Transitions and adulthood

This Topic is for people considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. It helps you keep support in place across school stages and regions, get exams adjusted, and understand the routes open after compulsory school. By the end you will know what to prepare for secondary school, what carries over between regions, how exams are adjusted, and what comes after 16 and 18.

Start with "Moving from primary to secondary (ESO) with a support plan". It covers the first big step: making sure the plan, the report and the support follow your child to the institute. From there, move on to whichever matches your situation:

• What carries over when you change region or school stage
• Exam adjustments and qualifications for students with support needs (ESO and PAU)
• What happens after compulsory school for a child with significant support needs

Dependencia, adult legal capacity, general vocational training and university admission are covered elsewhere.

Key rules

• Disability certificate: The disability certificate recognises a degree of disability of 33% or more and is valid across Spain.
• Special school age limit: Special education schools generally serve pupils up to age 21, and staying longer is exceptional.
• Compulsory school: Compulsory schooling runs from age 6 to 16, and secondary (ESO) covers ages 12 to 16.
• Admission: Priority at the linked institute is not automatic admission: you must still submit the application in the regular period.
• Paperwork: The primary school passes on the file, but ask for your own copies and give them to the institute at enrolment.
• Re-evaluation: A report from another region is not automatically binding, so expect the new region to evaluate your child again.

Transitions and adulthood: the whole process, step by step

• Start the disability certificate and dependency assessment, and look at post-school options: 2 to 3 years before leaving school, from around age 16 to 18; both can take many months

• Ask for the support report and plan to be updated at the move to ESO (Moving from primary to secondary (ESO) with a support plan): in the final primary year, in spring, or early in 1st ESO

• Submit the school admission application and make sure the report and records reach the institute (Moving from primary to secondary (ESO) with a support plan): in the regular admission period, usually spring; ask for copies and hand them in at enrolment

• If you move region, ask the new school's orientation service to review the report (What carries over when you change region or school stage): on arrival; the review normally takes weeks to a few months

• Stay in school: compulsory schooling runs from age 6 to 16, and ESO covers 12 to 16, with extra years possible for students with support needs: until the regional limit, up to about 18 or 19 in ordinary schools

• Request exam adjustments for the PAU, the university entrance exam (Exam adjustments and qualifications for students with support needs (ESO and PAU)): usually when you register, in May or June for the ordinary call and in July for the extraordinary call; some universities ask earlier

• Apply for centro ocupacional, day centre or adapted training places (What happens after compulsory school for a child with significant support needs): 6 to 12 months before the end of the course; waiting lists can be long

• Leave special education school, which generally serves pupils up to age 21: at the end of the schooling, up to age 21

Documents you may need

Other documents

• Disability certificate — Exam adjustments and qualifications for students with support needs (ESO and PAU), What happens after compulsory school for a child with significant support needs
• The psychopedagogical report or dictamen from the previous community — What carries over when you change region or school stage
• School report from the orientador on the adaptations you received — Exam adjustments and qualifications for students with support needs (ESO and PAU)
• Dependency assessment from the regional social services or dependency department — What happens after compulsory school for a child with significant support needs
• The certificado de discapacidad — What carries over when you change region or school stage

Transitions and adulthood: questions that cross several articles

Is a support report from one region valid in another region?

Usually the new school accepts a report from another region as evidence of needs, but no national rule makes it binding. Support normally continues for now, and the new region's orientation service may review or redo it to issue its own documents.

Who sends my child's report from primary school to the institute?

The primary school sends it: the tutor and head of studies pass on the file, coordinated by the school's orientation team. Also ask for copies and hand them to the institute at enrolment.

Does my child get a place at the linked institute automatically?

Not always, because you still need to submit the admission application in the regular period, usually spring. Pupils from the linked school have priority, and you can list other centres in order of preference.

How long does a new assessment take after moving region?

It normally takes weeks to a few months, depending on caseload and the time of year. The new school's orientation service carries it out, so ask for it as soon as you enrol.

Which support measures can my child have in ESO, and how do they affect exams?

Ordinary measures such as reinforcement need no formal report, while significant curriculum adaptations and extra support need a psychopedagogical evaluation. Regions add their own conditions. Read "Moving from primary to secondary (ESO) with a support plan" and "Exam adjustments and qualifications for students with support needs (ESO and PAU)".

Procedures and timing differ by community, so confirm details with the school's orientation team or regional education department.