How do I find a specific school's language rules?

Key rules

• School's project: The school's language project is the best source for how teaching languages work in that school.
• Regional rule: The regional education department publishes the rule, and it differs from region to region.
• Ask the office: If the project is not online, the school office can give it to you on request.
• Concertada and private: Concertada and private schools can differ from nearby public schools, so check each school's own project.

Start with two places: the school and the regional education department

You need two things: the school's own language project (proyecto lingüístico) and the rule for your region. The school tells you how it applies the rule. The regional education department publishes the rule itself.

Find the school's language project

The language project is part of the school's educational project. Look in this order:

1. The school's website.
2. The school directory on the regional education department's website.
3. The school office (secretaría). Ask for a copy if it is not online.

The project usually states which language is used for each subject and stage, how much weight each language has, and which language models are offered. It also covers support for newcomers and the language used to talk to families. The checklist below gives the questions to ask the school. How much is published varies by region and school, so ask the office when something is missing.

Find the regional rule

Each region with a co-official language publishes its rules on its own education department's website. This applies to Catalonia, the Basque Country, Navarre, Galicia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. Page addresses change often, so search for the department's name and "language of instruction" rather than saving a link. Your town hall or the school can also point you to the right page.

Valencian Community

Use the school search on the regional education department's website. It lists each school's data. The school's website or its admission notices also state its language programme, and the school office can confirm it.

Navarre

Your municipality belongs to a language zone, and the zone affects which models apply. The zone list for each municipality is published in the official bulletin of Navarre. The regional education department and its Basque-language office publish the zone lists and each school's language models. The department's school search shows the models for each school.

Private and concertada schools

Concertada schools (privately run but publicly funded) generally follow the regional language rules. Their language project often differs from nearby public schools, with a different mix of languages within the regional minimums. Private schools outside the publicly funded system have more freedom. Some international and foreign-language schools teach in English or other languages. For any of these, read that school's own published project.

Questions to ask a school about its language of teaching

• Ask the school for its language project (proyecto lingüístico), on its website, in the regional school directory or at the secretaría.

• Ask which language is used to teach each subject, and in what share of teaching time.

• Ask whether Spanish-medium teaching or a Spanish-heavy model is offered.

• Ask how Spanish and the regional language are taught as subjects.

• Ask what support exists for newcomers, such as a welcome classroom (aula de acogida) or reinforcement lessons.

• Ask whether any exemption or adaptation is available, and for how long it lasts.

• Ask how your child's language level will be assessed.

• Ask which language the school uses to talk to families and for exams.

• Ask what language level is expected at the end of the stage.

• Contact the school director if an answer is unclear, then the inspección educativa (the regional inspectorate that supervises schools).

• Escalate to the provincial or territorial education delegation, then the regional education department, and if needed the regional ombudsman or the Defensor del Pueblo.

Frequently asked questions

Which regional office publishes the language rules for my region?

Each co-official region's education department publishes its own language-of-instruction rules on its website. These are Catalonia's Departament d'Educació, the Basque Government's Hezkuntza saila, Navarre's Departamento de Educación, Galicia's Consellería de Educación, Valencia's Conselleria de Educación and the Balearic Conselleria d'Educació.

How do I find out which language programme a Valencian school has?

Use the school search on the Valencian education department's website (the Conselleria d'Educació), which lists each school's data. The school's own website or its admission notices also state the programme. The school office can confirm it.

How can I check which language zone my municipality in Navarre belongs to?

The zone of each Navarre municipality is listed in a 1986 regional law published in the Boletín Oficial de Navarra.