Steering documents

The two cycles that make up early childhood education and care (ECEC) are educational in nature, so the development of a pedagogical proposal is imperative.

Law on Education 2/2006 (LOE), Article 14, modified by Law on Education 3/2020 (LOMLOE), establishes the general organisation and pedagogical principles of both cycles of ECEC.

The state and regional educational administrations determine the mandatory educational guidelines that apply to the entire stage of ECEC, following the abovementioned regulations.

The curriculum regulates aspects influencing the teaching and learning processes for each cycle.

• The curriculum of the first cycle is determined by the Government, in collaboration with the autonomous communities for their respective regions, following the LOE, Article 14.7, modified by the LOMLOE.
• For the curriculum of the second cycle, the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training sets the core curricula and describes the objectives, skills, contents and evaluation criteria for the entire state in the Royal Decree 1630/2006. These are subsequently completed by the education authorities.

There are differences between the autonomous communities when it comes to establishing the contents of the first cycle and completing the contents of the second cycle.

• Some establish the same contents for both cycles.
• Some formulate specific contents for each cycle.
• Some specify only the contents of the second cycle, based on the contents of the core curricula. In this particular case, the curriculum of the first cycle will be developed by the educators in each ECEC setting, connecting it with that of the second cycle.

Schools play an active role in the development of the curriculum. In order to adapt it to the needs of their pupils and their environment, they must draw up a series of documents where they formulate their pedagogical and curricular organisation.

• The school development plan includes the specifications of the curriculum as set out by the education authority.
• The yearly general programme covers all aspects concerning the organisation and running of the school for the school year. This includes the projects, the curriculum and all action plans as agreed and approved.

No guidelines are issued by the educational administration at the state level for the provision of ECEC at home.

Areas of learning and development

In accordance with Royal Decree 1630/2006, learning and development are organised into three curricular areas.

• Self-knowledge and personal autonomy. This area promotes the gradual building of self-identity, emotional maturity, the establishment of emotional relationships with others and personal autonomy.
• Understanding of the environment. This area helps the child to discover their environment, helping them to experience it in a reflective and participative way.
• Languages: communication and representation. This area aims to help the child to achieve an understanding of the different forms of communication and representation of reality, as well as the expression of feelings, thoughts and experiences, and interactions with others.

Areas of the curriculum:

• correspond to areas relating to children’s experience and development;
• are considered from a global and integrated perspective;
• are developed by carrying out meaningful experiences for pupils;
• comprise different blocks of curricular content that are complementary to one another, as detailed in the following table.

Regarding the number of hours per year dedicated to teaching each curricular area, there are variations between the different educational administrations of the autonomous communities.

In the ECEC stage, children have first contact with:

• a first foreign language, especially in the final year of the second cycle (5 years of age);
• reading and writing, basic numeracy, and information and communication technologies, as well as visual and musical expression during the second cycle.

All schools must offer voluntary religious education. The curriculum for these lessons is determined by religious authorities. Schools organise alternative lessons for students who do not attend religion lessons.

Pedagogical approaches

Teaching methods

According to the LOE, Article 14.6, modified by the LOMLOE, the teaching methodology used is based on play, in the context of an atmosphere of trust and affection that promotes children’s self-esteem and social integration.

The education authorities establish a series of methodological principles covering:

• global perspective of learning;
• children’s physical and mental activity, and the importance of play;
• priority of emotional and relation aspects;
• peer-to-peer interaction;
• coordination with families;
• preventive and compensatory actions;
• attention to diversity, adapting educational activities to children’s specific characteristics, interests, cognitive styles, and maturing processes.

Each school teacher is free to choose the methodology to be used in the classroom, which must, however, comply with what has been agreed at the institutional level and established by the relevant education authority.

Curricular materials and didactic resources

In accordance with the methodological principles and in the exercise of their teaching autonomy, schools decide on the curricular materials and didactic resources to be used, including:

• activity books;
• printed material;
• self-produced materials;
• reference books from the school library or classroom library;
• news media sources;
• story books;
• IT resources and audiovisual media.

Schools also have didactic guides, which provide a didactic foundation to the curricular material used, and guidelines for content sequencing and adaptation. The use of resources related to creative, including musical, expression is particularly important in pre-primary education.

The publication and adoption of curricular materials and didactic resources:

• do not require prior authorisation from education authorities;
• must be scientifically accurate, adapted to the age of pupils and the curriculum approved by each autonomous community;
• must reflect and encourage respect for the constitutional principles, values, liberties, rights and duties, as well as for the principles and values included in both the LOE and Law against Gender Violence 1/2004.

The textbook selection process in all educational institutions is as follows:

• the pedagogical coordination commission of the school prepares a report on the textbooks that are considered most appropriate, under the supervision of the school council and the teachers’ assembly;
• teachers are responsible for the final decision;
• if the school council does not agree with the final decision, it can make suggestions for the teachers’ assembly to consider.

The educational inspection authority of the autonomous community supervises textbooks and other curricular materials, as integral elements of the teaching and learning process.

There are sources of municipal and/or regional funding for the acquisition of school supplies and books in the second cycle of ECEC.

Assessment

Evaluation in pre-primary education is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training and completed by the education authorities of the autonomous communities. The latter determine the process for evaluating pupils for their respective regions, although some autonomous communities specify the process for both cycles whereas others regulate evaluation only in the second cycle.

The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training has established the following principles:

• The evaluation of pre-primary education has a global, continuous and educational nature.
• Evaluation at this stage helps to identify and assess pupils’ development processes and their learning, always according to their personal characteristics. To that end, the evaluation criteria for each curricular area of the second cycle, established at central level and completed by the autonomous communities for their respective regions, are used as reference points.
• The main evaluation technique is direct and systematic observation, which is the responsibility of the class teacher, supported by professionals who work with pupils as a group or individually.

The evaluation process has certain stages:

• The initial individual evaluation starts during each child's period of adaptation to the school and is described by each school in its school development plan.
• Continuous evaluation entails monitoring each child on a daily basis according to the set objectives and evaluation criteria.
• The final evaluation specifies to what degree abilities and basic skills have been acquired by the end of the school year.

The education authorities establish at least three formal evaluation sessions per school year:

• Results are expressed in qualitative terms, including the progress made by pupils and, where appropriate, the remedial and adaptation measures introduced.
• At the end of each evaluation session, the child's family receives a written report. These reports, together with the various evaluation documents, help to improve coordination between the two cycles of the stage.

Transition to primary school

There are no state- or regional-level guidelines on measures to facilitate transition to primary education. In order to guarantee the smooth transition of children between ECEC and primary education, centres that offer ECEC establish coordination mechanisms with the schools that their pupils move to (LOE, Article 14, modified by LOMLOE).