For all the moms and dads who’ve just moved to Spain with their kids, are you as curious as I was about what’s taught in the public schools here? Unlike in China, where there’s a standardized national curriculum and textbooks, here each autonomous community has slightly different regulations, and schools have more autonomy. Today, I’d like to share what I’ve observed and learned about what children in Spanish public schools actually study, from primary to secondary school.
Primary School
Primary school generally lasts for 6 years, from age 6 to 12. The goal of this stage is to build a foundation of general knowledge, with a strong emphasis on the child’s holistic development rather than just rote learning. The core curriculum primarily includes: Spanish Language, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and a first foreign language, a standard offering in Spanish public schools. Beyond these, subjects like Physical Education, Music, and Art are given significant class time; there’s almost always a ‘supplementary’ subject scheduled each day, which is a major difference from back in China. There’s also a course on social and civic values, designed to foster civic awareness and moral principles from a young age.
Secondary School
Secondary school, officially called Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO), is a 4-year compulsory education stage for students aged 12 to 16. The curriculum’s depth and breadth increase at this level. While continuing with the core subjects from primary school, the knowledge is broken down into more specific fields. For example, Natural Sciences is divided into Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Geology. In the later years of secondary school, students are given more freedom of choice, allowing them to select different combinations of elective subjects based on their interests and future career paths. This system encourages students to think about their career planning early on, rather than just studying to pass exams.
The table below provides a simple summary of the core subjects for both stages to give you a clearer picture:
| Educational Stage | Examples of Core Subjects |
|---|
| Primary School | Spanish Language, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Foreign Language |
| Secondary School | Spanish Language & Literature, Mathematics, Geography & History, Physics & Chemistry, Biology & Geology |
My impression of Spain’s public education is that it doesn’t aim to turn children into ‘top students’ in a single subject. Instead, it focuses more on nurturing a ‘whole person’ who is physically and mentally healthy, capable of independent thought, and has a sense of social responsibility. The amount of homework is generally not overwhelming, but there are many group projects and research assignments that encourage teamwork and information-gathering skills. Of course, this is just a general framework, and each school has its own teaching style and focus. What interesting courses are your children taking at school? Feel free to reply and share in the discussion!
