Home Schooling

[Emma]

Hello, I hope somebody can help me.
My family are looking into the possibility of living in Spain. My husband works from home, so we are lucky enough not to have the employment issues that many expats seem to have.
My son is currently Home-Schooled here in the UK and I am hoping that it will be possible to continue both with Home School, and with the British Curriculum to allow for as little disruption to his routine as possible when we do arrive here.
I would like to know if anybody else has done this, and what their experiences were ?
Thankyou

[Robster]

Simple fact is however that here in Spain it is something that is frowned upon,if not actually illegal - though most indications are that it is - I've had a 'hypothetical chat' with some contacts I know who work at the Spanish Social Security folk .

[JoGreen]

Is there any special reason why you have chosen home schooling ? Sending your child to a local Spanish state school can be a good way for the family as a whole to learn more about the language and customs, and to integrate better into the community ...

[Emma]

Hi Jo, yes I appreciate the benefits behind a conventional eductation, however my son has special needs which I don't think will be catered for in a local school, and secondly, as he has been home schooled in the UK I feel it will be less disruptive to his education to keep the same.

[MrGrumpy]

As far as I can make it out it is one of those very grey areas in Spain - officially it doesn't seem to be recognised (or even legal!), but many expats can and do 'get away with it'. However, this is possibly down to induvidual circumstance, the Town Hall they fall under, their residential status, the age(s) of the kids etc...

I'm by no means an expert in anything like this, but my instict would be to start off with the Homeschooling thing and worry about the alternative if and when it ever became an issue. Chances are none of the authorities would ever pick up on it - and even if they did, due to your circumstance they may let you continue anyway.

[JoGreen]

... Good reasons for continuing as you are. I don't know much about Homeschooling ( as don't the Spanish authorities, seemingly ), but does anybody supervise or regulate the education you give in the UK ? - Could they advise you what to do, or maybe even allow you to continue as if you were still in the UK ? ( Do you even need to tell them that you are moving abroad ? )
- Might this organisation be of any use to you ? - home-education.org.uk

[Emma]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

[JoGreen]

No probs Emma.
- If and when you do eventually find a definitive answer, could you please post back and let us know. The info may just be useful to somebody else in this position.

[admin]

Better late than never, but we have spent a while researching the facts and legalities surrounding the whole issue of 'Homeschooling in Spain', and finally been able to write an article.

You can read about the subject here >> http://www.tumbit.com/how-to-guides/articles/155-homeschooling-in-spain.html

[Emma]

Very interesting ! - Thankyou