Organisational options and alternative structures in non-higher secondary and post-secondary education

Among the main organisational options and alternative structures in Secondary and Post-Secondary Non-Higher Education, the following can be highlighted:

Bilingual Education

Types of provision:

• Bilingual Education Programme - Agreement with the Spanish Delegation of the British Council Foundation:
  • Purpose: training of compulsory secondary education students so they will become fluent in different languages and familiar with different cultures in the context of a multicultural and multilingual Europe, providing them with a set of strategic, linguistic and sociolinguistic skills.
  • Target students: compulsory secondary education students attending public institutions.
  • Organisation:
    • Bilingual schools participating in this agreement work on an integrated Spanish-British curriculum.
    • Teaching is delivered by teachers specifically hired to participate in the project,  and specialist teachers of English from the bilingual schools.
• Bachibac:
  • Purpose: obtaining both the French Diplôme du de Baccalauréat qualification and the Spanish Bachillerato certificate by fulfilling a series of requirements agreed by both countries at the end of post-compulsory secondary education.
  • Target students: students enrolled in the Bachillerato studies.
  • Organisation:
    • By means of a mixed curriculum, which accounts for one third of each student's weekly timetable, the contents considered essential for knowledge of the language and culture of the other country are incorporated in each course.
    • The specific subjects of the mixed curriculum to be taken by Spanish students in the Bachibac programme are French Language and Literature and the History of Spain and France, the latter being taken as part of the History of Spain in the 2nd year of Bachillerato. Both are taught entirely in French and their weekly timetable is usually increased by one hour.
    • In order to complete the compulsory weekly timetable in French (one third of the total), other non-language subjects may be taught in French.
    • The curricula are established jointly by the French and Spanish Ministries of Education.
    • Through the mixed curriculum, students are expected to acquire a level of French equivalent to at least B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), while becoming familiar with and adopting working methods that lead to greater personal autonomy.
    • In order to obtain the double degree, two conditions must be met:
      • to be in a position to obtain the Bachillerato certificate (i.e. to pass all the subjects of the 1st and 2nd Bachillerato years);
      • to pass the external examination organised for this purpose on the specific subjects of the mixed curriculum corresponding to the second year of Bachillerato. These exams are in French and, in the case of French Language and Literature, contain an oral exercise.
    • Students who obtain this diploma can access both French higher education (and benefit from the advantages that the French system grants to those who have completed bilingual studies) and Spanish higher education.
• International Baccalaureate:
  • Purpose: obtaining the Spanish Bachillerato diploma and the diploma of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), which is recognised in more than one hundred countries.
  • Target students: students aged from 16 to 19.
  • Organisation:
    • It is also referred to as the Diploma Programme (DP). It aims to prepare students to achieve excellent breadth and depth of knowledge, while growing physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.
    • It is a pre-university course, with a duration of two years and taught in three languages: English, French and Spanish.
    • It consists of a common core and six groups of subjects.
    • The common core consists on:
      • theory of knowledge: reflection on the nature of knowledge and the way of knowing what we claim to know;
      • monograph: independent research work culminating in a 4,000-word essay;
      • creativity, action and service: completing a project related to these three concepts.
    • The six groups of subjects, taught in different courses, are as follows:
      • language and literature studies;
      • language acquisition;
      • individuals and societies;
      • science;
      • mathematics;
      • arts.

• Portuguese language and culture programme:
  • Purpose:
    • Ensuring that the children of Portuguese workers and immigrants preserve their linguistic and cultural references.
    • Encouraging Spanish students’ interest and respect for the Portuguese culture.
  • Target students: compulsory secondary education pupils of Portuguese or Portuguese-speaking origin and Spanish pupils attending publicly-funded secondary schools.
  • Organisation:
    • Portuguese teachers assigned to Spanish schools carry out activities included in the school timetable, through "integrated classes" (in which the Portuguese and Spanish teachers carry out joint activities with all the students in the classroom) or "simultaneous classes" (in which the Portuguese teachers teach the group of students who have chosen to participate in the programme).
    • Cultural promotion activities, exchanges, study visits and Portuguese clubs, among others, are also organised.
• Arabic language and Moroccan culture programme:
  • Purpose:
    • Teaching the Arabic language and Moroccan culture to Moroccan and non-Moroccan students attending Spanish public schools.
    • Providing Moroccan pupils with training that allows them to safeguard their identity and live their own culture while respecting that of the host country.
    • Academic and socio-cultural inclusion of these students in the Spanish educational system and in Spanish society, developing values of tolerance and solidarity.
    • Promoting intercultural education, developing values of respect between the different cultures that coexist inside and outside the school environment.
    • Cooperating with families and facilitate communication with teachers in order to establish mechanisms that favour their participation in the educational process of their children.
  • Target students: pupils of Moroccan origin and Spanish pupils attending publicly-funded secondary schools.
  • Organization:
    • It is available in two different types of provision: A, in extra-curricular hours; and B, with classes during school hours.
    • Teachers are Moroccan and they are selected and appointed by the Moroccan authorities.

Distance Education

Types of provision:

• Compulsory Secondary Education:
  • Purpose: offering education services to those who cannot take teaching through the ordinary in-class education, due to personal, social, geographic or other exceptional circumstances through the  Integrated Centre for Formal Distance Education (CIERD) belonging to the Centre for Innovation and Development in Distance Education (CIDEAD).
  • Target students: school-age students between 12 and 16 years old who are living abroad with Spanish nationality or who have studied Spanish regulated studies. Also residents in Spain in exceptional circumstances that prevent them from studying in an institution (on-site or distance learning) in their autonomous community. These cases must be explicitly authorised by the corresponding Educational Administration and by CIDEAD' s board.
  • Organisation:
    • It is a formal, non-attendance, open and flexible training model, supported by Information and Communication Technologies, with multimedia materials and permanent tutorial support offered by highly qualified teachers.
    • The tutorial role is mainly developed through the Internet, by means of an education platform or a Virtual Centre on Education, with the communication tools available for individual and group attention.
    • The teaching materials, offered through the educational platform, may be developed by the school itself or they can also be textbooks from Spanish publishing houses.
    • Students carry out self-evaluation activities as well as activities they must send to the teacher.
    • It is regulated in accordance with Royal Decree 789/2015.

• Flexible studies in compulsory secondary education:
  • Purpose: reducing the workload of those students doubly enrolled.
  • Target students: compulsory secondary education pupils living abroad and enrolled in the Education System of the country of residence through the Integrated Centre for Formal Distance Education (CIERD), belonging to the Centre for Innovation and Development in Distance Education (CIDEAD).
  • Organisation:
    • Students study only some of the subjects of the official curriculum of the Spanish education system, without being officially enrolled. They are not officially valid.
    • The tutorial role is mainly developed through the Internet, by means of an education platform or a Virtual Centre on Education, with the communication tools available for individual and group attention.
• Bachillerato:
  • Purpose: offering education services to those who cannot take teaching through the ordinary in-class education, due to personal, social, geographic or other exceptional circumstances through the  Integrated Centre for Formal Distance Education (CIERD) belonging to the Centre for Innovation and Development in Distance Education (CIDEAD).
  • Target students: school-age students between 12 and 16 years old who are living abroad with Spanish nationality or who have studied Spanish regulated studies. Also residents in Spain in exceptional circumstances that prevent them from studying in an institution (on-site or distance learning) in their autonomous community. These cases must be explicitly authorised by the corresponding Educational Administration and by CIDEAD' s board.
  • Organisation:
    • It is a formal, non-attendance, open and flexible training model, supported by Information and Communication Technologies, with multimedia materials and permanent tutorial support offered by highly qualified teachers.
    • The tutorial role is mainly developed through the Internet, by means of an education platform or a Virtual Centre on Education, with the communication tools available for individual and group attention.
    • The teaching materials, offered through the educational platform, may be developed by the school itself or they can also be textbooks from Spanish publishing houses.
    • Students carry out self-evaluation activities as well as activities they must send to the teacher.
    • It is regulated in accordance with Royal Decree 789/2015.

• Flexible bachillerato studies:
  • Purpose: reducing the workload of those students doubly enrolled.
  • Target students: bachillerato pupils living abroad and enrolled in the Education System of the country of residence through the Integrated Centre for Formal Distance Education (CIERD), belonging to the Centre for Innovation and Development in Distance Education (CIDEAD).
  • Organisation:
    • Students study only some of the subjects of the official curriculum of the Spanish education system, without being officially enrolled. They are not officially valid.
    • The tutorial role is mainly developed through the Internet, by means of an education platform or a Virtual Centre on Education, with the communication tools available for individual and group attention.
• Intermediate Vocational Training:
  • Purpose: offering education services to those who cannot take teaching through the ordinary in-class education, due to personal, social, geographic or other exceptional circumstances through the  Integrated Centre for Formal Distance Education (CIERD) belonging to the Centre for Innovation and Development in Distance Education (CIDEAD).
  • Target students: people who wish to improve their professional qualifications or to prepare for the practice of other professions and whose social, employment or family circumstances make it difficult or impossible for them to attend on-site vocational training cycles.
  • Organisation:
    • The qualifications that are obtained by studying an intermediate or advanced training cycle in this modality are the same, are official and have the same academic and professional value throughout the national territory, regardless of whether the studies are carried out in an autonomous community or within the scope of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MEFP).
    • The modular structure allows each student to decide, independently and once the courses have been analysed, which modules to enrol in according to the student's personal circumstances and availability.
    • The access requirements and the number of hours are the same that in on-site programmes.
    • The final assessment for each module studied in this modality will require the passing of on-site tests, which will be combined with a continuous assessment process.

Music and Dance Professional Studies

• Purpose:
  • Music: providing students with quality artistic training with the aim of preparing them for access to higher music studies or as a foundation for other training and professional itineraries.
  • Dance: professional practice.
• Target groups: students who pass a specific entrance examination regulated and organised by the education administrations.
• Organisation:
  • The elementary teaching of music and dance have the characteristics and organisation determined by the education administrations.
  • These are organized into a six-course bachelor program. Students may, exceptionally and after being authorised by the teaching staff, enrol in more than one course when their learning ability allows them to do so.
  • Each course may also be accessed without having passed the previous ones, provided that, through an exam, the applicant proves that he or she has the necessary knowledge to successfully complete the corresponding courses.
• Qualification:
  • Successful completion of vocational training programmes in music or dance will entitle the student to obtain the corresponding Technician certificate.
  • With this qualification students may obtain the final Bachillerato certificate in the Arts modality by passing the common subjects in Bachillerato.

Vocational Education in Plastic Arts and Design

• Purpose:
  • Preparing professionally in the chosen artistic speciality.
  • Developing personal expression and artistic creation in a practical way.
  • Accessing the labour market under competitive conditions.
• Target students:
  • Students holding the Compulsory Secondary Education diploma and who also prove to have the necessary skills by passing a specific test.
  • Those who hold the Bachillerato certificate or a Vocational Training Technician qualification, and who pass a test that allows them to prove that they have the necessary aptitudes to successfully complete the corresponding programme.
  • Those who hold a Plastic Arts and Design Technician certificate.
  • Applicants who, lacking the academic requirements, pass an entrance examination. Students must be at least 19 (within the year they take the exam) or 18, if they already have an accredited Technician diploma in the same area of study as the programme for which they are applying.
• Organisation:
  • Plastic arts and design courses will be organized in specific training cycles.
  • Training cycles that will include phases for practical training in companies, studios and workshops.
• Qualification:
  • Students who pass the intermediate level of plastic arts and design will be awarded the diploma of Plastic Arts and Design Technician in the corresponding specialty.
  • This qualification allows direct access to advanced level training cycles in plastic arts and design and vocational training programmes in the education system.
  • With this qualification, the Bachillerato certificate can be obtained by passing the subjects necessary to achieve the general objectives in Bachillerato studies, as determined by the Government.

Language Education

• Purpose:
  • Contributing to the personal, academic and professional enrichment of citizens.
  • Increasing mobility opportunities and access to different studies or jobs.
  • Promoting intercultural exchange and the development of multilingual competence.
• Target students:
  • People who are at least sixteen years old in the year in which they begin their studies.
  • People who are over 14 years old when they want to continue their studies to learn a different language to the one learned as part of their compulsory secondary education.
• Organisation:
  • They are organised in the following levels: basic, intermediate and advanced. These levels correspond, respectively, to levels A, B and C of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and are subdivided into levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.
  • Elementary education has the characteristics and organisation determined by the education administrations.
  • Official Language Schools have these characteristics:
    • They provide, at least, language teaching corresponding to intermediate and advanced levels.
    • The requirements to be met by official language schools, regarding the pupil-student-teacher ratio, the facilities and the number of school places, are regulated by the education administrations.
    • They particularly encourage the study of the official languages in the member states of the European Union, of the co-official languages existing in Spain, and of Spanish as a foreign language. Likewise, they facilitate the study of other languages which, for cultural, social or economic reasons, are of special interest.
    • The education administrations may integrate distance language teaching into official language schools.
• Qualification:
  • Meeting the academic requirements established for each level of language teaching will entitle the student to obtain the corresponding certificate, the effects of which will be established in the definition of the basic aspects of the curriculum applied to the different languages.
  • The Government shall determine, after consulting the autonomous communities, the equivalences between the Language Education qualifications and the rest of the qualifications in the education system.
  • The education administrations shall facilitate the organization of officially approved tests to certify the knowledge of languages achieved by pupils enrolled in secondary education and vocational training programmes.

Sports Education

• Purpose: preparing students for professional activity in relation to a sport modality or speciality, as well as to help them adapt to the evolution of the working and sport world and to an active citizenship.
• Target students:
  • People holding the Compulsory Secondary Education Graduate certificate.
  • People who, lacking the qualification, pass an entrance examination regulated by the education administrations.
  • In the case of certain modalities or specialities, it may also be required either to pass a test carried out by the education administrations, to accredit sporting merits, professional or sporting experience or to meet all three conditions together. The Government regulates the characteristics of the test, the sporting merits, and the professional or sporting experience, so that it can be proved that the student meets the necessary conditions to fruitfully take the corresponding courses, as well as the validation of these studies based on accredited training, or professional or sporting experience.
• Organisation:
  • They are organised into blocks (common and specific) and modules of variable duration, made up of areas of theoretical-practical knowledge appropriate to the different professional and sporting fields.
  • The Government, after consulting the autonomous communities and hearing the relevant collegiate bodies, regulates the system of validations and equivalences between sports education and other official courses and studies.
  • Those aspects of the curriculum, regulated by basic regulations, of sporting education qualifications requiring revision and updating, may be modified by the MEFP, following a report from the Superior Sports Council and the State School Council, maintaining in all cases the basic nature of the curriculum resulting from that updating.
• Qualification:
  • Those successfully passing intermediate sports education programmes will be awarded the Sports Technician diploma in the corresponding modality.
  • This diploma grants access to any of the modalities in Bachillerato education.