Mainstream, specific classroom or special school: your placement options

Terms used

• Aula específica — An aula específica is a small specific unit inside an ordinary school for children who need extensive, continuous support.
• Escolarización combinada — Escolarización combinada is schooling shared between an ordinary school and a special school during the week.
• Centro de educación especial — A centro de educación especial is a special school for children whose needs an ordinary school cannot meet.
• Centro preferente — A centro preferente is an ordinary school with extra staff and equipment for one type of disability.
• Dictamen de escolarización — The dictamen de escolarización is the official report that recommends which school setting suits your child.
• Audiencia — The audiencia is the formal step where the family is heard before the school placement is decided.
• Recurso de alzada — A recurso de alzada is an administrative appeal to a higher official against a decision.

Key rules

• Who proposes: The orientation team proposes the setting in a written report, and the regional education administration decides.
• Your preference: The family must be heard and its preference is taken into account, but it is not binding on the administration.
• Regional names: Names and procedures differ by region, so confirm the local terms with the orientation team.
• Special school: A child is admitted to a special school only if the report concludes an ordinary school cannot meet their needs.

The short version

Spain offers a ladder of settings. At one end is an ordinary class with support. At the other is a special school. The school orientation team proposes a setting in a written report, you are consulted, and the regional education administration makes the final decision. The names of the settings differ by region.

The four settings

1. Ordinary class with support. Your child stays in a regular class. Support teachers come in, such as a therapeutic pedagogy teacher (PT) or a hearing and language teacher (AL). This is the starting point in the system, and the aim is to keep children in ordinary classes where their needs can be met.

2. Specific classroom in an ordinary school. This is an aula específica, also called an aula estable. It is a small unit inside a regular school for children who need extensive, continuous support. Your child is enrolled in the ordinary school and shares breaks, activities and some subjects with other children. Each region sets the group size. A typical unit has roughly 5 to 8 children, with a special-education teacher and a technical assistant. How many hours your child spends in the ordinary class depends on the child and is written into their individual plan.

3. Combined schooling. Escolarización combinada splits the week between an ordinary school and a special school. It suits a child who needs specialised resources but gains from time with other children. The report sets the split, for example certain days or hours in each. The regional administration authorises it, and it is reviewed from time to time. Not every region offers it, so ask where you live.

4. Special school. A centro de educación especial is for children with significant, lasting needs. These are usually moderate to profound intellectual disability, severe autism or multiple disabilities. A child is admitted only if the report concludes that an ordinary school cannot meet their needs. Special schools have high staffing, with special-education teachers, speech therapists, physiotherapists, nurses and assistants. Many offer transport and a canteen. They cover ages 3 to 18, and up to 21 with a transition-to-adult-life programme. The teaching is adapted to each child and focuses on autonomy, communication and daily skills.

Centro preferente

A centro preferente is an ordinary school with extra staff and equipment for one type of disability, such as autism, motor or hearing impairment. Your child attends ordinary classes with specialised support. The orientation report recommends the school, and the administration then assigns a place outside the usual catchment-area rules. Madrid and the Comunitat Valenciana (where it is called CAEP) use this model most.

Names change by region

The same setting can have different names. Some examples:

• Madrid: aula TEA for autism units, centros preferentes, aula de educación especial, and CEE for special schools.
• Cataluña: escola ordinària amb suports (SIEI), and special schools that also act as resource centres (CEEPSIR).
• Andalucía: aula específica de educación especial and centro específico de educación especial.
• Comunitat Valenciana: aula CyL for autism, CAEP, aula específica and centro de educación especial.

Regional names change with reforms. The checklist below helps you confirm the current ones.

Who proposes, and what you can choose

The orientation team in your area carries out a psychological and educational assessment. It then issues the dictamen de escolarización, which recommends a setting. Before it is finalised, the family is formally heard in an audiencia.

Your preference is taken into account, but it does not bind the administration. The administration decides based on the dictamen and the places available.

If you disagree:

• Put your objections in writing during the audiencia.
• Appeal the final decision to the head of the regional education administration (recurso de alzada). The usual period is one month, but check the deadline stated on your resolution.
• After that you can go to the administrative courts.
• You can also complain to the Defensor del Pueblo or your regional ombudsman.

The decision box below can help you compare the settings for your child.

Choosing between options

Which setting fits your child, and what can you do if you disagree with the proposal?

• Specific classroom in an ordinary school: Your child needs extensive, continuous support but can share activities, breaks and some subjects with peers.

• Combined schooling: Your child needs specialised resources but benefits from time in an ordinary school, with the week split between both.

The orientation team proposes a setting after assessing your child, and the regional administration decides using the report and available places. You are heard and your preference is considered, but it does not bind the administration. If you disagree, put your objections in writing during the hearing, then appeal to the regional education head (recurso de alzada), normally within one month, and then to the courts if needed.

School settings for special needs compared side by side

The four settings at a glance

All four settings are recognised across Spain. Names, staffing and procedures differ by region, so check the details with your regional education department.

What the curriculum row means for qualifications

If a pupil has significant needs, the school can write a significant individual adaptation (ACIS). It changes the objectives and the criteria, and the pupil is assessed against those adapted objectives.

A pupil assessed this way may not get the ESO title, because they are not assessed against the ordinary criteria. They can receive a certificate of schooling instead. They may also be able to move on to basic vocational training (FP básica) or adapted programmes.

Ordinary pupils who meet the ESO requirements, with support, receive the title.

Staffing varies in practice

Each region sets the number of pupils per class and the staff provision. Families often report shortages of support staff. Ask the school how many hours of PT and AL support your child would actually get, and put the answer in writing if you can.

The technical assistant has a different job title depending on the region. Your region may also use other names for these settings, such as centro preferente. Ask the education department what each one offers.

Settings can change

The placement is reviewed, usually at the end of each stage, and often every year or two. You or the school can ask for a review at any time. A change usually starts at the beginning of the next school year or at the next admission period.

Checklist

• Ask the orientation team which setting names your region uses for each option, from ordinary class with support to special school.

• Find the name your region uses for an autism unit, such as aula TEA in Madrid, aula CyL in the Comunitat Valenciana or SIEI in Cataluña.

• Check whether your region has centros preferentes, called CAEP in the Comunitat Valenciana, for motor, hearing or autism needs.

• Ask whether your region calls its specific classroom an aula específica, aula estable or aula de educación especial.

• Confirm the exact name of the special school option in your region, such as CEE or CEEPSIR in Cataluña.

• Ask the regional education department whether combined schooling is offered where you live.

Frequently asked questions

What is a centro preferente and how does my child get a place in one?

A centro preferente is an ordinary school with extra staff and resources for one type of disability, such as autism, motor or hearing impairment. Your child attends ordinary classes with specialised support. The report must recommend the centre, and the administration then assigns a place outside the usual catchment-area rules. Madrid and the Comunitat Valenciana use the term most.

Who is placed in an aula específica inside an ordinary school?

An aula específica is for pupils with significant needs who need extensive, continuous support. The report decides who is eligible. Your child is enrolled in the ordinary school and shares breaks, activities and some subjects, with a small group of typically 5 to 8 pupils and a special-education teacher.

What is combined schooling and who can get it?

Combined schooling splits the school week between an ordinary school and a special school. It suits pupils who need specialised resources but gain from time with ordinary peers. The report proposes it, the regional administration authorises it, and the split of days or hours is set for your child and reviewed periodically.

Which children are admitted to a special school?

A special school admits pupils with significant, permanent needs, usually moderate to profound intellectual disability, severe autism or multiple disabilities.