Joining a Spanish school in the middle of the school year

Key rules

• Enrolment: You can ask for a school place in any month, and there is no national cut-off date.
• Grade: The grade follows your child's age and records, and can be one year lower, exceptionally two, if language or schooling gaps are serious.
• Next year: A child placed mid-year keeps the place in the following school years.
• Regional differences: Cut-offs and first-weeks support differ by region.

Can you enrol in the middle of the year?

Schooling is compulsory and free from age 6 to 16 for every child living in Spain, whatever their nationality or residence status. You ask for the place at your regional education office or directly at the school, with the same steps as for any late arrival: Moving to Spain outside the spring enrolment window. Once a place is assigned and you complete the matrícula, your child can start; the school often sets the start date and may hold a welcome or assessment meeting first. Late in the final term some regions are less flexible, so ask early. A 16 or 17-year-old can join bachillerato or FP, but admission there depends on grades and on a vacancy. If the place offered is not suitable or your request is refused, you can complain or appeal to the regional education authority (the steps).

Which grade will your child join?

Your child is normally placed in the grade that matches their age, by year of birth, and their previous schooling. Bring any school records you have, such as reports and certificates from the previous school. They help the school choose the level.

If your child has a serious gap in Spanish or in schooling, regional rules allow a placement one year below their age group. In exceptional cases it can be up to two years below. The aim is to move them up to the right grade once they catch up. Schools may carry out an assessment in the first weeks. The exact criteria are set by each region, so ask the school how it applies them.

Language help and extra support

Regions offer Spanish-language support for newly arrived pupils, under different names. Examples are ATAL in Andalucía, Aulas de Enlace in Madrid, Aules d'Acollida in Catalonia and PALIC or similar in Valencia. Elsewhere you may find reinforcement classes.

Your child usually stays in the ordinary class and gets extra language help for part of the week. This often lasts up to about a year. In regions with a second official language, such as Catalonia, Valencia, Galicia and the Basque Country, there is also support in that language.

Support depends on the region and the size and funding of the school. It is mostly found in public and concertada schools. Ask about it before you choose a school.

If your child needs extra support, the school's guidance team assesses your child and decides whether they attend an ordinary school with support or a school with specialised resources. Foreign reports are not automatically valid, but they are used as evidence. Bring medical and psychological reports and previous individual education plans, translated if possible. This process can be longer, and places in schools with support are limited.

What about next year?

Your child stays in the school for the following years. If you want a different school, or your child moves up to the next stage, apply in the ordinary admission period, roughly March to May.