If you have a child starting P3 or secondary school this September, the Consorci (Barcelona´s Department of Education) is offering information sessions for new families. To find out the dates for the talks happening in your district, follow this link.

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​Today I revisited a school I had been to last year. Visiting schools is an important part of what I do. It’s something that I enjoy and is vital for ensuring that I have an up-to-date and thorough knowledge of the schools that I suggest to my clients. 
I try to see each school with a fresh pair of eyes and ask questions that help me distinguish one school from the other. On top of this I ask myself questions such as ‘What does what I’m seeing tell me about the culture of the school? How do the students relate to their teachers and to each other?How engaged are the students?’
Having worked in many different schools I feel I offer  a unique insight into the way schools work and to the clues that they can give you when you visit them. 
​I love visiting schools!

​Do you know about the Dual Diploma? You may not know this but over 50 schools in Barcelona offer the possibility of gaining the American High School Diploma in addition to the Spanish Bachillerato. These are schools that follow the Spanish curriculum during ESO but, in addition to this, facilitate the completion of the American High School Diploma on top of their usual curriculum studies. 

How is this possible? Due to the nature of the US educational system, credits are given for subjects like maths and science that are already studied as part of their usual bachillerato qualification. This means that certain subjects can be carried over to the American Diploma, and therefore need only be studied once. However, in addition to these subjects, students must also complete extra modules from the American curriculum. Obligatory subjects include English, English and Life Management Skills, US History plus US Government and Economics (all studied in English). In addition to these core subjects, they also need to also choose two electives from a list of possibilities.

Although schools offering the Dual Diploma facilitate access to the programme, students are responsible for completing these extra studies outside of the usual school day. Access to the curriculum is gained through online materials and support from the organization in the U.S. that runs the programme, rather than the school itself. Students therefore need to be motivated, computer-savvy and of course, have an adequate level of English to access the materials.

The dates for pre-enrolling for a place at a public school or concertado for the next academic year have been released! 
After the Christmas break, schools will start to plan and advertise dates for their Open Days so that families can get to know the schools better. 
As with previous years, there will be a period of just over a week in which to complete enrollments (called preincripció). This is the stage in which families officially specify which schools, in priority order, they wish to apply to.
This year the period runs from Monday 23rd of March until Wednesday April 1st and the enrollment period - the period when families accept places at the schools they have been assigned -  will be between the 16th – 22nd June for pupils between 0 -12 years old and from 29th June- 3rd July for students entering ESO, or secondary education.
If you need support in how to get to know the schools in your catchment area or any questions related to applying for schools in Barcelona, get in touch!