined in September • Students who pass all subjects or fail two or less, promote –fails have to be retaken- • Those who fail more than two subjects can repeat the whole year once

6. Bachillerato • Secondary non compulsory education • Students from 16 to 18 • Diploma in ESO is required • There are 3 different modalities, each one with two options • Religion is optional • One optional subject per year • Students promote with less than two fails. Failed subjects have to be retaken

7. Vocational training • In some secondary schools • Three levels: • Low.- Offered to those 16 year old students who did not get the diploma of ESO • Medium.- Diploma in ESO is required • Includes work training in companies • 4 terms or 2 year courses • High.- Diploma in Bachillerato is required • Includes work training in companies • 4 terms or 2 year courses

8. Spanish Education scheme Vocational initiation Pre-Primary 3 years Without diploma Vocational training Medium level Primary 6 years E.S.O 4 years Vocational training High level Bachillerato 2 years P.A.U University

9. Types of schools

10. Centros públicos.- Public schools • Either Primary or Secondary • Depending on the Education Authority • Teachers are selected by an exam and can move to different schools by a system of points • Schools do not select teachers. Education Authorities provide staff and budget • The School Board, integrated by teachers, pupils, parents, non teaching workers and a representative of the Local Administration, manages different aspects of the school life • One Director together with a Secretary and one or more ‘head of studies’ run the school and can change every three years. They are elected by a group of people including school and Education Authorities representatives

11. Centros concertados.- State supported schools • Either Primary or Secondary. Most of them join Primary and ESO • Depending on the owner. The Government provides an ordinary budget and teachers’ salaries • Teachers are selected by the school owner –it can be a company or a religious order- • One Director together with a Secretary and one or more ‘head of studies’ run the school. They are designated by the owner • Schooling is free for students. The Government pays • The contract obliges the school to follow some rules –about selection of students, timetables, number of students per class… and of course the general curriculum-

12. Centros privados.- Private schools • Either Primary or Secondary. Most of them join both levels • Depending on the owner. • Teachers are selected by the school owner –it can be a company or a religious order- • The owner decides how to manage the school as a company • The students pay for all the school expenses • Since school is compulsory under 16, all schools must follow, at least, the common curriculum – subjects, contents and timing- fixed by the Education Authorities-.

13. Teaching as a job

14. To become a teacher…. • You need your University degree and a special one-year-course for teaching • You have to pass a competitive exam -which takes place every two years- to ‘win’ your place • You can get a temporary contract if they need more teachers before the exam, and you can continue with it if you don’t pass the exam

15. Teaching in secondary 35 hours a week • 5 free organization hours • 5 monthly computed hours –breaks, assesement meetings, staff meetings- • 25 hour-working week at school involving 27 periods of 55-minutes: • 17 teaching periods • 10 complementary periods – library, duties, attention to parents, meeting with the pedagogist,…

16. School daily life……at the IES Saavedra Fajardo

17. In the morning… • Ordinary courses start at 8:25 and finish at 14:25 • There is a break from 11:10 to 11:40 • Students stay in the courtyard during the break. Only those students over 18 studying 2nd year of Bachillerato are allowed to leave the school during breaktime • There is a canteen where the students can buy their breakfast if they wish

18. In the afternoon • There is an afternoon shift for those students that follow official music or drama studies in the morning • Extra curricular courses or workshops take place in the afternoon as well • Retaking classes for those who failed • AIL programme is also completed in the afternoon –once a week- • The afternoon shift starts at 3:30 and finishes at 21:00

19. Rules • Students are not allowed to use mobile phones, mp3 or similar in school • Smoking and alcohol are also forbidden • Teachers do “duty” hours which means keeping a peaceful atmosphere during school time • Teachers do ‘duty’ during breaktime too, keeping an eye on the students in the courtyard

20. School institutions • Claustro de profesores.- All the teachers in the school • Equipo directivo.- The director, the secretary and four ‘heads of studies’ • Departments.- One for each area, to which all the teachers of the subject/s of the area belong • Junta de delegados.- One students’ representative per class. Elected every year • CCP.- The director, two heads of studies and heads of all departments • Consejo escolar (School Board).- • Director, two heads of studies and secretary • 7 teachers.- • 3 parents of students • 4 students • 1 non teaching staff • 1 representative of the Town Council