Should you tell a school about your child's diagnosis when applying?

Key rules

• Reserved places: You need the regional dictamen, not just a foreign diagnosis, to use the reserved places.
• Points: Disclosing a diagnosis adds no points by itself, only where your region gives disability points.
• Your place: Staying silent does not cost you the place, but support starts only after an evaluation.
• Foreign reports: A translated foreign report counts as supporting evidence and the guidance team then runs its own evaluation.

The short answer

Yes, in most cases tell the school or education office when you apply. Disclosure with an official assessment is what lets your child count in the reserved places and lets the administration pick a school that has the right resources. It does not buy extra points by itself.

What disclosure does

If you give the dictamen with your application, your child can be counted in the reserved places for pupils with special educational needs. The administration can then assign a school with the support your child needs. Schools may not refuse admission because of a disability.

The dictamen is the official report from the regional psychopedagogical evaluation. It says what support your child needs.

What disclosure does not do

Disclosure alone does not add points. Admission scoring in most regions gives points for a disability of the pupil, a parent or a sibling. These are often around 1 to 2 points, and the amount varies by region. For children with special needs, the reserved place is the main route. Points then decide between applicants for the same reserved places.

Check your region's scoring table for the exact value and for what proof it asks for.

If your diagnosis is from abroad

A foreign diagnosis alone does not normally open the reserved places. Regions require their own evaluation and dictamen.

• Your foreign report is accepted as supporting evidence, often with a translation.
• The school's guidance team then does its own evaluation.
• Official recognition of the foreign report is not generally needed for school purposes.
• You can ask for a provisional evaluation when you arrive, so support starts while you wait for the dictamen. The place can be assigned once the dictamen is issued.

Ask the regional education office or the school's guidance team what they accept, because this differs by region.

If you do not disclose

Your child does not lose the place. Admission cannot be cancelled for that reason. But reserved-place status and extra resources only start from the moment of the evaluation, so support can be delayed.

You or the school can ask for an evaluation later. It can lead to support measures and, if needed, a dictamen and a change of school. A mid-year move depends on available places and the administration's decision, so it is not guaranteed.

How to choose

Disclose with the dictamen if you have it. If you only have a foreign report, disclose it and ask for an evaluation. Only hold back if you are not ready to share; just know that support will start later. The decision, checklist and warnings below help you work through this.

Choosing between options

Should you disclose your child's diagnosis when you apply?

• Disclose it with the dictamen: You have the regional report. Your child counts in the reserved places and the administration can assign a school with the resources needed.

• Disclose it with a foreign report and ask for an evaluation: You only have a diagnosis from abroad. It supports your request, and the guidance team does its own evaluation before the place is assigned.

• Do not disclose it now: You prefer to wait. Your place is safe, but support and reserved-place status only start once an evaluation is done later.

Disclose if your child needs support: it unlocks the reserved places and a school with the right resources, and a school cannot refuse admission because of a disability. Points only matter where your region gives disability points, often around 1 to 2, and they decide among applicants for the same places.

Checklist

• Gather your child's foreign diagnosis reports and get them translated.

• Ask the regional education office or the school's guidance team whether they accept your foreign report as supporting evidence.

• Request the regional psychopedagogical evaluation, which leads to the dictamen needed for the reserved-place route.

• Ask for a provisional evaluation on arrival so support can begin while you wait for the dictamen.

• Check with the education office whether official recognition of the foreign report is needed for school purposes.

Confirm with your regional education office what it accepts for a diagnosis made abroad.

What to watch out for

• Staying silent delays support: If you do not disclose the diagnosis at admission, the place is not lost, but reserved-place status and extra resources only start from the moment of the evaluation. Your child may wait for support. Disclose the diagnosis with the dictamen when you apply, or ask for an evaluation as soon as you arrive.

• Changing school mid-year is not guaranteed: If the evaluation later shows your child needs a different school, the move depends on available places and the administration's decision. Raise the diagnosis early, so any change of school can be planned at the start rather than mid-year.

• Disclosure alone does not add points: Telling the school about the diagnosis does not give extra points by itself, except where your region has disability points. It does let your child count in the reserved places. Ask your education office whether your region gives disability points and how many.

Frequently asked questions

Can my child use the reserved places with only a foreign diagnosis?

Usually no, a foreign diagnosis alone does not give access to the reserved places, because regions require their own evaluation and report (the dictamen). Your foreign report still counts as supporting evidence, often with a translation. You do not normally need to have it officially recognised in Spain.

Does telling the school about the diagnosis give my child extra admission points?

No, disclosing the diagnosis does not give extra points by itself. Points for a disability exist only in some regions, often around 1 to 2 points, and they cover a disability of the pupil, a parent or a sibling.

Can I ask for an evaluation after my child has already started school?

Yes, you or the school can request an evaluation at any time, and the place is not lost. Support and reserved-place status only start from the evaluation, so support may be delayed. A mid-year change of school depends on availability and the administration's decision.