What to expect that will feel different from your home country

Terms used

• Informe psicopedagógico — The informe psicopedagógico is the school's psychopedagogical assessment of a child's needs.
• Dictamen de escolarización — The dictamen de escolarización is the administrative decision on what type of schooling and support a pupil with special needs gets.
• ACI — The ACI is the adaptación curricular individual, a school plan adapting the curriculum for one pupil; the ACIS is the significant version.
• PTI — The PTI is the plan de trabajo individualizado, an individual working plan for a pupil.
• Recurso de alzada — The recurso de alzada is a formal appeal to a higher authority within the regional education administration.
• Defensor del Pueblo — The Defensor del Pueblo is the national ombudsman, who can recommend action but not order it.

Key rules

• Weekly hours: No region gives you an enforceable right to a fixed number of weekly support hours.
• Your role: Expect to push for the evaluation and resources yourself, and possibly pay for private therapy.
• Private reports: Schools usually consider a private report but do not have to follow it.
• Complaints: The ombudsman can recommend but not order; the one-month appeal deadline runs from the notification.

Support depends on evaluation and resources, not on a guaranteed plan

In Spain, support follows a school evaluation and what the school or region has available. You will not get a document like an EHCP that fixes a list of provision you can enforce. The rule is simple: no region gives families an enforceable right to a fixed number of weekly support hours, so recommended support depends on staff availability.

Regions set staffing criteria, such as how many specialist teachers a school gets. The report may recommend hours, but the school delivers what its staff can cover.

Your documents have Spanish equivalents, but not exact ones

The closest matches are these:

• The informe psicopedagógico is the school assessment, similar to the assessment behind an EHCP or statement.
• The dictamen de escolarización decides the type of schooling and support. It is similar to a statement or EHCP, but it is an administrative school or regional document, not a national entitlement.
• The ACI (or ACIS) is closest to an IEP. The PTI is a similar individual working plan.
• A US 504 plan matches ordinary adaptations of access or method, which do not change the curriculum objectives.

Names and procedures vary by region. Ask the school which documents your region uses. The checklist below helps you match them.

Your role as a parent is large

Many families push for the evaluation and the resources themselves. Many also pay for private speech therapy, psychology, occupational therapy or diagnostic reports, to avoid waiting lists, even though school and health services should be free.

Family associations are a common source of advice, therapy, lobbying and legal help. Examples are Plena Inclusión, Autismo España, Down España, FEAADAH for ADHD and local dyslexia associations.

A private report is usually taken into account by the school's guidance team, but it does not bind the school. Treat it as support for your case, not a replacement for the school's own evaluation.

What you can do if support is not delivered

The individual plan is a school document that binds the school. Even so, courts have been reluctant to order specific staffing levels. If recommended support is not delivered, escalate step by step:

1. Raise it with the school director and the school inspector.
2. File a formal complaint with the regional education department. A recurso de alzada is generally due within one month, so check the deadline on the notification you received.
3. Go to the administrative courts.
4. Complain to the regional ombudsman or the national Defensor del Pueblo. They can recommend but not order.

The timeline below sets out these steps. Some cases have also gone to the UN disability rights committee, which has ruled on Spain's inclusive-education duties.

Timeline and deadlines

• Raise a claim with the school director and the school inspector (inspección educativa): as soon as recommended support is not delivered

• File a reclamación or recurso de alzada with the regional education department: generally within 1 month of the notification you are challenging

• Take the case to the contencioso-administrativo courts: after the education department has answered your appeal

• Complain to the regional ombudsman or the national Defensor del Pueblo, who can recommend but not order: at any point alongside the steps above

Checklist

• Ask the school which document your region uses for the evaluation, the schooling decision and the individual plan.

• Match each document you hold from home to its Spanish equivalent: an IEP to the ACI or ACIS, and an EHCP or statement to the dictamen de escolarización.

• Ask the school for a school psychopedagogical evaluation, as specific support needs one.

• Ask what weekly support hours the report recommends and how the school will staff them, since hours depend on staff availability.

• Ask the school to put the support it will provide in writing in the individual plan.

What to watch out for

• No guaranteed plan or hours: Unlike an EHCP at home, a Spanish report or plan does not guarantee a defined list of provision. The authority must provide the resources it recognises, but recommended support depends on staff availability and courts rarely order specific staffing. Ask for the support in writing, keep a record of what is delivered, and complain to the school director and inspector if it is not.

• Expecting the system to do it for you: Parents carry a large role in Spain. Many families push for evaluations themselves and pay for speech therapy, psychology and private reports to avoid waiting lists. Start the evaluation request early, budget for private therapy if you want faster help, and join a family association for advice and legal help.

• Relying on a private report alone: A private report is generally taken into account by the school's orientation team, but it is not binding. Give the private report to the school and still ask for the school's own evaluation.

Frequently asked questions

Which Spanish document is the same as my child's IEP?

The closest match to an IEP is the ACI or ACIS, the individual curriculum adaptation written by the school.

Is the dictamen de escolarización the same as an EHCP or statement?

It is similar, but not the same, because it sets the type of schooling and support rather than a national legal entitlement. It is an administrative document based on the school's psychopedagogical report. Terms and procedures differ by region, so ask the school's orientation team which version your region uses.

Will the school take a private report into account?

Yes, the school's orientation team generally takes a private report into account, but it is not binding. It can help you push for an evaluation and resources. Families often pay privately for these reports to avoid waiting lists.

Where can I get help from other families in Spain?

Family associations for each need offer advice, therapy, lobbying and legal help. Examples are Plena Inclusión, Autismo España, Down España, FEAADAH for ADHD and Dislexia y Familia in Madrid. Look for the association that matches your child's need in your region.