How do Spanish schools communicate with parents?

Terms used

• Secretaría — The secretaría is the school office, where you get credentials, update contact details and hand in paperwork.
• Agenda — The agenda is your child's school diary in primary, used for notes between teachers and parents.
• Concertado — A concertado school is privately run but publicly funded, and it chooses its own communication tools.
• NIE — The NIE is the identification number Spain gives to foreigners.

Key rules

• Official channels: The school or regional platform, formal written notices and the secretaría are official; parent WhatsApp groups are not.
• Week one: Get your login, check the school has your correct email and mobile number, and turn on notifications.
• Urgent matters: Phone the secretaría for absences, illness and emergencies instead of waiting for a platform reply.
• Platforms: The platform differs by region and school, so ask the secretaría which one is current.

Which channel counts as official?

The school or regional platform, formal written notices and the secretaría are the official channels. Parent WhatsApp groups are informal and not official. If something matters, make sure you have seen it on an official channel.

Schools mix the channels. Expect a platform for grades, absences and messages, an agenda in primary, email, notices sent home or posted, and phone calls to the secretaría for urgent matters. The exact mix differs by region and by school.

Who decides which platform your school uses?

In public schools, the regional education department usually sets the main platform. The school often adds its own tools, such as an app or email. Concertado and private schools generally choose their own, often Educamos, Alexia or Clickedu.

Platforms differ a lot by region. Andalucía uses iPasen for families. Cataluña uses Racó, and schools often add apps such as Clickedu. Madrid uses EducaMadrid, and many schools use Roble or Educamos. The Comunidad Valenciana uses the Web Familia. The resource below lists more regions. Platforms get renamed or replaced often, so ask the secretaría which one your school uses now.

Set it up in week one

1. Ask the secretaría which channel is the official one for your school.
2. Collect your username and temporary password. They usually arrive by letter, email or SMS at enrolment or at the start of the year. If you have nothing yet, go to the secretaría with your ID card, NIE or passport and your child's details.
3. Log in and change the temporary password. If you lose it later, reset it on the platform or ask the secretaría.
4. Check the school has your correct email address and mobile number. The school uses the ones from the enrolment form, and the secretaría can update them.
5. Install the app if there is one. Accept notifications on first login, then check the notification settings in the app and in your phone.

Some regions also let you sign in with Cl@ve or a digital certificate, for example for enrolment procedures. Ask whether yours does.

What to use for what

• Platform messages and email: the usual route for non-urgent matters, such as questions to the tutor.
• Phone call to the secretaría: use it for absences, illness and emergencies.
• Agenda: in primary, look in your child's agenda each day. Teachers write notes there, and circulars come home in the school bag.
• Notices: read anything sent home or posted at the school.

The decision block below helps you choose the channel for each matter.

Things you will be asked to sign or answer

Expect to return signed slips or replies for:

• outing authorisations (autorizaciones de salidas)
• photo and image consent
• data protection consent
• who may collect your child, or permission for your child to leave alone
• medication authorisation
• canteen and extracurricular sign-ups
• the religion or alternative subject choice

You return them as a signed paper slip through your child, through the platform's reply function, or by email or the secretaría. Check which one the school wants.

Language of notices

In regions with only Spanish, notices are in Spanish. In regions with a second official language (Cataluña, Comunidad Valenciana, Baleares, Galicia, País Vasco and the Basque-speaking zone of Navarra), notices are often in that language, sometimes with Spanish too. You can usually ask for Spanish.

Most platforms do not translate notices. Turn on your browser's translation, or ask the school whether a mediator or interpreter is available. Do not rely on your child to interpret for you.

WhatsApp groups

Class groups run by parent representatives are common and often useful. Treat them as a helpful extra, and confirm anything important on the official channel. Missing a message in the group is not the same as missing a school notice.

Choosing between options

Which channel should you use for each kind of school matter?

• The official regional or school platform: Use it for grades, absences, official notices and non-urgent messages to teachers.

• Email: Use it for non-urgent questions to the tutor or the school address, or when the school has no platform for messages.

• Signed paper slip, platform reply or the secretaría: Use whichever the school asks for when returning items such as excursion permission, image consent, medication authorisation, named persons who may collect your child, canteen or extracurricular sign-ups, or the religion or alternative subject choice.

Use the school's official channel for anything that matters, and match the way you reply to how the request reached you. In concertado and private schools the school picks its own platform, so ask which one it uses.

Documents you need

What to bring to get platform access

• Your ID card, NIE or passport as a parent or legal guardian, shown at the school office (secretaría) to get your login.

• Your child's details, as they appear on the enrolment form.

• The email address and mobile number you gave on the enrolment form, because the school uses them to send your username and temporary password.

• Cl@ve or a digital certificate, only if your region lets you sign in this way, for example for enrolment procedures.

Checklist

Set up school communication in week one

• Ask the secretaría which channel is the official one: the regional or school platform, the agenda, email or printed notices.

• Collect your username and temporary password from the secretaría, or check the letter, email or SMS you received at enrolment.

• Look in your child's agenda each day if they are in primary, and read any circulars they bring home.

What if I miss a school message or deadline?

Contact the tutor or the secretaría as soon as you notice. A missed message can usually be fixed if you act quickly. What it costs you depends on the item.

What to do first

1. Write to or call the class tutor, or go to the secretaría (the school office). Use the school platform, email, phone, or go in person.
2. Ask whether you can still meet the deadline or send the form late.
3. Ask for the form again if you no longer have it.
4. If you are unsure whom to ask, the AMPA (the parents' association) or the class delegate can tell you what you missed.

Check the school platform and website regularly from then on.

What happens for different items

Excursion or outing permission slip. Without a signed authorisation, your child normally cannot go. They stay at school, usually in another class of the same year, with work to do. This is not penalised academically, and it is not normally treated as a discipline matter.

• Many schools accept a late signature the day before. Some accept a photo or scan sent by the school app or email.
• On the day itself, most schools will not let your child go without the paper.
• Trip fees are usually paid in advance. Whether you get a refund depends on whether the school or the coach company has already committed the cost.
• Many schools have an annual permission for local walks, signed at the start of the year. Ask whether your child is covered.

Other forms. Photo consent, data protection consent, pick-up permissions, medication authorisation, and canteen or after-school sign-ups can usually be sent late. Ask the tutor or secretaría how.

Enrolment, admissions and grants (such as school-meal help). These deadlines are set by the regional education department, not by the school, and they are strict. If you miss one, ask the secretaría straight away. A late application is often handled in a later period if places are still available.

If the tutor cannot solve it

Go to the head of studies or the head teacher. Schools set their own deadlines and refund rules, so ask the tutor what applies to your case.

School platforms used in each region and how to set them up

School platforms and how to get set up

• Regional education department: Know which official platform your region uses: Andalucía iPasen; Cataluña Racó; Madrid EducaMadrid and Raíces; Comunidad Valenciana ITACA with Web Familia; Galicia Abalar; Castilla y León Educacyl; Castilla-La Mancha Papás 2.0; Extremadura Rayuela; Murcia Plumier XXI; Aragón Educa-Aragón; Canarias Pincel Ekade; Asturias SAUCE and Familias; Cantabria Yedra; Navarra Educa.

• Your child's school: Ask which extra tools the school adds. Public schools use the regional platform for grades, absences and official messages, and often add apps or email.

• School secretaría (the school office): Ask for your login at enrolment or at the start of the year. You usually get a username and temporary password by letter, email or SMS. Bring your ID, NIE or passport and your child's details; lost passwords are reset through the platform or the secretaría.

• School secretaría (the school office): Turn on alerts: accept notifications when you first log in to the app, then check the notification setting in the app and in your phone settings. Make sure the email and mobile number on file are correct; the secretaría can update them if there is no app.

Quick answers on dealing with a Spanish school

Who is the class tutor and what do they do?

The tutor is the teacher in charge of your child's class group, and your first contact for concerns about learning, behaviour, classmates or wellbeing. In primary this is usually the main class teacher; in secondary it is a subject teacher appointed as tutor. Use the secretaría for paperwork such as certificates, enrolment and passwords.

Do I have to join the class WhatsApp group?

No, joining the class WhatsApp group is voluntary, and official information must come through the school's own channels. If you stay out, ask the class delegate for updates or check the school platform or website.

Should my child interpret for me at school meetings?

No, your child should not interpret, because they may not understand or pass on sensitive things like grades or behaviour. No Spanish rule forbids it, but education authorities advise against it. It also puts pressure on your child and weakens your own direct role.

Do I have to pay the AMPA fee?

No, the AMPA fee is voluntary, and the school cannot make enrolment or attendance depend on it. It is typically about 15 to 40 euros per family per year, and each AMPA sets its own amount.