INCA Education around the world
Spain : Internal school organisation
- 4.2 Second phase: Compulsory primary, age 6 - 12
- 4.2.1 Organisation of teaching groups
- 4.2.2 Student progression through the phase
- 4.2.3 Class size
- 4.2.4 Teacher specialisation
4.2 Second phase: Compulsory primary, age 6 - 12
[see 3.2.2]4.2.1 Organisation of teaching groups
Primary students are generally assigned to classes by year of birth and remain in the same group throughout primary school. In rural schools, classes may include students of different ages. Although student diversity is addressed, intellectual ability or school achievement may not be used as criteria for class grouping.16 That is, the system is comprehensive with no grouping by ability.
4.2.2 Student progression through the phase
Cycles
Primary education is organised into three two-year cycles, corresponding to ages 6 to 8 years, 8 to 10 years and 10 to 12 years respectively. Primary schools should have at least one class (with a maximum of 25 students) for each school year and offer the three cycles.16
Progression
Since the 2003/04 academic year, automatic promotion to the next year has no longer been the norm. Children who do not meet the objectives for a given year do not automatically progress to the next year, but receive additional support to achieve the objectives before being allowed to move on. In addition, those children regarded as borderline cases, who are promoted to the next year, benefit from special classes in their weakest areas. Generally, however, no child is held back for more than one year. 63
Students usually transfer automatically from primary to compulsory secondary education.23
4.2.3 Class size
Primary schools have a maximum of 25 students per class (in accordance with the LOGSE).16,5 (Previous legislation9 , allowed up to 40 children in classrooms in compulsory education.).23
The average primary school class in Spain in the 2000/2001 academic year contained around 20 children. http://www.eurydice.org/Eurybase/Application/frameset.asp?country=SP&language=EN
4.2.4 Teacher specialisation
Each group of primary students is assigned to one class teacher, who acts as their tutor and is responsible for teaching the majority of subjects throughout each cycle. In theory, this teacher remains with the same class throughout the two-year cycle but, in practice, circumstances may dictate that this is not always the case. 16, 28
All primary school teachers must have a "maestro" teaching diploma, gained after three years at a university-level teacher training college. Primary school teachers are trained to teach all subjects except music, physical education and foreign languages, for which specialist teachers are employed.25
