Schools, Education and Childcare in Ibiza

Education and Childcare

In Ibiza you can either send your child to the state schools or there are three fee paying options you may wish to consider. First we will look at the state system.

State schools structure and hours

Education in Ibiza is compulsory for all children aged 6 – 16 years. In practice most parents send their children to pre school, part of the primary school, from age 3 in the state system.

The school day for primary schools runs from 8:50 am until 1:50 for pre school and 9.00 until 14:00 for primary. Ages are split into 3 cycles from ages 6 to 8, 8 to 10 and 10 to 12 with 2 classes per cycle. One arguable advantage of the Spanish system is that at the end of each cycle if a child has failed to reach standard for the next cycle they are asked to repeat the year.

Secondary education is split into two cycles age 12 to 14 and 14 to 16. Again they are permitted to repeat one year if they fail. At 16 pupils may continue on to take the bachillerato (UK A level equivalent) which if successful will enable them to continue on to University at 18 or thereabouts. Alternatively they may move on to vocational studies for a more practical career.

The school day for secondary schools is longer usually running from 8 am to 15:00, but in higher years there may be a couple of days a week when they are required to stay until 15:30 but this is not always compulsory.

Schools do not have a lunch hour as such because the day is short but children are expected to take a snack or sandwich and a drink to have in their 11.45 break.

Some selected schools do offer extended paid care after school for working parents and a hot meal can be ordered if using this service but this is not a common option.

Language and Teaching

All education here is strictly conducted in Catalan ( a legal requirement with roots in the aftermath of Franco’s dictatorship) This can come as a bit of a shock to new arrivals expecting Spanish as most people know it (Castellano) to be the language used. This does make it a little more difficult for immigrant children as they have to learn both languages. Castellano is spoken in the playground and by many children at home so both are necessary. However, to begin with, children do have extra language lessons for several hours per week during the school day to master the basics. Personal experience of the writer and friends would be that your child will confuse the two for the first few years and will speak a mixture of both. Catalan can also cause problems at first when parents are required to help with their child’s homework, even if they have a basic grip of Castellano as the two languages are very different so do try to purchase a Catalan/English dictionary as a priority!

Legally teachers are only supposed to speak to parents in Catalan but in practice most will speak with you in Castellano. If a parent is really struggling at the beginning they will occasionally bring in the English teacher to translate but don’t expect this regularly. There does come a point where you will either learn Castellano or Catalan or rely on your child to translate; not ideal if they are in trouble!

The curriculum in Spanish state schools is similar to most other European countries and parents can choose whether or not their children take religious studies.  Younger children study Catalan, Castellano, Mathematics and Medi which is general basic science along with Plastica which is essentially arts and crafts, IT and PE.

Secondary studies follow the same lines with students having to choose a specialism in the fourth year between technology, sciences or the arts.

Holidays

Not only are the school days shorter in Ibiza but the holidays are generally longer. Christmas holidays are around two weeks, Easter about 1 and a half weeks and summer a whopping 3 months running from mid June until around the middle of September. Don’t expect to be told at the end of the school year when the next year will start. Notification of the date is generally by word of mouth and posters put up around the town near to the start of term!

There are also many single days spread through the year, usually Saints days and on Mondays as bank holidays in the UK. There are however no half terms as there are in the UK. During the summer holidays you can send your child to summer school at a cost of around 125 Euros per child per month. This service runs for the same hours as the school day in many towns across the island and you can either choose to send them for the whole of July or August or both and also extra weeks to cover the end of June and the beginning of September for a pro rata cost. Activities include arts and crafts, sports, swimming and some day excursions to the beach, water sports centres and places of local interest, most of which are included in the price. Discounts are available for second and subsequent children, children with learning difficulties or disabilities and children from very large families. Your school should give you the forms in advance and registration and payment are on a strictly first come, first served basis on specified dates and places in the various island towns. It is possible to send your child to summer school out of your area of residence, for example near to your workplace, but in some areas competition for places is stiff and queuing for places from 6 am on the day is not unheard of in larger towns. In smaller villages forms are not always distributed through the school so do check from May onwards for registration dates at your local town Hall (Ayuntamiento)

Getting your child into school

To secure a place for your child at school when you first arrive will depend how many children you have and whereabouts you live. In some smaller towns and villages you can approach the schools direct by making an appointment with the secretary or Head Teacher. However if you are looking for more than one place or live in a larger town where your chosen school may not have a place available you will need to apply through the Education Office located in the Via Punica off the Vara De Rey in Ibiza town (Tel: 971310104) English is not widely spoken either in the schools or in this office so do try to take a translator with you if possible. Please be aware you may have to wait several weeks for a place if your first choice is not available and if you have more than two children you may be placed at a school in another village several kilometres away if you want to keep them together. We would advise that you do try to keep them together if possible as some schools have no other English speaking children and it can be tough for them alone at first. When you apply for your place you will need to fill out some basic forms (for tips see the Language section) .You will also need to provide a Certificado de Empadronamiento, available for a small charge from the town hall when you present your rental agreement or proof of ownership of your property. This paper is used to prove your address in many instances and we would advise you ask for one whether schools are an issue or not. You will also, in some schools, be asked for a Certificado de Convivencia. Again this is available from the Town Hall and is a document which states which members of a family live together and is taken loosely as proof of parental responsibility.  Further to these you will need to provide your child’s vaccination record, which must be up to date and two passport sized photographs of your child which can be done at most photographic shops. You must also take your child’s passport along with a copy. Photocopies of the Convivencia and Empadronamiento are acceptable if you also take the original so you can then keep your stamped originals for other situations. Photocopies can be done at most newspaper shops and some photographic stores.

Books and Materials

Although education in Ibiza is free parents are required to buy all textbooks, notebooks and materials that their child will use in school. The total cost of this varies but is on average 300.00 Euros per child per year. Normally speaking, in larger schools, you can save some money by ordering in advance through the school parents association at the end of the previous term (The APIMA) and the books will then be available to collect at the beginning of the new term with a discount applied. However in smaller schools and at senior school level you must take a list of books to a named Llibreria (book shop) and buy them yourself. Usually for primary schools this will be the village book store but at senior level this is normally a book shop in Ibiza town. The list will either be given to your child, posted on the school gates or be available at the nominated book shop at the start of term. Lists of materials are available in the same way but you can generally take them to any Papeleria (stationers). Through the year you will need to supplement the materials as they run out. Sometimes books can be passed down from one year to the next but as texts change and children are sometimes required to write in textbooks this is not always possible.

Nurseries and Childcare

There are some state nurseries for under 3’s but competition is stiff and they are fee paying but cheaper than private provision. There are also some private nurseries but do check credentials and registration documents before proceeding. Although they are supposed to be regulated this is not always the case.

Standards vary and it is always best to find something by recommendation. State nurseries are  a good way to introduce your child to a learning environment in another language before full time school as hours are shorter and you do not have to send the child full time. Although the school nursery at 3 years old has one introductory week of part time attendance it is pretty much full time immediately which is sometimes a little much for children so young.

For general childcare there are organisations (www.childcareibiza.com) who will provide vetted childcare in your own home and many private individuals available for baby sitting. Cost varies between 10 and 20 Euros per hour but can be more if there are several children in the house.

For more regular needs to cover work it may be worth considering an au pair. There are several internet sites with registered au pairs looking for work abroad and if you have the space Ibiza is obviously an attractive proposition. This option will generally be a lot more cost effective in the long run.

Private Education

There are three fee paying schools in Ibiza to choose from.

The first is based in the Can Misses area of Ibiza Town and is a Spanish private school. Escuela Mestral was founded in 2001 and has around 300 pupils and 24 teaching staff. Children are currently accepted between the ages of 6 and 12 years old but there are plans to extend back to the nursery years in the future. Fees are around 385.00 Euros per month for the 10 months of the academic year and matriculation is also a one off fee of 385.00 Euros. Teaching is a mixture of Castellano and Catalan .Transport is provided from the main towns at an extra cost. Teaching hours per week are 33. Contact 971194576 for more information.

The second option is the international school in Santa Gertrudis in the middle of the island. This purpose built school was originally housed in Morna Valley in San Carlos in an old finca when it was founded in 1973 and is still called Morna International School. It currently has 240 pupils and 28 teaching staff and follows the UK National Curriculum up to A Level from nursery years. Classes are taught in English and pupils also learn Catalan and Castellano. Fees vary from 4,429.00 per annum for nursery class to 9,734.00 per annum for A level pupils. Matriculation is 300 Euros. Holidays generally follow the UK norm and teaching is for 35 hours a week. Contact 971197672 for further information.

The third and final option is based in San Jose and was founded in 1975. With classes taught mainly in French the College Francais is part funded by the French Government. Holding 240 pupils with 15 staff classes are normally not more than 20 in number. A specialist language school it takes pupils from nursery up to GCSE equivalent. Teaching hours are 28 per week and holidays are generally in the Spanish pattern. Matriculation is 125 Euros with fees ranging from 220 Euros per month at nursery level to 288 per month for secondary. For further information call 971395250.

A final option which is becoming more popular in recent years on the island amongst ex pats is to teach your child at home. The legal situation is unclear but there have been groups of like minded parents who have followed this course whether individually or as a collective. There are many on line resources and options for this and it is possible if following the UK National Curriculum to sit examinations on the island as an external candidate at secondary level (GCSE and A Level , please contact us for details) .It is certainly an option which may suit some but social integration issues must be considered carefully.

On the whole education in a new country will always present some teething problems, not least from the language perspective and it is perhaps prudent to give your child some level of Castellano at least in advance of your move to enable them to communicate in a basic way with teachers and fellow pupils. Generally speaking the older the child the harder the transition. Children studying at senior level usually having the most difficulty adapting as the foundation of all their knowledge, particularly technical language, is in English.  It is possible to have private language tuition at home to supplement school work and it would be wise to budget for this, particularly with the older child.

The Spanish education system also relies quite heavily on “ repaso” which is optional fee paying homework supervision sessions conducted on a private basis by teachers out of school hours, so on the whole do budget for a little more academic expense than you would in the UK.

Finally when you are helping your child settle in remember this.  After the first week at school our children came home demanding that their sandwiches for lunch be wrapped in foil as that was the way the Spanish children had theirs and the other kids thought they were odd because they had their dinner in a plastic box. Sometimes the small things make all the difference!