Secondary education in Spain: school structure

Secondary education in Spain: school structure

The Spanish secondary education structure involves 3 types of schools:

  • Private. Prestigious schools that operate with modern technology on a fee-for-service basis. In addition, this category includes institutions organized on the principles of the non-Spanish educational system: foreign schools, Montessori schools, etc.

  • Public. Mass schools that educate children from various social groups according to approved educational programs.

  • Semiprivate (Concertados). These are schools that used to be private, but have been taken over by the Catholic community. They are popularly called "monastic schools. The influence of the Catholic priesthood on Spanish society has always been great. People born even in the 1970s still had monks and nuns as teachers, imposing Christian dogma on their students. With the 1985 reforms, such schools were converted to public funding, and the model of education was changed from religious to secular.

It takes 8 years for Spanish students to master basic education, of which the first 5 years are in elementary school and the next 3 years are in middle school. Then the child attends "bachillerato" - the analogue of high school in Russia.

The school year lasts from September 15 to June 15, and is interrupted by Christmas vacations and Holy Week in early April.

Secondary education

Subjects such as geometry, physics, and chemistry are added to the secondary education program. The study lasts 4 academic courses, the transition to the next one is possible only if there is no negative grade in each of the disciplines. But if a student's grades are poor and related to serious life circumstances, teachers may make an exception for students who are in good standing.

Bachillerato

After receiving a high school diploma, a child can enroll in "bachilerato." This is an additional two-year course, which is mandatory for anyone who plans to continue in higher education.

At this point, the student must choose a direction:

  • social sciences;

  • engineering;

  • economics and management;

  • natural sciences;

  • fine arts;

  • the stage arts.

Accordingly, emphasis is placed on those subjects that are necessary for an in-depth study of the subject. But courses such as philosophy, anatomy, Latin, etc. are mandatory for all.

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