Cultural Insight School Sins Pain

8/6/2019 Cultural Insight School Sins Pain

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Cultural Insight

School life in Spanish-speaking countries: In Spanish-speaking countries, school life is very different from that inNorth American English-speaking countries. Schools in Spanish-speaking countries require students to wear uniforms, and teachersusually lecture more than having students participate in theclassroom. Also, children in Spanish-speaking countries go to schoolmore often than those in North - American English-speakingcountries. For example, children in Spain attend school for 190 days,while in the United States, the school year lasts for 180 days orlonger. School days in Spanish-speaking countries also last longerthan those in other countries, with students usually having at least 6-7periods a day, which is common in the United States.

State and Private Schools: Spain has privately-owned and state schools. Some of the private

schools are funded by the state ( concertados ). Fees in these schools

are generally lower than in other private schools. State school

education is free, although in some autonomous regions books and

materials must be paid for. Once a child enters primary school

( primaria ), vouchers ( bonos ) may be available to help pay for books.

The School System:

Spanish Guarderia Escuela

Infantil

Primaria ESO Univ

English Nursery

school

Pre-

school

Primary

school

Secondary

school

Higher

education

Ages Age 0-3 Age 3-6 Age 6-

12

Age 12-16 From 16



Primary education (educación primaria): Compulsory primary education begins at the age of six and lasts for

six years. There are three two-year cycles. The first cycle ( primer

ciclo ) is for children from age six to eight years of age. During these

two years the child is assessed every term and parents are issued

with a report. At the end of this cycle a child may need to repeat a

year if they have not reached the education level needed to carry onto the next cycle.

The second cycle ( segundo ciclo ) is for children aged eight to ten

years.

The third cycle ( tercer ciclo ) is for ten to twelve year olds and serves

to prepare them for secondary education. A child may be asked to

repeat a year if they have not reached the education level needed to

carry on to the next cycle.

Children are graded in the following manner:

Insuficiente (IN) - InsufficientSuficiente (SU) - Sufficient

Bien (BI) - Good Notable (NT) - Very goodSobresaliente (SB) – Outstanding

The School Day: Primary schools

The school day in most primary schools in Spain is from 09:00-12:00

and 15:00-17:00 (2:00-5:00). There is a two-and-a-half to three-hourbreak in the middle of the day for lunch and a siesta. The midday

meal, la comida (as it is called in Spain), is the largest meal of the

day. It is definitely a large meal, usually served with multiple

courses. Traditionally, many children go home during this break and



eat lunch with their families. However, children of working parents

may stay and have lunch at school if it is available.

Schools hours do vary; in large cities the break is shorter and the day

usually runs from 09:00-14:00 (9:00-2:00). Some schools offer the

option for students to arrive earlier, to have breakfast and lunch at the

school and to undertake an extra-curricular activity in the afternoon.

Times may vary in September and June when schools are only

operational for half of the day, from 09:00-13:00 (9:00-1:00).

Secondary schoolsThe school day at secondary schools is normally longer than at

primary schools, running from 08:30-15:00 (8:30-3:00) or 09:00-15:00(9:00-3:00), but as with primary schools times may vary greatly from

place to place.

The School Year: The academic year in Spain runs from mid-September to mid-June

and is made up of three terms, each approximately eleven weeks in

duration.

The first term runs from September to December with a two week

break ( vacaciones escolares ) for the Christmas holidays. The spring

term starts after the January 6 festival of Epiphany and runs until

Easter (either March or April) with an Easter/Spring break of two

weeks. The third term finishes mid-June for the summer holidays

which last 10 to 11 weeks.

Schools are also closed on public holidays if they fall within the term

time and local religious days and fiestas (holidays vary between the

communities).



School holiday dates are published by the schools and local

communities.

After school hours:Smaller towns rarely have after-school clubs or activities sincethe children are usually supervised after school by a family

member if the parent works. Larger cities may have schoolprograms for students before and after school.

Transportation:Private and state schools often provide a school bus service toand from local towns. The service is usually very low priced, orfree for anyone living over 3.5 Km from the school.

Summer school:

During the summer holidays, the summer schools are

operated either by independent clubs or the town hall. Costs

and activities vary, although the schools that are run by the

town hall are usually cheaper.

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Cultural Insight School Sins Pain