Change Of School To Another Country Of The European Union
Spanish children, as citizens of the European Union, have the right to attend school in any member country. The conditions for such schooling are exactly the same as for citizens of the country in question.
If a Spanish family decides to move to another country in the European Union, they will not have to worry about the schooling of their children. They will have the right to be integrated into a classroom that corresponds to their age group and an educational level equivalent to the one they had in Spain. This is independent of whether or not they speak the language of the country they have arrived in.
However, each country of the European Union has peculiarities and differences in its educational system and in the requirements for enrollment. Next, we will see some aspects that should be considered before a change of school to another country of the European Union.
Main doubts of parents about the change of school of their children to another country of the European Union
One of the most frequent concerns of Spanish parents who go to live in another country of the European Union with their children of school age is the language. Indeed, many times, minors still do not speak the language of their new country of residence and parents wonder if they will have to enroll them in an international school, which can be very expensive.
European legislation establishes that the children of any citizen of the European Union who migrate to another member country for work reasons have the right to free classes in the language of their new country of residence. This will allow them to better integrate into the educational system.
Another very common question among parents who migrate with their children to another country of the European Union is whether or not they should keep the academic record of the minors. Although the requirements vary from country to country, it is always advisable to keep your academic record, as it can be useful.
The file should contain all school reports (originals and copies), letters of reference from teachers or tutors … A list of recently used textbooks and study programs can also be provided. The latter can be very useful for the new teacher to see what level the minor is at.
In addition, you could attach the results of the exams, at least those of some subjects such as Language, Mathematics and Sciences, as well as the vaccination card.
The school calendar in other countries of the European Union
Before moving our children from school to another country in the European Union, it is important to know that the distribution of school holidays varies greatly from one country to another. For example, in France, children and adolescents have many more holidays than in Spain. In fact, it is one of the countries with the most school holidays in the world.
In the Gallic country, in addition to the summer holidays, which last around 50 days, there are four holiday periods in the year of two weeks each: in October, at Christmas, in February and in April.
For its part, in Germany, each federal state organizes its school holidays. However, most of them distribute them in six periods throughout the school year: autumn, Christmas, winter, Easter, Pentecost and summer holidays.
In the UK, students generally have one week of vacation every six weeks of classes. This happens from September, when the school year begins.
In Greece, school holidays are very similar to those in Spain. Classes begin the second week of September and end in mid-June. There are two weeks off at Christmas, two at the end of April and 12 in summer.
The length of summer holidays can also vary significantly between the different countries of the European Union , generally depending on the rest of the holidays they have during the school year.
For example, some Länder in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Switzerland have only six weeks of summer holidays. While Lithuania, Italy, Portugal and Turkey reach 13 weeks.
