School Registration

Registration for public schools in the area usually happens around the month of March; however, this can vary depending on where you live and the school. As a safe example, if your children were to start the academic year in September 2023, registration would also occur between February and May of this year. Expats must allow plenty of time to prepare as the procedure can be very long. Firstly, you need to be registered with the local census of the council where you live. This is known as the Padrón or Empadronamiento.  For example, if you are renting, they may ask for a contract of no less than six months in duration in addition to your NIE number and photocopies of your ID. It is essential to remember that if the council requires your countries documents translated into Spanish, they may need an apostille.
 
Once registered, you can begin the process of applying for schools. You may have to provide copies of your and your children's passports, proof of residency, NIE number and any immunisation/medical certificates. Suppose any of your children are starting the third year of secondary school. In that case, you may also need to get your child’s school records verified by the MECD (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport) in a process called convalidación (validation) or homologación (standardization, the official record of your child’s education).
 
The validation (convalidación) process requires you to provide the appropriate forms from the Department of Education (MECD), your child’s school record documents and examination qualifications and their birth certificate. A child will not be accepted until the official papers have been received and stamped by the Spanish Department of Education. The process may take between 3-6 months, although a document from the Education Ministry for the convalidación documents for your child can be acceptable to start at the school.
 
You may want to also want to enquire about the language of instruction if you are hoping for Spanish as a main language. Valenciano is often the primary language of instruction. VillaMia has met some  parents being surprised that the school wasn't in Spanish (Castellano) and had to navigate a school change once here.

Staff at VillaMia have children that have gone through the public and private education in Javea so please get in touch if we can help.