When a child starts full-time education in Spain, it is much earlier than in the UK. My daughter started three weeks ago and she was only 2 years and ten months old.

Needless to say, it was with some trepidation that I went to see the headmaster of my local school in Andalucia, a couple of weeks before the end of the Summer term. At the time a new school was being built in the village so I found a temporary elementary school based in someone’s house! Everything was very informal,  I did not need to make an appointment with the headmaster, and I only needed four papers to register her, my passport, my husbands passport, a copy of my empadrimiento document*,  and the record of her vaccinations. He spoke no English to me on my first visit but I got by with my Spanish explaining what I wanted..  I was given a formal Registration Certificate.

After that there was a resounding silence. In the UK I would have been sent a letter, welcoming me to the school and would get a booklist and a list of any other requirements. Not in Spain, one of the English Mums I knew from my village told me that this sort of information was posted on the school gates or sometimes on the door of the village general store!  As well as books, my daughter also needed painting and art materials, an artist’s smock, a back-pack, wet-wipes, kitchen roll and nappies!

When the new school year began the School had been finished but the road leading up to it had not, which made the first few days pretty difficult. Luckily the local council made it a priority to finish this.

On my daughter’s first day I was allowed in with her. First of all there was a lecture, in Spanish, welcoming us to the school. My Espanol is not brilliant but I understood about one word in five! The English teacher stepped up and repeated the lecture but I was not much better off since the Spanish parents talked over the entire thing! After that I stayed and experienced a typical day in the life of a Spanish Kindergarten pupil (lots of games, singing, painting etc.)  I met the English teacher and she filled me in on the information I had missed.

Because my little one was so young there were quite a few tears but last week she has started saying, “Mummy I had a brilliant time today and I didn’t cry”. She attends a class of only nine children, in a modern, really well-appointed school and in spite of my initial fears, I think I’ve made the right decision, sending her to school at two.

*This is obtained from your town hall and is only issued if you own a house in the area,  if you are renting you must bring your Residencia (which is a document obtained from your local police station stating that you are officially residing in Spain).