What carries over when you change region or school stage

Terms used

• Dictamen — The dictamen is the official report setting out a pupil's special educational needs and the support they should receive.
• Certificado de discapacidad — The certificado de discapacidad is an official certificate recognising a degree of disability of 33% or more, valid across Spain.
• Traslado de expediente — The traslado de expediente is the transfer of a pupil's school file from the old school to the new one.
• Orientador — The orientador is the school's guidance specialist who evaluates pupils' needs and advises on support.

Key rules

• Re-evaluation: A report from another region is not automatically binding, so expect the new region to evaluate your child again.
• Your copies: Get your own copies of the report, academic record and support plan before leaving, because support reports do not always travel with the file.
• Disability certificate: The certificado de discapacidad is valid across Spain, but regional benefits may need a new application.
• Support meanwhile: The new school usually continues provisional support while the new evaluation is pending.

A report from another region is not automatically recognised

Plan for a new evaluation. Education is run by each region, and each one sets its own criteria for identifying special educational needs and for issuing its own report. Nothing makes a report from one region binding in another.

The good news: the new school normally accepts your report as evidence of your child's needs. Support usually carries on for now, while the new region looks again. Formal support measures often depend on the new region's own evaluation.

Which documents travel

• The psychopedagogical report (dictamen). Bring it exactly as issued. It counts as evidence, not as a final decision.
• Academic record and support plan. Ask the old school for copies before you leave.
• The certificado de discapacidad, if your child has one. It recognises a degree of disability of 33% or more and is valid across Spain. A region you move to may ask you to register your change of residence. Benefits and services that depend on regional rules may need a new application there.

Do not rely on the schools to pass everything on. The new school asks the old one for the academic record through the traslado de expediente, which usually happens when you enrol. There is no national system that sends support reports automatically. Whether they are included depends on the sending school and region. Keep your own copies.

Who re-evaluates and how long it takes

The new school's orientation service does the re-evaluation. In primary this is usually a local guidance team. In secondary it is the school's orientador. The region's inspection or admissions body may then approve the new report. Expect weeks to a few months, depending on workload and the time of year. Ask the school for an estimate.

Support while you wait

The school normally applies temporary measures based on the report you bring. These are usually ordinary inclusion measures. Examples are classroom reinforcement, flexible grouping, minor curriculum adaptations, and help from the therapeutic pedagogy or hearing and language teacher. The orientador often keeps the previous level of support until the new evaluation is done. Each region sets its own procedure, so ask the school what it will apply in your case.

Changing school inside the same region

This is simpler. The academic record, report and support plan normally move school to school with the file, often through the region's education system. The new school's orientation team then adopts or updates the measures. Check that everything arrived in the first weeks.

The documents and checklist below give the steps in order.

Documents you need

• The psychopedagogical report or dictamen from the previous community, as issued. The new school normally accepts it as evidence of needs, but formal measures often need a local re-evaluation.

• The certificado de discapacidad, if your child has one. It recognises a degree of disability of 33% or more and is valid across Spain. Register your change of residence if the new community asks for it.

Check with the new school which report copies it wants, and with the new community which regional benefits you must reapply for.

Checklist

• Plan for a new evaluation in the new community, because a report from another region is not automatically binding there.

• Ask the previous school for copies of the psychopedagogical report, academic record and support plan.

• Ask the new school to request the traslado de expediente on enrolment, and ask whether the support reports are included.

• Ask the new school's orientation service who will carry out the re-evaluation and how long it usually takes.

• Ask the new school which provisional support it will apply until the new evaluation is done.

• Register your change of residence and ask the new community's disability service about the certificado de discapacidad and any benefits you must reapply for.

• If you only change school within the same community, check that the report and support plan arrived with the file.

Frequently asked questions

Will my child keep support while waiting for the new evaluation?

Yes, the new school normally applies provisional support based on your child's incoming report and records while the new evaluation is pending. This is usually ordinary inclusion help, such as classroom reinforcement or sessions with the pedagogía terapéutica or audición y lenguaje teacher.

How long does a re-evaluation take after moving to another community?

A re-evaluation normally takes from a few weeks to a few months, depending on caseload and the time of year. The school's orientation service carries it out, and in primary this is often a team such as the EOEP or EAT. Ask the new school early for an expected date.

Does the support plan follow my child if we change school within the same community?

Yes, within one community the academic record, report and support plan are normally sent school to school with the file, often through the regional education system. The new school's orientation team then adopts or updates the measures. The new school must apply them, but they can be revised after its own evaluation.

Should I ask for copies of my child's reports myself?

Yes, request copies from the old school yourself, because there is no national platform that sends support reports automatically. The new school asks for the academic record through the traslado de expediente, but whether reports are included depends on the sending school and region. Hand your copies to the new school on enrolment.