Primary Education

Primary education is regulated by the 2006 Education Act (LOE), modified by the 2013 Act on the Improvement of the Quality of Education (LOMCE). Along with compulsory secondary education (ESO) it constitutes the basic, compulsory and cost-free education of the education system.

This educational stage includes the following cross-curricular elements. In all subjects, the students will have to work in the following areas:

reading comprehension
oral and written expression
audiovisual communication
Information and Communication Technologies
entrepeneurship
civic and constitutional education

Educational administrations, on their side, must encourage:

the quality, equity and social inclusion of people with disabilities, as well as equal opportunities and non-discrimination on the basis of disability through flexibilisation measures and methodological alternatives, curricular adaptations, universal accessibility and design for all, and measures to deal with diversity
the development of values:
- that promote effective equality between men and women, and the prevention of gender-based violence
- concerning the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination on grounds of any personal or social condition or circumstance
learning about prevention and the peaceful resolution of conflict in any area in personal, family or social life of the individual, as well as the values underlying freedom, justice, equality and political pluralism, peace, democracy, respect for human rights and rejection of terrorist violence, plurality, respect for the rule of law, respect an concern for victims of terrorism and the prevention of terrorism and any kind of violence
measures to make physical activity and a balanced diet become an integral part of children's behaviour. To this end, the daily practice of sport and physical exercise by pupils during the school day should be promoted to encourage an active, healthy and autonomous life
in the field of education and road safety, actions for the improvement of coexistence and the prevention of road accidents. The aim is for students to be aware of their rights and duties as road users, thus promoting coexistence, tolerance, caution, self-control, dialogue and empathy with appropriate actions aimed at avoiding traffic accidents and their consequences.

In any case, the teaching programme must include the prevention of any form of violence, racism or xenophobia, including the study of the Jewish Holocaust as a historical fact. In addition, any sexist behaviour and contents as well as stereotypes that involve discrimination must be avoided.

Along these lines, Primary Education curricula have to incorporate curricular elements that can be grouped into two large groups:

related to:
- sustainable development and the environment
- the risks of sexual exploitation and abuse
- situations of risk arising from the use of information and communication technologies (ICT)
- emergency and disaster prevention
Focused on the development and strengthening of the entrepreneurial spirit, through activities promoted by the education authorities based on skills such as creativity, autonomy, initiative, teamwork, self-confidence and critical thinking.

Organisation

It is organised into six grades that students take between the ages of 6 and 12.

Students begin the 1st year of the stage in the calendar year in which they reach the age of 6.

It is delivered by teachers with a “primary school teacher” qualification who have competence in all areas of this level, except in the teaching of music, physical education, foreign languages or those others determined by the Government, through the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MEFP), after consultation with the Autonomous Communities, which will be taught by teaching staff with the corresponding specialisation or qualification.

Aim and general objectives

Its purpose is:

to facilitate learning of oral expression and comprehension, reading, writing and arithmetic
the acquisition of basic notions of culture, coexistence, study and work habits, artistic sense, creativity and affection
to guarantee a comprehensive education that contributes to the full development of the students' personality
to prepare students to successfully complete Secondary Education.

The general objectives regarding the academic achievement that students must have reached by the end of the educational process as a result of the teaching and learning experiences, intentionally planned for that purpose, are:

to know and appreciate the values and rules for coexistence, to learn and act accordingly, to prepare to actively exercise citizenship and to respect human rights and the pluralism of a democratic society
to develop individual and team work habits, respect and responsibility with regards to their studies, as well as attitudes of self-confidence, critical sense, personal initiative, interest and creativity in learning, and entrepreneurial spirit
to acquire skills for the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflict, which enables them to autonomously get by within the family and domestic context and within the social groups they interact with
to know, understand and respect different cultures and differences among people, equal gender rights and opportunities and non-discrimination of people with disabilities
to know and appropriately use the Castilian language, and if any, the co-official language of the corresponding Autonomous Community and to develop reading habits
to acquire, in at least a foreign language, the basic communicative competence which enables them to express and understand simple messages and get by in daily situations
to develop basic mathematical competences and to start solving problems which require basic mathematical operations, geometrical knowledge and estimates, as well as to be able to apply them to daily situations
to know the fundamentals of Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Geography, History and Culture
to begin using ICT for learning purposes, by developing a critical spirit towards the messages they receive and produce
to use different artistic representations and expressions and to start devising visual and audiovisual proposals
to value hygiene and health, to accept one's body and others', to respect differences and to use physical education and sport as a means for favoring personal and social development
to know and value the animals that live in close contact to human beings and adopt behaviours that favour their care
to develop pupils' affective skills in every field of their personality and relations with others, as well as an attitude against violence, any kind of prejudice and sexist stereotypes
to encourage road safety education and to respect attitudes which might contribute to prevent traffic accidents.

Schools providing primary education

Public schools providing pre-primary and primary education are called Pre-Primary and Primary Schools. Those just providing primary education are called Primary Schools.

Publicly-funded private schools and private schools usually provide the whole basic educational stage and, in general, also post-compulsory studies. These schools can adopt any name, except for those corresponding to public schools or if it can lead to confusion.

In the 2018/19 academic year, 13,867 schools were teaching Primary Education in the whole country, of which 10,313 were public schools, 3,044 publicly funded private schools and 510 private schools. Source: Statistics from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training on the number of centres that provide each type of education.

The number of schools varies substantially from one Autonomous Community to another.

Education policy

The priority aspects of the Spanish educational policy regarding primary education focus on:

developing an overall national education strategy and key objectives
developing a proposal to amend the Organic Law on Education (LOE), which includes the following objectives:
- commitment to education for 0 to 3 year old stages
- prevention of gender-based violence from schools
- promotion of equity and educational inclusion
- changes in the structure of studies
- modifications in the teaching of religion
- diagnostic assessments
- participation of the educational community
- priority for co-education in schools
- regulation of territorial powers
- attention to rural and island schools
- increased public spending on education
- commitment to digital skills
- curricula updating
- promotion of scientific and technological careers in female students
the improvement of the conditions for the performance of teaching and teaching in the field of non-university education
the promotion of the national strategy to prevent and fight poverty and social exclusion (2019-2023)
the drafting of a protocol for promoting the freedom, peace and democracy values in the prevention of terrorism and in memory of the victims
recommending a reform of the teaching profession
the modification of the regulations on admission, access and acquisition of new specialities for teaching bodies
the reform of the system for scholarships and study grants.

For more information read Ongoing reforms and policy developments and Reforms in School Education.

Legislation references used in this chapter (organised according to the principle of normative hierarchy) in reverse chronological order

General regulations

Rural Centres for Educational Innovation

Order of 29 April 1996 on the creation and running of Rural Educational Innovation Centres

Hospital teaching

Resolution of 3 July 1998, of the General Technical Secretariat, advertising the Agreement signed between the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs and the National Health Institute for the educational care of children in hospitals

Bilingual Education Programme - Agreement with the Spanish Delegation of the British Council Foundation

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Primary Education