Arriving mid-year or after the deadline with a child who needs support

Key rules

• Right to a place: Children of compulsory age, 6 to 16, must be given a school place even after the normal deadline.
• Out-of-window route: Apply through your region's admissions body, not the standard application.
• Evaluation: Ask for the support evaluation immediately, as it can take weeks to months.
• Written request: If the assigned school lacks support, ask in writing for another school and cite the evaluation report.

Offices, forms, timings and appeal routes differ by region and change often, so confirm them with your regional education authority before acting.

The short answer

If you arrive mid-year or after the deadline, you do not use the normal application. You apply for a place through an out-of-window route run by the regional education authority. Start your child's support evaluation straight away, and press for a school that actually has the support staff your child needs.

Schools must take pupils of compulsory age, which is from 6 to 16. So your child has a right to a place even though the window has closed.

Who to contact first

Contact the regional admissions body as soon as you arrive. Its name depends on where you live:

• Madrid: the Servicio de Apoyo a la Escolarización (SAE), part of the Dirección de Área Territorial.
• Catalonia: the Oficina Municipal d'Escolarització (OME), or the Consorci d'Educació in Barcelona.
• Andalusia: the delegación territorial de Educación.

Other regions have similar offices. Forms and procedures change, so use your region's education portal or phone the office to check the current steps.

Get the evaluation started early

A child with special educational needs is usually assessed by the local guidance service. That produces a report, often called a dictamen de escolarización, and the administration uses it to assign a school with the right support.

The evaluation can take from several weeks to a few months, depending on the guidance team's workload. Ask for it on day one, because the school place and the support both depend on it.

Can your child start before the evaluation is done?

Usually yes. A child of compulsory age can normally be enrolled provisionally. Until the report is issued, the school generally applies general measures, such as adjustments in class and help from the guidance team. Specific support is assigned only once the evaluation is finished. Details differ by region, so ask the admissions body what applies to you.

A mid-year place is often assigned within a matter of weeks, depending on vacancies. Official time limits vary by region.

Check the assigned school has support

Do not assume the school you are given can help. Ask the school's head of studies or guidance counsellor whether it has PT and AL staff (specialist support teachers for learning and for language), how many hours they work and how many pupils they serve. You can also ask the admissions body what support resources are recorded for that school.

If the school has no suitable support

Send a written request to the admissions body or education department asking for another school. Cite the evaluation report. If that does not work, you can appeal the assignment to the education inspectorate or file a recurso de alzada, a formal appeal to a higher authority. Ask the admissions body which route and deadline apply in your region.

The decision and checklist below help you choose between accepting, asking for another school and appealing.

Choosing between options

Do you accept the school you are assigned, or ask for a different one?

• Accept the assigned school: The school has support staff, enough hours and room for your child's needs, so your child can start within weeks.

• Ask in writing for another school: The school lacks suitable support; send the request to the admissions body, citing the evaluation report.

• Appeal the assignment: Your written request is refused or ignored; appeal to the education inspectorate or file a recurso de alzada.

Check the school's support staff first. If it has suitable support, accept; if not, ask for another school, and appeal only if that fails.

Checklist

• Contact the regional admissions body as soon as you arrive to apply for an out-of-window place.

• Ask for the guidance team's evaluation straight away, since it can take from several weeks to a few months.

• Ask the school to enrol your child provisionally and to apply general support measures while the evaluation is pending.

• Send a written request for another school, citing the evaluation report, if the assigned school lacks suitable support.

Frequently asked questions

Can my child start school while the evaluation is still pending?

Yes, your child can usually be enrolled provisionally while the evaluation is pending, because schooling is compulsory from 6 to 16. Until the report is issued, the school normally applies general measures such as in-class adjustments and help from the guidance team. Specific support is assigned only after the evaluation is done.

How long does the evaluation take?

The evaluation commonly takes from several weeks to a few months, depending on the guidance team's workload. Official time limits vary by region. Ask the guidance team for an expected date when you request it.

How long until my child gets a school place mid-year?

A mid-year place is often assigned within a matter of weeks, depending on vacancies and the local admissions body. Ask the admissions body how many places are open for your child's year.