Inclusion in Spain and what it means when choosing between school types

Key rules

• Special schools: The law does not close special schools; it redefines them as resource centres while still serving families who choose them.
• Regions decide: Each region sets its own inclusion rules, so the options near you may differ from those elsewhere.
• Place allocation: A place may be decided by the regional assessment service after the course has started.
• Distance: The nearest special school can be far from home, especially in rural areas.

Reforms and regional rules are changing, so confirm current rules and places with your regional education department.

The short answer

Spain is legally committed to inclusion, yet special schools have not closed. They are being redefined, and the associations that speak for families do not agree on how fast that should happen. For you, this means the places on offer depend on where you live and can change over the next few years.

What the law says

The national education law sets a ten-year period, running until about 2030, for governments to give ordinary schools the resources to include pupils with special educational needs. During that time, special schools are meant to become resource centres that support ordinary schools. They keep serving children whose families choose them and for whom they are recommended. Authorities must also hear parents' views when a school is chosen.

The UN committee on the rights of persons with disabilities has criticised separate schooling and urges Spain to move to a fully inclusive system. Reforms are being drafted, so ask your regional education department what applies now.

Where the associations stand

They share a goal but differ on the pace.

• CERMI backs inclusive education. It wants special schools turned into resource centres and opposes abrupt closures.
• Plena Inclusión supports inclusion with adequate resources. It wants special schools to become support centres and defends family choice during the change.
• Down España favours ordinary schools with support and rejects segregation. It accepts that families need a real choice while mainstream support is weak.
• Autismo España supports inclusion but says mainstream support is often not enough. It argues specialised options must stay for some autistic pupils.

Expect the same split in conversations with schools and other parents.

Why this decides which places exist

Each region sets its own rules, so the picture differs across Spain.

• Madrid keeps special schools and autism classrooms (aulas TEA) alongside support in ordinary schools.
• Cataluña is turning special schools into resource centres and has support units in ordinary schools.
• Andalucía keeps special schools and aulas específicas, with support teachers in ordinary schools.
• Comunidad Valenciana treats special schools as resource centres and sets levels of support.

Other regions have their own decrees. Check your region's rules before you plan.

What this means in practice

Places in special schools and aulas específicas are limited in many areas. Demand is highest in big cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. Shortages are reported most for autism-specific places and for secondary and post-16 programmes. Published waiting lists are rare. Often the regional assessment service allocates a place, and that can happen after the course has started. You may be offered a school far from home, and rural areas may have no special school nearby.

So do not assume your preferred option will be available. Ask early, and keep a second option in mind. The decision guide below helps you compare mainstream with support, combined placement and special school, and the checklist lists what to ask locally.

Mainstream with support or special school: a decision guide

Mainstream with support or special school

Which setting fits your child best: mainstream with support, a combined placement, or a special school?

• Mainstream school with support: Choose this when the guidance report shows your child's needs can be met with the support the school really has, and social goals such as friendships with peers matter most. Inclusion is the stated policy preference.

• Combined placement (escolarización combinada): Choose this when your child gains from both settings, for example mainstream classes for social contact plus a special school for intensive therapy or learning support.

• Special school or specific classroom (aula específica): Choose this when your child needs intensive, constant support that a mainstream school cannot give, and the travel distance to the nearest place is manageable. Places are limited in many areas, especially for autism-specific places and for secondary and post-16 programmes, and rural areas may have none nearby.

Start from the guidance report, then weigh the level of support your child needs, how they are doing socially, in communication and in learning, what the mainstream school can really offer, your child's wishes and yours, the daily travel distance, and how easily you could change later. The choice is not final: the setting is reviewed, usually at the end of each stage, and you or the school can ask for a review at any time, with a change normally starting the next school year. If the choice favours a setting you disagree with, you can submit allegations when you are heard and then appeal.

Checklist

• Find your region's inclusion rules and see how they treat special schools and aulas específicas.

• Ask your regional education department whether special schools near you are becoming resource centres for ordinary schools.

• Ask how many special school or aula específica places exist in your area and how they are allocated.

• Check how far the nearest special school is from home, especially if you live in a rural area.

• Ask how support in ordinary schools works locally, for example support teachers and autism classrooms.

• Contact the disability association for your child's condition and ask what options families in your region use.

• Ask the assessment service when your child's place will be decided, since it may come after the course starts.

Frequently asked questions

Will special schools close in Spain?

No, the national education law does not close special schools. It turns them over time into resource centres that support ordinary schools, while they keep serving pupils whose families choose them and for whom they are recommended.

Do disability associations agree about special schools?

No, the main associations agree on inclusion but differ on how fast to move away from special schools. The UN disability committee wants special schools closed over time. Spanish groups such as CERMI and Plena Inclusión want them turned into support centres and want families to keep a real choice. Autismo España stresses that specialised options must stay for some autistic pupils.

Is it easy to find a special school or aula específica place?

No, places are limited in many areas, especially in large cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.

Do all regions treat special schools the same way?

No, each region sets its own rules under the national law. Cataluña and Comunidad Valenciana describe special schools as resource centres. Madrid and Andalucía keep special education centres and aulas específicas alongside mainstream support. Read your own region's rules before you compare options.