Back To School For Canaries

Schoolchildren in the Canaries will be heading back to their studies on September 9th after those long, lazy, wonderful summer holidays.

The days of beaches and fiestas are over, and its back to desks and homework for thousands of kids in Canarian schools. A lot of people worry that Spanish kids fall out of the habit of study during the long break, but there’s little evidence that this is the case, and many of them will have learnt more during those long weeks than they ever would at school.

Still, for parents the return to school may mean a welcome return to normality, but it will also require organisation and outlay.

Children should have been registered for this academic year before the summer. If yours aren’t, you’ll need to contact a school quickly. You can choose to pay for one of the island’s private schools or take advantage of the compulsory free education provided by a state school. In Spain, primary schools are colegios and secondary schools are institutos. The state system will usually allocate your child to the nearest school to your home, but requests may be considered for other schools if, for example, parents’ work routines make this easier.

ASK THE SECRETARY

Your most important source of information for the new school year will be the school itself. All schools have a reception counter and hard-working secretaries who will give you all the information you require for the year ahead.

Many schools will require uniform, often including sports equipment – the school will provide full details of what is required and should also recommend local suppliers.

Your child will need a strong, roomy backpack with comfortable straps. Canarian schools generally do not provide lockers or shared textbooks and children have to lug heavy books and equipment around all the time. It’s also worth preparing children with a well-equipped pencil case and finding out whether computer equipment is required.

Textbook costs can be a big shock for many parents. Books are issued at the start of the school year, and the cost can be in the hundreds. Grants are often available for those on a budget.

It’s also worth finding out the school’s policy on school meals and transport – some provide a comedor (dining room) and bus services, while others do not. Most schools demand vaccine certificates before admitting children and, again, this should be checked beforehand. It’s also a great idea to take kids for an eye test before they start back at school.

Make decisions about mobile phones early. Mobile phone use was banned in Canarian classrooms last year, and pupils must usually hand phones in unless they have emergency exemptions, such as health conditions.

Once your child is at school, find out about extracurricular activities as early as you can, which will help you plan your routine.

LANGUAGE MATTERS

One challenge that the children of foreign residents can face is the language barrier. While private schools often operate bilingual policies, state schools generally don’t. The younger the child, the faster they adapt, as a rule, but parents should take extra care to support their children during their fitting-in period.

Adolescents at important stages in their social development and education can have real problems being “thrown in at the deep end” language-wise, and we would recommend private schools for these age groups.

HOLIDAYS 2025-26

Schoolchildren in the Canaries face an even harder slog than usual this year. The only main holidays are at Christmas and Easter (there are no half-term holidays in Spain) and there are just a few bank holidays that don’t fall on weekends in the coming year.

Important dates for state schools this year (private schools may differ) are as follows, but be sure to confirm with your school:

– Tuesday, September 9th: Start of primary school.

– Wednesday, September 10th: Start of secondary school.

– Thursday, September 15th: Our Lady of the Volcanoes Holiday, Lanzarote.

– Friday, December 5th, Monday 8th: Long Weekend

– Monday, December 22nd to Wednesday, Jan 7th: Christmas Holiday.

– Monday, March 31st to Friday, April 3rd: Easter Holiday.

– Friday May 1st: Workers Holiday.

– Friday 19th June: End of school year

Be sure to ask the school for a full calendar, which will also include two municipal holidays.