Can I ask for Spanish-language teaching in a co-official region?

Key rules

• Your right: Your right to request Spanish-medium teaching is limited and contested, and it varies by region.
• No national procedure: Each region sets its own models, so check what your region and school offer.
• Catalonia: Courts have ordered a minimum of 25% of teaching time in Spanish, but how it is applied is still being contested.
• Written request: Make your request in writing and keep a copy, so you can appeal if it is refused.

Court rulings and regional rules on teaching language are still changing, so confirm the current procedure and deadlines with your regional education department before you apply.

What you can realistically expect

You can ask, but you cannot demand. Parents in co-official regions have limited rights to request Spanish-medium teaching, and those rights are contested. Spain's top courts have said Spanish cannot be excluded as a language of teaching. In practice, though, what you get depends on the region and on the school models it offers.

There is no single national procedure. The regions with a second official language are Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Galicia, the Basque Country and Navarre. If you live elsewhere, this page does not apply.

Region by region

• Basque Country: choose model A (mainly Spanish, with Basque as a subject) on the admission application.
• Navarre: choose the Spanish-medium programme (modelo A) on the admission application.
• Galicia and the Balearic Islands: state your preference at admission or ask the school. Regional rules on minimum Spanish teaching apply.
• Catalonia: Catalan is the main teaching language. Courts have ordered a minimum of 25% of teaching time in Spanish, though how it is applied is still being contested. You can ask the school, then the regional education department, or go to court.
• Valencian Community: check which linguistic programmes the school offers when you apply.

How to ask

1. Find out which Spanish-medium option your region and school offer before you apply.
2. State your language preference on the admission form during the regional admission window, normally in spring.
3. Ask the school director in writing for Spanish as a teaching language. Keep a copy.

What happens if the school refuses

Be prepared for a refusal. Public data on how often requests are granted is scarce. In Catalonia, individual requests have mostly been refused or met with limited measures such as individual support, unless a court order was obtained. The regional government has been slow to apply court orders.

If you want to push, escalate in this order:

1. Complain to the inspección educativa, the regional school inspectors.
2. Lodge an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) with the regional education department.
3. Bring a court action. Some families have been helped by associations that support this.
4. Complain to the Defensor del Pueblo or your regional ombudsman.

Court routes are slow, so plan your child's schooling around the model you can actually get. The checklist, warning and FAQ below cover the steps and common questions.

Checklist

• Find out which Spanish-medium option your region offers, as there is no single national procedure.

• Choose model A on the admission application if you are in the Basque Country, or the Spanish-medium programme (modelo A) if you are in Navarre.

• If the school refuses, complain to the inspección educativa.

• Consider a court action or an association that helps families if the appeal fails.

• Send a complaint to the Defensor del Pueblo or your regional ombudsman if you are still stuck.

Do not assume your child will be taught in Spanish

• Spanish-medium teaching is not automatic: In a co-official region, the regional language is often the main teaching language. Spanish is not guaranteed to be the main language in class. Courts have said Spanish cannot be excluded as a language of teaching. In Catalonia, families have been able to obtain Spanish-medium teaching for their children. In other co-official regions the position is less settled, and parents usually rely on the school's language model or a court request. Before you choose a school, ask which language model it uses and how much teaching time is in Spanish. Ask in writing if you can.

• There is no general opt-out from the regional language: The regional language is a compulsory subject, and you cannot opt your child out of it. Limited exemptions exist. The Valencian Community can exempt pupils from Valencian for a time, or fully, in some cases. Examples are pupils arriving from outside the region or from abroad, and areas that are mainly Spanish-speaking. The Balearic Islands and Galicia allow temporary adaptation for newcomers. Catalonia offers support classes (aulas de acogida) but no formal exemption, apart from special cases such as pupils with special educational needs. If your child is arriving from abroad, ask the school and the regional education department what adaptation or exemption applies to your child's case.

Frequently asked questions

What can I do if the school refuses my request for Spanish-medium teaching?

You can escalate step by step: complain to the school director, then to the inspección educativa (the regional school inspectors). After that, lodge an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) with the regional education department. If that fails, you can bring a court action, and some families have been helped by associations.

Can I complain to an ombudsman about a refused request?

Yes, you can complain to the Defensor del Pueblo or to your region's own ombudsman if the school and education department do not solve it. This can run alongside the other steps.

Are individual requests for Spanish-medium teaching usually granted?

In Catalonia, individual requests have mostly been refused or met with limited measures such as individual support, unless the family got a court order. Courts have ordered a minimum share of teaching in Spanish, but the Catalan Government has been slow to apply those orders.