Moving to Spain - securing a school place

[KellyElly]

Me and DD (now in Year 1) are going to be moving to spain next year, she will be starting in the autumn term 2017. My partner lives over there and has been to talk to a good local school, but the admissions don't open until next May and they can't give an answer on whether there will be a place or not. Does anyone have any experience of relocating to Spain? It all seems so last minute to apply in May when we'd be moving at the end of July/early August. I would have already had to inform her school here she wouldn't be returning etc. Any advice would be much appreciated.

We're in Andalucia, and and that's how it works here. The applications are done in May and places are confirmed in June before the summer holidays start at the end of the month. However, there is normally some shuffling of places even up to early September before they go back to school (for example if people have changed their minds and don't want the place anymore, or need to move for work) so spaces can open up even up to the last minute.

Applications are centrally controlled by the regional government, and are out of the hands of the individual schools. However it's worth talking to the school again to find out about waiting lists and see if they'll give you an idea of the likelihood of a place. They can't guarantee anything, but often have a good idea of the likelihood of places. Some schools are regularly undersubscribed, others are absolutely full with people waiting to get in. This can indicate 'quality' but not necessarily. It's probably a good idea to look round for alternative schools in case the one you've chosen is likely to be full.

Thanks for the info hecho. I think we'll apply to quite a few and keep our fingers crossed for our preference.