Steps into Spain

Arriving in Madrid this summer and don't have a school place yet?

The current late application window (proceso extraordinario) for public and concertado schools closes on 10 July.

It reopens on 1 September and stays open, it isn't a short second window that shuts again.

The tricky bit is timing. School starts about a week after the process opens, and most parents want their child there from day one.

That first week is chaos if you're starting from scratch.

Get your padrón and paperwork ready in July or August so you're not doing it all in the same week your child should be starting school.

If you're arriving without a place, send me a message.

Spain's Education Ministry rently published a major proposal — class sizes cut across every stage, with the biggest changes for under-3s.

Down to 4 per educator for babies, 6 for one-year-olds, 8 for two-year-olds.

Second cycle Infantil drops from 25 to 20.

Primaria from 25 to 22, though Madrid public schools already cap 1º and 2º there — this change will be more noticeable in 3º-6º primaria.

Proposal stage, not law yet. Royal Decree route, unions in July, implementation from 2027/28.

From what I've seen: not every private school sticks to ratios even when they're supposed to. Worth checking.