Moving from primary to secondary (ESO) with a support plan

Terms used

• CEIP — A CEIP is a public primary school, covering ages 6 to 12.
• IES — An IES is a public secondary school, called an institute, where ESO is taught.
• ESO — ESO is compulsory secondary education, covering ages 12 to 16 in four years.
• Orientador — The orientador is the institute's specialist who evaluates pupils' needs, advises teachers and supports families.
• Dictamen — The dictamen is an official report setting out a pupil's special educational needs and the type of schooling and support they require.

Key rules

• 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: Whether the evaluation is updated at this move depends on your region, so ask the primary school's orientation team in 6th of primaria.
• First contact: The institute's orientador is your main contact for support once your child arrives.

When the move happens

Your child moves from primary (CEIP) to an institute (IES) after 6th of primaria, in the year they turn 12. Secondary (ESO) covers ages 12 to 16, and compulsory schooling runs from age 6 to 16. Some concertado or private schools and combined centres teach both stages on one site. In that case there is no change of building, but the same steps still apply.

Who does what

The primary school sends your child's file to the institute. The tutor and the head of studies send it, and the school's orientation team coordinates. The file includes the psychopedagogical report, the dictamen if there is one, and the support plan. This happens once the place is confirmed.

The two schools' staff meet to hand over. These transition meetings between primary and secondary orientation staff and tutors usually take place in spring and June.

You apply for the place, ask for copies, and hand them over. Do not rely only on the schools passing paperwork between themselves. Ask the primary school for copies of the reports and give them to the institute at enrolment. The checklist below lists the documents.

The institute's orientador leads the orientation department. The orientador takes over your child's case, advises teachers and tutors on support, and works with specialist teachers. The orientador also reviews the measures, guides your family, and stays in touch with health and social services and with the primary school.

Will the evaluation be redone?

It depends on your region. No single national rule applies. In many regions the orientation team updates the psychopedagogical evaluation, and sometimes the dictamen, around this change of stage. That is usually in the spring term of the last primaria year or early in 1st ESO. Often the update is triggered by a change in your child's needs rather than happening automatically. Ask the primary school's orientation team in 6th of primaria whether an update is due, and who will do it. If your child's needs have changed, ask for one in writing.

Getting a place

Public primary schools are linked to one or more institutes, and your child has priority at the linked one. You still have to submit the admission application in the regular period, usually in spring. Say on it that your child has support needs. You can list other institutes in order of preference, and places are allocated by points. Places are reserved for pupils with support needs, and the number varies by region.

If your child has a dictamen, it may point to a centre with the right resources. In that case the admissions commission or the education inspectorate decides. The decision table below helps you weigh the options.

Support once in ESO

Pupils who struggle but have no dictamen can get ordinary measures, such as reinforcement classes and flexible grouping. These need no formal evaluation. Pupils with a dictamen can get specific measures, such as a significantly adapted curriculum, specialist teacher support and extra time. From 3rd ESO, a curriculum diversification programme is for pupils with significant difficulties who have repeated or are unlikely to graduate by the usual route. Regions add their own conditions, so ask the orientador what applies.

Where to find the rest

The checklist below gives the steps in order, and the milestones timeline shows where this move fits from age 0 to 21.

Choosing between options

Which institute should you ask for at the move to secondary?

• The institute linked to your primary school: Choose this if it offers the support your child needs. Pupils from the linked school have priority, but you must still apply in the regular period.

• A different institute: Choose this if another school has better resources for your child or suits your family better. List it on the same application in order of preference. Places are allocated by points.

• A school proposed through the dictamen: This applies if your child has a dictamen that points to a school with specific resources. The education inspectorate or admissions commission (comisión de escolarización) decides.

If your child has a dictamen that names the resources needed, follow that route and ask the orientation team to confirm it. Otherwise, list the linked institute and any alternatives in preference order on the application, saying your child has support needs.

Dates, reserved-place numbers and priorities depend on your community, so confirm them with the education department or the school.

Support milestones from age 0 to 21

• Early intervention (atención temprana) runs from birth and ends when your child enters primary school: from birth to age 6

• Ask the early intervention centre or health service for a final report, and ask the infantil school for its end-of-stage report: around age 5 to 6

• Apply for a primary place during the regular admission period and say your child has support needs, so a suitable school can be reserved: in spring before primary starts

• Support moves to the school: its orientation team, plus specialist teachers where your child has special educational needs. Therapies such as speech therapy or psychology continue through the regional health service or social services: when primary starts, around age 6

• The school updates your child's psychopedagogical evaluation, and often the dictamen that decides the type of school, at the change of stage: at the move from infantil to primary and again from primary to ESO

• Compulsory schooling runs from age 6 to 16: from age 6 to 16

• Contact the institute's orientador, visit the institute and apply for a place in the regular admission period: from autumn to spring of the last primary year

• Ask for a review whenever your child's needs change significantly: at any point, and some regions also review at the end of each cycle or every two years

• Check the evaluation is up to date before post-compulsory options such as bachillerato, FP or programmes for students with special needs: during or at the end of ESO

• Ask for exam adaptations for the university entrance exam (PAU) when you register: May or June for the ordinary call, July for the extraordinary call, and some universities ask a little earlier

• If you move to another region, give the new school your existing report. It is normally accepted as evidence of needs and support usually continues, but the new region's orientation service may redo the evaluation: as soon as you know the move

• Special education schools generally serve pupils from 3 up to age 21, so plan the next step well before that: in the years before age 21

Preparing for secondary school with a support plan

• Contact the institute's orientador to introduce your child and ask how support will continue — You have a named contact at the institute

• Go to the institute's open days and, if offered, the visit for 6th primaria pupils — You have seen the institute and met staff

• Submit the admission application in the regular period, say your child has support needs, and list other institutes in order of preference — Application submitted on time

• Ask your child's primary school to pass the latest psychopedagogical report, the dictamen if there is one, the current support plan and its follow-up reports to the institute — The primary school confirms what it sent

• Gather the disability certificate if you have one, medical reports with the diagnosis, therapy reports and your child's academic record — One set of copies is ready

• Go to the transition meeting between primary and institute staff and families — You have heard how the plan will carry over

• Contact the orientador again once the place is confirmed — Place confirmed and orientador informed

• Give the orientador your set of copies when you enrol — Orientador has received the documents

• Agree the support plan with the orientador before September, including who follows your child's progress and when it is reviewed — Plan agreed before classes start

Frequently asked questions

Will my child automatically get a place at the institute linked to their primary school?

Not always: pupils from the linked institute (adscrito) get priority, but you still have to submit the admission application in the regular period, usually in spring. On the same form you can list other schools in order of preference, and places are given by points.

Can my child be sent to a different institute because of their support needs?

Yes, if your child has a dictamen, it may direct them to a school with the right resources. The education inspectorate or the admissions commission (comisión de escolarización) makes that decision. Ask the primary school's orientation team early so the dictamen is up to date before you apply.

Does my child get a new psychopedagogical evaluation when they start secondary?

In most regions the orientation team updates the evaluation and dictamen around the change of stage, usually in the spring term of the last primary year or early in 1st ESO. There is no single national rule, and a review is often triggered by a change in needs. Ask the primary school's orientation team whether your region does it routinely.

What does the institute's orientador do once my child arrives?

The orientador leads the orientation department, which advises teachers and tutors on support measures and helps draw up adaptations. They work with the support teachers (PT and AL), follow your child's progress and review measures. They also guide families and keep in touch with health and social services.

What support is available in ESO if my child struggles but has no dictamen?

Yes, ordinary measures such as extra help (refuerzo), split classes and flexible grouping need no formal dictamen. Significant curriculum adaptations and PT or AL support need an evaluation. In 3rd and 4th ESO, pupils with significant difficulties may qualify for a diversificación programme, with extra conditions set by each region.