Homeschooling is an illegaloption in Spain through which some parents decide that they want to educate their children at home. This preference was forced in early March in our country with the state of alarm and the closure of educational centers in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Homeschooling families weigh that this new context -especially in the face of a course pending the progress of the pandemic- is “beneficial” to advance in the regulation of this type of education.
For this, the Association for Free Education(ALE) stands in Spain “as a meeting place, reflection and help for all families who choose to educate without school and for all people related to our search for an educational alternative based on freedom”.
From ALE, they believe that the State should guarantee a wide range of public, free and universal educational options , and facilitate access to other options and other educational models, including home education . In fact, they are continuously working for the recognition of this option – “considered and responsible”, they say – by the Administration .
proper context
Based on the current circumstances, the followers of this pedagogical theory consider this the best moment to advance in the acceptance of this type of education in our country, which, however, is fully accepted in other areas of the European Union, where it is perceived with very good eyes the involvement of parents in the education of the little ones.
While homeschooling is progressively gaining ground, parallel projects are emerging that can help those parents who do not want to fully delegate the education of their sons and daughters. An example of this would be Pedagogia Blanca, which has personalized adviceand, at the same time, they help parents and educators to better understand children. To do this, they clarify, “you have to convey confidence , treat them with patience and love and discover that learning is a fun and joyful process. The relationship with your children or students will be as you have always wanted and they will develop their talents and creativity ” .
Its courses, programmes , master’s degrees and workshops, face-to-face and online, are aimed at parents with any type of previous training , educators, teachers, professionals in Psychology and Pedagogy and, in general, “anyone interested indeepen respectful education and obtain practical, concrete, updated and applicable tools from day one”.
Access to qualifications
Many families may be wondering that, in the event that regulated education is taught at home, what is the way to access the compulsory degrees. From the ALE they explain it like this.
ESO
You can register to study 3rd or 4th of ESO in an approved center and, in this way, obtain said degree. In this sense, it is necessary to take into account Keep in mind that each region sets a different procedure for students who join the education system late
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The ESO graduate can be obtained by presenting the free tests from the age of 18 or by accessing the Secondary Education Centers for Adults (ESPA), which can also be accessed with 16 years and a work contract.
It is necessary to review the requirements of each Autonomous Community since, in some of them, it is not possible to apply if you have not been enrolled in an approved center in the last two years. It is possible, however, to take the exam in a region other than the one of residence.
Training Cycles
You can enter theRegulated educational system through the entrance exams to the Vocational Training Training Cycles of Intermediate Level at 17 years of age or Higher Level at 19 years of age .
University entrance exams
You can take the university entrance exams for those over 25 years of age or directly to the university by enrolling in the Open University (one of the best British public universities) or in other British or North American face-to-face universities (many of them have a fee for homeschoolers).
Distance schools
Since 2016, in Spain you cannot count on validations after studying at a foreign distance school , although these studies could be validated in other countries of residence, in which they have full validity, as long as you have resided in them during the completion of the studies .
