My Barcelona School

Thanks, Jenna, for your wonderful testimonial!

Summer is coming and time to think of activities to do with the kids in Barcelona.

is always a good bet, just get there early to avoid the heat and the queues.

They offer a yearly membership that I used to have when my children were younger. It’s definitely worth the money if you plan on going more than a couple of times a year.

If you applied for a public (state) school or concertada for your child for September 2024, the final places were published today.

To find out which place your child was assigned, you need to enter into their application portal (via buff.ly/4ef6uFs) and input your details.

If you want to accept the place they were assigned, the period to register at the school is between 18th - 26th of June. If you do not do it within this timeframe, your child's place will be given to someone else so make sure you do not miss the deadline!

If the school your child was assigned was not your 1st (or 2nd, or 3rd) choice, you will be kept on the waiting list of these schools up until the beginning of September. It is occasionally possible to get a call during the summer offering you a place at a school you put higher up on your list because someone has dropped out.

Imagine having this view on your way to school every morning 🤩.

This will be the case for students at a new school located on the top of Tibidabo that is opening this September 😍.

It certainly is a unique view!

It was great to see the progress that is being made to get the school ready for their first students.

The tiebreak number for the 2024 public schools and concertadas lottery is: 81,801

What does this mean for you?

Read my blogpost to understand how the lottery works: https://buff.ly/3M8kPYn

On the 30th of April the Catalunya school lottery draw will take place at 11am. To find out how the lottery works and how this affects your child's school application, read below 👇👇👇

Public School / Concertada Lottery Draw Did you know that on 30th April 2024 at 11am the lottery will take place that will determine the public school and concertada places for September? What is the Lottery and how does it work?Between 6th - 20th March this year, families applied for places at the many public schools and concertadas acro...

Happy Sant Jordi day!
Feliç Sant Jordi 2024!

If you have applied for a public school or concertada for your child for September, today, 17th of April, you will receive an email explaining that the provisional scores are out.
You will be sent a link to access your application portal via the email address you supplied for the application. When you follow the link you will be asked to state:

'Tipus de Document': (the type of document used by the parent to make the application, ie passport), and 'Número de Document' (number of the parent's document). If you are unsure to which document was used, you will find this listed on the PDF receipt of the application form (the 'resguard') under 'dades del pare, mare o tutor').
You will also be asked for the 'Codi de Sol·licitud'. This is the number starting PRE24-25 on the same PDF.

Once you get into the portal you will be able to see how many applicants there were in relation to the number of official spaces they said there were available.
However, you will not be able to see how many priority points the other applicants have at this stage (and therefore compare them to your points). You will find this information out by looking at the school's website which you put in first position. They should publish the list detailing all the applicants and their points on their webpage.
In the portal you should also eventually be able to see your lottery number right at the bottom of the form under 'número de desempat'. You'll want to know this number if your application comes up against others with the same number of priority points. This will appear later in the process.

At various stages of the process you will receive emails telling you to look at your portal on the date that something is happening (such as the day they publish the definitive lists). However you can enter the portal at any time you wish.

Children-s Festival of Literature and Arts happening this weekend 😀.

14è Festival de Literatura i Arts Infantil i Juvenil 📚 🗓️ 16 i 17 de març

It’s just over a week until the deadline to submit applications for public schools and concertades. The deadline is Wednesday 20th March at 12 midnight to be precise 😅.

This week I’m busy having catchup meetings with my clients, discussing the schools they’ve visited, helping them decide on the order to put schools.
It’s a nerve-wracking process that doesn’t end until the results are known 😬.

It has been an intense few months with lots of school visits and supporting families with this important step in their child’s educational journey.

Have you been on the school open day trail and is your child entering school for the first time this September or moving to another school? If so, I wish you the best of luck! 😊

The application dates and deadlines are out.

If you are planning on applying for a school place in either a public school or concertada this cycle this post outlines all the different stages of the process and what each stage means.

Application Dates and Deadlines 2024 If you are planning on applying for a public school or concertada place for your child this year, or intend to change your child from one school to another, below you will find the various dates and deadlines for the different stages of the process. 5th March March 2024: initial offer of places. Pub...

A couple of years back I was asked to do a talk about education in Barcelona as part of Working Women Week. Despite some small changes (such as how the school grades are now called in the public system) the information in the video is still pretty accurate.

Educating your child in Barcelona – What you need to know

If you are new to Barcelona and would like to get advice or guidance in English about any aspect of the various bureaucratic processes that is a part of life here, the city council offers a 'Welcome Desk' with this in mind.

Welcome Desk | Barcelona International Welcome | Barcelona We give you personalised assistance to make your arrival in Barcelona easier with practical information, advice and help with procedures.

Over the past few months I have been helping to create this up-to-date schools' guide for the Barcelona City Council.

Aimed primarily at international families moving to or already living in Barcelona, it covers all the important topics that any family should know when choosing a school here.

The online version can be found here: https://www.barcelona.cat/internationalwelcome/sites/default/files/choosing-school-web.pdf

A print version will be available soon 😀

When I visit schools I always try to take photos of the spaces I see. It not only helps me remember going to the school (when you’ve been to as many schools as I have, the schools need a helping hand to fight for attention in my memory 😅) but also specifically remind me of the teaching style, the priorities of the school and general care and attention of the teachers and educators who have created the learning spaces.

When scrolling through my photos this morning I came across photos from a visit I made with a client last month at a school outside of Barcelona. I had been meaning to visit for some time so was happy for the opportunity to do so.

The happy ending is that my client loved the school and chose it for her daughter. These photos also remind me of this ❤️.

If you arrive in Barcelona with your family and decide on a local education for your children, the Consorci d’Educació is the place to go to get your child placed at a school.

At certain points of the year you can only be seen with a cita previa (a previously booked appointment) but at other times of the year you can walk in off the streets and ask to talk to someone.

With the application period still a little way off (6- 20th March) all was calm today at the main offices at Pl. Urquinaona. We only had a short wait and were greeted by a very friendly and knowledgeable member of the team.

If you have recently arrived in Barcelona or plan to do so imminently, do get in touch!
I not only help families place children at local schools during the usual application period but also those who arrive mid-year.

With open day season in full swing I took the opportunity today to visit a school I had been meaning to visit for a while. I went on my own, met with the director, did a tour. I got a good sense of what makes this the school it is.

When I first started working as an education consultant I would visit any and every school I had time for, to have as much insight as possible into a variety of different schools. Nowadays I have less time and tend to only visit schools with my clients, unless I have a good reason to otherwise. Perhaps I’ve had good feedback about the school, it is new or for some reason or other the school piques my interest.

It was around 5 years ago that I started My Barcelona School. I have visited hundreds of schools in that time but still can say that I haven’t visited them all 😅.

What schools would you recommend I visit (assuming I haven’t done so already 😉)?
Always happy to hear people’s personal experiences! 🤗

If you are wanting to visit any public schools or concertades this year, this handy search engine will tell you when the dates of the open days are:

https://www.edubcn.cat/ca/alumnat_i_familia/informacio_general_matriculacio/jornades_de_portes_obertes_als_centres_cerca #/cerca

If your child was born in 2021, they will be entering I3 this year within the local Catalan school system.
Each area of Barcelona is offering information sessions about the school process. You can find out the details and dates here:

https://www.edubcn.cat/ca/alumnat_i_familia/informacio_general_matriculacio/sessions_informatives_per_a_les_families

If you don't speak Catalan and need help, get in touch! I can help navigate the schools search and application process 😀 .

My annual Open Days calendar is out! 😀

I hope you find it useful. ☺️

2024 Open Days Calendar This year's school Open Days calendar is out! You will find this years' calendar here. Do get in touch if you have any question or need support navigating the school system in Barcelona! I offer a variety of packages depending on the kind of support you need.

👉🏽 If you are planning on applying for a concertada or public school place for your child this year, the schools are starting to offer open days to help families get to know their projects better.

I wrote this post to help those of you about to go through this process, especially if you have never done it before! 😅

If you find yourself in need of support or could do with a helping hand, get in touch - I offer a range of service packages depending on the type of support you need. ☺️

Public School Open Days – A Guide for Parents At the end of January, public schools will start offering Open Days for prospective families looking for schools in Barcelona. Known as Portes Obertes or Puertas Abiertas in Catalan and Spanish respectively, these sessions are an opportunity to visit schools before the application period happens in....

Wishing you a wonderful 2024!

If you are looking for camps for during the Christmas holidays, toddl.co has a searchable database that helps you find activities for children of ages in all parts of the city. 🎄🎅

toddl.co - Las mejores actividades infantiles cerca de casa | Campamentos Reserva clases, campamentos y eventos para tus hij@s en 3 clics

Just finished a talk about P3/I3 school applications at - thanks so much to Sheryl for sharing her lovely space with us!
offers fantastic after school sessions every day between 4-6pm so the children were well looked after while their parents learnt about the process of choosing an applying for a school place in Barcelona 😃.

Beautiful sunny day in Barcelona today 🌞

An interesting free talk on 13th December at 6pm. 👇🏾 👇 👇🏻

Iconic Shops Walk | Barcelona International Welcome | Barcelona Barcelona offers a wide array of shops and commercial establishments that form part of its identity and singularity and which shine with their own light over the Christmas season. On this walk we’ll be visiting several iconic shops, some of them centenarian, with significant historical and heritag...

Free P3 / I3 schools talk in December. Reserve your place!

Free Schools Talk (P3/I3) On Tuesday 12th December from 5 - 6pm, I'll be offering a free Schools Talk about P3 / I3 entry at The Playhouse on Carrer Doctor del Rizal 18, Barcelona. During the talk I will mainly focus on the local public schools and concertades (which share the same application process) and will offer a step-...

On my way to my second school open day this week. The school open day season has started early, people!

Open days differ to private tours in that they usually happen when there are no children present and may involve presentations by directors and key members of staff. They are a good opportunity to ask teachers (and sometimes students) questions directly and to have a good look around the facilities.

If thinking about school visits and application processes causes a wave of panic in you, get in touch! It’s never too early to hire an expert in the school search and selection process 🤩.