Outside the tuck shop in a Granada school

Primary schooling (for ages 6-14) is compulsory in Spain, and any student wishing to opt out of secondary school is obliged to undergo vocational training until the age of sixteen. At this age they take the bachillerato exams which are the equivalent of the United Kingdom’s GCSEs. If they are successful they can then take a pre-university course. In 1985 an estimated 89 per cent of students attended secondary school, and 26 per cent went on to graduate from university.

Nearly half of all Spanish schools are private, and many of these are run by the Catholic Church. The religious schools are considered superior to the state-funded schools.

Photo by Lesley Nelson

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