How does the school system work in Spain?

Before moving to Spain I honestly had no idea how different the school system was here compared to the UK. I remember hearing words like “ESO” and “Bachillerato” constantly and having absolutely no clue what anyone was talking about.

If you’re thinking about working in schools in Spain (especially as a language assistant), it actually helps a lot to understand how everything is organised because the age groups and school structure can feel confusing at first.

The first stage is Infantil, which is basically nursery/kindergarten. Children are usually between 3 and 5 years old here.

• Infantil 3 = 3-4 years old

• Infantil 4 = 4-5 years old

• Infantil 5 = 5-6 years old

  
  

After that comes Primary School, called Primaria. This goes from 1EP to 6EP (EP stands for Educación Primaria).

• 1EP = 6-7 years old

• 2EP = 7-8

• 3EP = 8-9

• 4EP = 9-10

• 5EP = 10-11

• 6EP = 11-12

  
  

Then students move into ESO, which is compulsory secondary education. This confused me at first because everyone just says “ESO” like you’re automatically supposed to know what it means.

ESO stands for Educación Secundaria Obligatoria and it’s basically secondary school.

• 1ESO = 12-13 years old

• 2ESO = 13-14

• 3ESO = 14-15

• 4ESO = 15-16

  
  

After finishing ESO, students can either continue studying or choose more vocational routes.

This is where Bachillerato comes in. Bachillerato is optional and lasts for two years. Students usually do it if they want to go to university afterwards (it’s basically sixth form like we have in the UK)

• 1 Bachillerato = 16-17 years old

• 2 Bachillerato = 17-18

  
  

From what I’ve seen, Bachillerato is taken pretty seriously because students are preparing for university entrance exams at the end. It’s definitely more academic and focused compared to ESO.

Something else that surprised me was the different types of schools in Spain because there isn’t just public vs private like I originally thought.

You have public schools, which are government funded and usually have shorter days. A lot finish around 2pm, although it depends on the school and area.

Then there are concertados, which are semi-private schools. These are really common in Spain and honestly this is probably where a lot of language assistants end up working. They’re partly funded by the government but run more like private schools in some ways.

The school day is usually longer, often around 8:30/9am until 5pm, although if you’re working as a language assistant you normally won’t actually be there for the full day. Don’t panic!

Then there are fully private schools which often have similar hours to concertados and sometimes offer bilingual or international programmes.

One thing I noticed quite quickly is that schools in Spain often feel very social and community-focused. Families are really involved, there are LOTS of celebrations and events throughout the year, and teachers tend to know each other very well.

Also the relationships between students and teachers can feel a bit more relaxed and warm compared to what I was used to in the UK.

And honestly… Spanish children have energy levels I didn’t even know were possible but wow I LOVE it and i know you will too!