The 'pre-reform' provisions outlined in this section were superseded by the LOGSE reforms, detailed in the main body of this Archive, in accordance with the timetable which follows:
Pre-LOGSE secondary education referred to the level of post-compulsory education following EGB (general compulsory education as it existed from age 6 - 14) and catered for students aged 14+ in two main branches:
Admissions criteria
In order to be admitted to the BUP, students had to have the Basic Education School Graduate Certificate (Graduado Escolar). The School Attendance Certificate (Certificado de Escolaridad) was sufficient for FP I. Students who had completed FP I could either enter FP II or the second year of the BUP. The COU was open to students who had successfully completed BUP or FP II.
Length of school year (in days) and day (in hours)
In BUP, COU and FP, the school year ran from 1 October to 30 June covering 170 days per year, five days per week.
Student progression through the phase
There were special examinations in September for students who did not pass all subjects in June. Students who did not pass the special examinations in September were obliged to repeat the entire school year, unless, in BUP, they had failed only one or two subject areas, or in COU, they had failed no more than three. The maximum period a student was allowed to complete the bachillerato was six years and to complete the COU, three years. The marking system was based on a numerical scale of one to ten. In vocational training, if a student passed every one of the subjects making up a subject area, an overall grade was given. If students failed any of these subjects, support measures were implemented. Students who did not pass the entire year course during the school year were entitled to sit a special examination in September. Under FPII, students were promoted from one year level to the next, provided that they had failed no more than two subjects from the previous year. However, if one of the outstanding subjects was a practical course, students had to pass this before they were allowed to proceed to the next year level.
In BUP, COU and FP, each group of students had a form/class teacher, whose responsibilities focused on coordinating student counselling and guidance on future educational and career prospects.
Compulsory subjects: BUP and COU
Compulsory curriculum for the first and second year of the BUP, students aged 14-16
|
BUP Year 1 |
BUP Year 2 |
| (Castilian) Spanish language and literature
Foreign language Mathematics Physical education and sport Religion/ethics Natural sciences History of civilisation and art Music Drawing |
(Castilian) Spanish language and literature
Foreign language Mathematics Physical education and sport Religion/ethics Physics and chemistry Human and economic geography Latin Technical/vocational course |
Source: EURYDICE and CEDEFOP (1995).
There were compulsory and optional subjects during Year 3 of the BUP course. Students had to study the following:
In addition, there were various optional subjects. Full details are provided below.
There were, similarly, compulsory and optional subjects for the pre-university COU course.
Compulsory subjects: pre-reform FP (formacion profesional, vocational education)
FP I and FP II both had two components:
The general education component of the curriculum covered similar material to that of the BUP but in less depth. See the table below.
Compulsory subjects for vocational education courses
|
FP I Year 1, age 14-15 |
FP I Year 2, age 15-16 |
FP II, age 16+ |
| (Castilian) Spanish language
Foreign language Religion/ethics Physical education and sport |
Foreign language
Arts Religion/ethics Physical education and sport Civics |
(Castilian) Spanish language
Foreign language Arts Religion/ethics Physical education and sport Mathematics Physics and chemistry Natural sciences |
Source: EURYDICE and CEDEFOP (1995).
Time allocation, BUP and COU
BUP and COU courses could be followed as day or evening courses, either at education institutions or through distance learning. The day regime was the most common, with a full timetable of 29 lessons of 50 minutes per week. Studies could be arranged in one of three ways: spread over the morning and the afternoon; as a continuous session in the morning; or as a continuous session in the afternoon. The evening regime was always subject to a reduced timetable.
The COU common subjects and option stream subjects covered 26 hours per week.
Time allocation, pre-reform FP courses
FP I lasted two years and was divided into three areas of knowledge:
There were two types of FP II: general and specialised. The general type lasted two years and was divided into three areas of knowledge:
The specialised type lasted three years and was divided into two areas:
Optional subjects: BUP
In the BUP course, options were selected for the third year of the course, students aged 16+. Students chose three options from A or B:
In addition, during the three years of the BUP, students could study a second foreign language (three hours a week) as an optional subject, and devoted one or two hours a week to areas where they felt they were having trouble, or to areas which they wanted to study in greater depth.
Optional subjects: COU
From the 1988/89 school year, the curriculum of the COU changed in order to allow greater choice of university studies. From 1988/89, it included four option streams instead of the previous two. Each option stream comprised two compulsory subjects and four optional subjects from which the students had to choose two.
Curriculum for the COU
| COU curriculum | Option A
(sciences and technology) |
Option B
(biology and health) |
Option C
(social sciences) |
Option D
(humanities and languages) |
| Common core | foreign language;
(Castilian) Spanish language; (and official language of the Autonomous Communities, where applicable); philosophy |
foreign language;
(Castilian) Spanish language; (and official language of the Autonomous Communities, where applicable); philosophy |
foreign language;
(Castilian) Spanish language; (and official language of the Autonomous Communities, where applicable); philosophy |
foreign language;
(Castilian) Spanish language; (and official language of the Autonomous Communities, where applicable); philosophy |
| Compulsory subjects | mathematics I;
physics |
chemistry;
biology |
mathematics II;
history of contemporary society |
Literature;
history of contemporary society |
| Optional subjects | chemistry;
biology; geology; technical drawing |
mathematics I;
physics; geology; technical drawing |
literature;
Latin; Greek; Art history |
Latin;
Greek; Art history; Mathematics II |
| Free options | In addition, students can study a second foreign language, sport or religion as optional subjects. | |||
Optional subjects: FP
FP I and FP II had 21 specialist branches: administration and commerce, agriculture, graphic arts, automotive engineering, construction, technical drawing, electricity and electronics, community services, hotel and tourism, image and sound, metal, wood, mining, fashion and tailoring, marine and fisheries, hairdressing and beauty treatment, skins and leather, chemistry, health, textiles, glass and ceramics.
Purpose of assessment: COU
Students had to successfully complete the COU course in order to have access to university education. They normally also had to take an entrance examination organised by each individual university (pruebas de aptitud para el accesso a la universidad - PAAU, commonly known as "selectividad").
Administration of assessment/assessment procedures: BUP
Students in state and state-subsidised private schools were assessed continuously throughout the year and, at the end of the year, received an overall mark determined by all their teachers. There were two examination periods per year - in June and September.
Administration of assessment/assessment procedures: COU
Assessment procedures were the same as for the BUP.
Administration of assessment/assessment procedures: Pre-reform vocational training
Students were subject to continuous assessment throughout the year by every subject teacher, and received a mark at the end of each assessment period.
Consequences of assessment: BUP
Students who failed in any subjects in the June examinations were able to retake these subjects in September. Those who failed in September in more than two subjects had to repeat the year. Those who failed in only one or two subjects progressed to the next year but followed remedial classes in the subject(s) concerned. Students who completed the three-year course successfully were awarded the bachillerato; there was no final examination.
Consequences of assessment: COU
Assessment procedures were the same as for the BUP. Students who failed in more than three subjects in the second examination session in September had to repeat the whole year. Students who failed in less than three subjects had to re-enrol in the COU to follow remedial courses. They were allowed to enrol in the COU for a maximum of three times.
Consequences of assessment: Pre-reform FP
Students were subject to continuous assessment throughout the year by every subject teacher, and received a mark at the end of each assessment period. If they passed all subjects in a certain field, they received an overall mark for that. If they had a negative mark in one subject they were required to take remedial courses. The final mark for the year (an average of the different assessments) was based on the marks received in each field. Students who did not pass, were able to take examinations during the two examination periods per year, in June and September (the same as in the BUP).
Successful students in FP I received the assistant technician's certificate ("técnico auxiliar"). This qualified students for second tier general vocational training, FP II; specialised FP II vocational training; the BUP, where they could be granted credit for some subject areas, and enrol to take the second year at the same time as the first year subjects for which they had not been credited; the bachillerato; intermediate level training cycles; various areas of the enseñanzas de régimen especial; or employment.
|
Phase |
Type of institution/education/course |
Year |
Typical age | |||||||||
|
Higher and further education |
University |
Formación Profesional de Grado Superior (Advanced level specific vocational training) |
Work |
18 + | ||||||||
|
Upper secondary education |
Students take Prueba General de Bachillerato (PGB)*** which leads to the title Bachillerato |
Titulode técnico (technical specialist) |
||||||||||
|
Bachillerato Students select an area of study from: |
Formación Profesional de Grado Medio (intermediate level specific vocational training) |
2 |
17 – 18 | |||||||||
|
Modalidad de ciencias y tecnologia (Science and technology) |
Modalidad de humanidades y ciencias socials (Humanities and social science) |
Modalidad de artes (Arts) |
1 |
16 – 17 | ||||||||
|
Compulsory lower secondary education |
Certificate of Compulsory Secondary Education (Titulo de Graduado en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria) | |||||||||||
|
Students select an area of study from: |
Programas de Iniciación Profesional (Programmes of initial vocational training) ** |
4 | 15 - 16 | |||||||||
|
Itinerario cientifico (Science) |
Itinerario humanistico (Humanities) |
Itinerario technologico (Technology) |
|
| ||||||||
|
Students select an area of study from: |
||||||||||||
|
Itinerario cientifico-humanístico (science and humanities route) |
Itinerario tecnológico (technological route) |
3 |
14 - 15 | |||||||||
|
Common core curriculum for all students |
2 |
13 – 14 | ||||||||||
|
1 |
12 – 13 | |||||||||||
|
Primary education |
Third cycle |
Centro concertado de educación primaria or Colegio de educación primaria |
6 |
11 – 12 | ||||||||
|
5 |
10 – 11 | |||||||||||
|
Second cycle |
4 |
9 – 10 | ||||||||||
|
3 |
8 – 9 | |||||||||||
|
First cycle |
2 |
7 – 8 | ||||||||||
|
1 |
6 – 7 | |||||||||||
|
Pre-compulsory education |
Second cycle* |
Educación infantil |
5 – 6 | |||||||||
|
4 – 5 | ||||||||||||
|
3 – 4 | ||||||||||||
|
First cycle* |
Educación prescolar |
2 – 3 | ||||||||||
|
1 – 2 | ||||||||||||
|
0 – 1 | ||||||||||||
* Pre-primary education is provided free of charge by the state for children aged 3 to 6 years whose parents request it. Nursery schools may offer the first cycle (0- to 3-year-olds), the second cycle (3- to 6-year-olds), or both cycles of pre-compulsory education and often form part of a primary school.
** Students who do not meet the requirements of compulsory secondary education will be eligible for two-year programmes of initial vocational training (Programas de Iniciación Profesional). This will lead to a qualification. These programmes will replace the current Social Guarantee programmes. In exceptional cases, 15-year-olds may participate in these courses.
*** This new standardised upper secondary school leaving examination which will be required to enter all types of higher education.
LODE - the Organic Act 8/1985 on the right to education6 developed from Article 27 of the Constitution and specified the following aims:
LOGSE - the Organic Act 1/1990 on the general organisation of the education system5 regulated the education system at non-university level, including pre-compulsory, pre-school education for children up to the age of 6. It:
The basic aim of pre-school education, under the LOGSE5 reforms, was the child's physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual development. LOGSE states that the pre-school stage is educational and not limited to supervision and care, as had often been the case in the past.16
Compulsory primary education aims to enable all children to acquire basic cultural skills and knowledge relating to oral expression, reading, writing and arithmetic, and progressive independence within their environment.16
Compulsory lower secondary education (ESO) under LOGSE5 aimed to provide all students with basic cultural skills; train them to assume their responsibilities and exercise their rights; and prepare them either for employment, for intermediate level specific vocational training or for the general branch of upper secondary education (bachillerato).29
To meet these objectives, lower secondary education is governed by two complementary principles: comprehensiveness and a commitment to diversity. This approach aims to offer well-rounded instruction comprising fundamental curricular concepts and course content intended for all students, and gradually introduces differentiation through a broader range of subjects (and options).29
Although there is a leaving qualification on completion of lower secondary education in Spain, this phase is not generally regarded as a distinct phase of education in its own right. It is more usually regarded as preparation for upper secondary education.22
General (post-compulsory) upper secondary education (bachillerato) complements compulsory lower secondary education (ESO) and aims to prepare students for university education, for advanced level specific vocational training, or for employment, by fostering:
It is the aim of (post-compulsory) upper secondary specific vocational training to facilitate the transition to working life; to contribute to continuing training for all citizens; and to meet industry's demands for skilled employees. These courses (which replaced the pre-reform FP I and FP II courses, see Appendix 1) are designed to provide students with relevant occupational qualifications. They are available at two levels: intermediate level specific vocational training, which follows on from the end of compulsory lower secondary education (ESO); and advanced level specific vocational training courses on which students usually enrol after a general (post-compulsory) upper secondary (bachillerato) course.16,25
The LOGSE5 reforms were implemented gradually during the period 1991-2002, as outlined below, and generally replaced the provisions of the 1970 General Act on Education (LGE).24,9
| Academic Year | Reform of: |
| 1991/92 | Infant education |
| 1992/93 | Year 1 and Year 2 of primary education, students aged 6-8 |
| 1993/94 | Year 3 and Year 4 of primary education, students aged 8-10 |
| 1994/95 | Year 5 of primary education, students aged 10-11 |
| 1995/96 | Year 6 of primary education, students aged 11-12 |
| 1996/97 | Year 1 of ESO (compulsory secondary), students aged 12-13 |
| 1997/98 | Year 2 of ESO (compulsory secondary), students aged 13-14 |
| 1998/99 | Year 3 of ESO (compulsory secondary, students aged 14-15) |
| 1999/2000 | Year 4 of ESO, (students aged 15-16) |
| 2000/2001 |
Year 1 of bachillerato (post-compulsory secondary, students aged 16-17) and of intermediate level specific vocational training |
| 2001/2002 |
Year 2 of bachillerato (students aged 17-18) and of intermediate level specific vocational training |
(LOPEG)4 sets standards for the organisation and operation of governing bodies in public sector establishments. It governs:
The Organic Act on the Quality of Education (LOCE) (Ley Orgánica de Calidad de la Educación) was passed in 2002. This proposed reforms intended to "reduce school failure, raise standards of education and promote a culture of effort". It was originally intended that the reforms would be introduced over five academic years starting in 2003/04. The proposals included measures to:
However, in May 2004, the newly elected Government decided to postpone the implementation of the more controversial aspects of the LOCE reforms, including the proposed reorganisation of lower secondary education and the introduction of the school leaving examination (the PGB) at age 18. The national debate on educational reform (see below), which took place between October and December 2004, was intended to create a reform programme which would have the support of the majority of all interested parties. 86 77 85