Applying for a school place with reserved places (plazas reservadas)

Key rules

• Report: Get the psychopedagogical report before the application window opens, because you attach it to the application.
• Same window: You apply in the same window and with the same application as every other family.
• Reserved places: Regions usually reserve two or three places per group for pupils with specific support needs.
• Region: Calendars, forms and the bodies that decide differ by region and change each year.

The short version

Your child applies in the same window and with the same application as every other family. The difference is a psychopedagogical report, which you get before you apply and attach to the application. That report is what unlocks the reserved places. Miss the window or the report and you can lose the place.

Get the report first

Ask your region's guidance service for the psychopedagogical report (dictamen de escolarización) before the application window opens. Depending on the region, the service is called EOEP, EAT, EAP or something similar. Ask the school or your local schooling office which one covers you. Allow time: you cannot apply with the report still pending.

If you are claiming the disability for points or for a reserved place, you may also need a disability certificate (certificado de discapacidad) or the school's guidance report. Ask the schooling office which one your region accepts. The documents list below shows what to bring.

How reserved places work

Publicly funded schools set aside places in each group for pupils with specific support needs. Regions usually reserve two or three places per group. Ask the school or schooling office how many your target school has. Reserved places that no pupil with support needs uses are released after a set date.

The school your child is assigned must have the right support resources. Places in special schools and in aulas específicas (specialist classrooms in mainstream schools) are not given by points. The education administration decides them from the report.

When to apply

Applications for the next school year usually run in spring. Typical windows are:

• Andalucía: 1 to 31 March.
• Cataluña: around March.
• Madrid: around March to April.
• Comunidad Valenciana: around April.

Provisional lists usually come out in April or May. The final allocation comes between June and July. After you are assigned a school, you must enrol within the deadline you are given. Missing it can lose the place.

Who handles your application

The body that decides depends on the region:

• Madrid: the Servicio de Apoyo a la Escolarización (SAE) and the schooling commissions, with the district guidance teams.
• Cataluña: the Consorci d'Educació de Barcelona or the territorial services, with EAP teams and the municipal schooling offices.
• Andalucía: the provincial schooling commission, working with the education delegation.
• Comunidad Valenciana: the inspection service and the schooling commission, with the guidance services.

Special-school places are decided by the education administration based on the report.

Find your region's rules

Each region sets its own rules and calendar every year. Go to your region's education department website and look for the Admisión or Escolarización section. It has the calendar, the scoring criteria, the school lists and the online application. Searching "[your region] admisión alumnos" plus the year usually finds the current call. Your school or local schooling office can also guide you in person. Ceuta and Melilla are handled by the Ministry of Education.

If you applied and your child is still unassigned, or you are unsure about your region, ask the schooling office straight away rather than waiting for the lists.

The checklist, warnings and FAQ below cover the steps and the common mistakes.

Timeline and deadlines

• Submit the application in Andalucía: 1 to 31 March

• Submit the application in Madrid, Cataluña or Comunidad Valenciana: in spring: Madrid roughly March to April, Cataluña roughly March, Comunidad Valenciana roughly April

• Check the provisional lists: in April or May

• Receive the final school allocation: from June to July

Confirm the exact dates for your region and year with your education department before acting.

Documents you need

• Ordinary admission application form, the same one used by all families in your region.

• ID or passport of the parent or guardian, and proof of address.

• Psychopedagogical report (dictamen de escolarización), issued by the regional guidance service.

• Disability certificate (certificado de discapacidad) or the school's guidance report, needed where you claim the disability for points or reserved places.

• Proof of family circumstances, such as the family book or income documents, requested as in the general procedure.

Checklist

• Apply in the same window and with the same application as other families, adding the report.

• Ask the school or schooling office how many reserved places per group it has, usually two or three places, and when unused ones are released.

• Check the provisional lists in April or May and the final allocation from June to July.

Special-needs admission mistakes that can forfeit a reserved school place

Mistakes that can lose a reserved place

• Missing the application window: Applying outside the regional window means you lose your claim to a reserved place. Children with special needs follow the ordinary calendar, which usually runs in spring (for example March to April in Madrid, March in Andalucía). Look up your region's dates early in the year and apply inside the window. Complete the psychopedagogical report before it opens.

• No report or certificate issued before applying: If the school placement report (dictamen de escolarización) or the disability certificate (certificado de discapacidad) is not ready when you apply, the reserved place may not be granted. Ask the regional guidance service for the report well before the window. Where you claim the disability, get the certificate too.

• Not ticking the special-needs box or leaving out documents: If you skip the special-needs box on the form or attach too few documents, your child is treated as an ordinary applicant. You need the application, ID or passport, proof of address and the report, plus family documents as in the general procedure. Check the form and attach everything before you submit.

• Applying to the wrong body or listing too few schools: Sending the application to the wrong office, or naming too few schools, can leave your child assigned to any school with free places. Confirm which office takes applications in your region and list several schools.

• Missing the enrolment deadline after being assigned: If you do not enrol within the stated period once a place is assigned, the place can be lost. Final allocation usually comes between June and July. Watch the provisional and final lists in April to July and enrol as soon as the final list is out.

• Missing the window altogether: You can still apply late through the admissions office of your regional education department, but you only get places left after the main process, often at a school outside your area. Schools must take children aged 6 to 16 either way. Apply at once with proof of age, address and identity, ask to be put on waiting lists at preferred schools, and appeal the assignment if it does not fit your child's needs.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a disability certificate to apply for a reserved place?

Not always: the psychopedagogical report (dictamen de escolarización) from the regional guidance service is the core document.

Who decides which school my child is assigned to?

The regional education administration decides, through its schooling commission, for example the Comisión de Escolarización in Andalucía or the Servicio de Apoyo a la Escolarización in Madrid.

What happens to reserved places that no pupil with support needs uses?

Reserved places that are not used by pupils with support needs are released after a set date. That date is set by your region, so look for it in the admission order for the course.

Where can I find the rules for my own region?

Look on your region's education department website, in its Admisión or Escolarización section, which has the calendar, school lists and online application. You can also ask the local Oficina de Escolarización or the school in person.