Hi guys,

Ok here’s a question for you I cannot find the answer to, what is the Spanish for ‘Ofsted’...?

I there is no equivalent of school league tables here, but that schools do get inspected by official bodies - how can one access that information, as a parent, and use it to make an informed choice?

I don’t want to kick off a big political round of how and why schools should be inspected, and believe me one of the reasons we moved here was to escape the interfering, overregulation, lack of personal accountability and responsibility, that dogs public services in the UK.  But as a parent looking at schools, how on earth do I find out anything about them?  Beyond their own words on their own website (IF they have one), I have found very little.  And yes I am taking a qualitative approach as well and collaring every parent and prospective parent I can get my hands on to talk to.  But I’m thinking, surely there must be some facts and figures available somewhere, as if my autonomous is paying for those inspections, hopefully they are published eventually!

Anyone got any thoughts/ideas/suggestions?

BDP x

The ministry of education has responsibility for schools, no system similar to the UK.

This is as close as you’ll get

http://www.educacion.es/cide/indexIn.htm

http://www.educacion.es/educacion/universidades/educacion-superior-universitaria/coordinacion-academica.html

You cannot in most regions pick a school, your allocated a school by your homes physical distance and you are not allowed to change that or challenge it unless your child requires special needs that the nearest school cannot provide.

So there is no need for league tables.

Thanks for replying Santi and also for the links, but your comments on choice don’t reflect the situation local to us, where we have a choice of about 6 colegios in the same town and have been asked to list our preference of top 4 in order.  I am sure it varies a lot by area, and our choice is mainly going to be about language (trying to select a school with Castellano predominating in our Valenciano area in other words)

Don’t get me wrong I think league tables are rarely a good idea or an effective way to compare like with like the way they are used in the UK for so many public services now!  But I still wish there was an equivalent of the Ofsted report site where I could read about the latest inspection visit on each school.

BDP x

I’m sure your right, Spain is after all a country of contradictions.

Interpretation various so much from office to office, region to region.When it comes to admin everyone is an expert, always correct even when there soo very wrong.

Your in a lucky position, we and every parent we no of in Spain has had an issue with the local school, some serious some not so and all have been stuck with it.