Do you want to guarantee your children’s school for the next school year? Now that we’re finishing this one, we should solve next one’s enrollment. The transfer dates do not always coincide with the start of the school year, although generally when you move in with children, there is a reasonable amount of time to get organized.
—Well, we know that unexpected last-minute moves are a classic —Almudena says.
—And there’s always some straggler who leaves everything to the end — adds the realistic Paloma.
—Although, the truth is, when it comes to young children, it’s not that important.
—I’m not so sure, it seems better for the child.
—Yes, of course, it is easier to adapt if you start the course with the rest of your classmates.
—The truth is that, deep down, it depends a lot on each child.
Why worry about enrollment now?
At the end of June the course ends, the holidays begin. For everyone, including schools and their staff. Generally, in July the admissions and secretarial departments are kept open but in August most schools are closed and although some can be contacted, no paperwork can be done. At the beginning of September they are already at full capacity again but, then, the new course is about to start.
—The teachers are also entitled to holidays —says Palo, dreaming of her own.
—And well deserved —says Almu, coinciding for once with her colleague dreams.
—So does the rest of the school staff.
—Right! The best thing is to leave nothing for these months. Unless you have previously agreed with the school.
Are there differences in enrollment according to the type of school?
Yeah! Lots and lots of them.
In private schools, enrollment is done directly with each school through a personal interview with parents and prospective students. Each school decides whether to admit a student according to the needs of the child and the availability of places.
There is much more flexibility, enrollment can be made at any time during the school year.
The ideal is to choose 3 or 4 schools that match your requirements and contact them as soon as you know that you are going to settle in Madrid so you can organize the whole process and make it easier for you to make a decision at the end. It’s usually a quick process.
On the other hand, enrollment in public and charter schools has certain deadlines that must be met. In these centres there are ordinary and extraordinary enrollments.
The ordinary one is processed from April to the end of June when the lists of admissions are already published in each centre. And the extraordinary one is foreseen for cases in which for any justifiable reason these dates cannot be followed as for example a child who moves to Madrid in the middle of the school year.
In public and charter schools, enrollment is carried out through the Community of Madrid, which takes into account certain scales (domicile, siblings, parents’ income, etc.) to allocate one school or another depending on the situation of each candidate and that of the rest. It’s a slower process.
—By the way, I spoke to Mireya last week —says Palo joyfully.
—Ah yeah? How’s she doing? And her family? —Almu is interested.
—Very well and very happy with the children in their final school.
—I remember she had problems with the enrollment, right?
—Yes, they liked a public school very close to their home but they wouldn’t admit their children. And they were assigned another one that didn’t fit them at all.
—Luckily, they were aware this could happen and had a private school as a second option so they were able to enroll the kids without any problem.
—Yes, information is power —summarizes quickly Almu.
—Of course, the more information you have, the easier it will be to get it right —agrees Palo with determination.
In this link of the Community of Madrid you will find all the public, private and charter schools running in Madrid, the indications to register in the public and charter ones and the contact for the private centers.
In case you are planning to move to Madrid soon, you will find all the detailed information about schools in The secret of relocating to Madrid. If, in addition, you need help with the organization or, even if you want us to accompany you, check out our services.
In the meantime, you can receive regular information by filling out this questionnaire. And if you find it useful, we appreciate your sharing.
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