Spain plans to reduce class sizes in primary and secondary schools: these are the new ratios of teachers to pupils

Spain's Ministry of Education is negotiating the introduction of a new law with education workers' unions which, if approved, will cut the maximum number of teaching hours per week from the next academic year. In addition, the proposal foresees the reduction of the number of pupils per class, which will take place at a gradual pace over the next three academic years. The full implementation of the new ratios would be completed in six years, in the 20231-32 school year.

The draft bill proposes reduction to 22 (from 25) pupils per class in primary schools and to 25 (from 30) in secondary schools. In addition, there is a proposal to reduce ratios in Bachillerato and Formación Profesional (sixth form and vocational further training in the British education system), but no specific numbers have been indicated for now.

If the new law is approved, each student with special needs (intellectual, visual or hearing), autism or any behavioural disorders will count as two students in the classroom. The aim is to allow them to receive more personalised attention and to reduce the workload on teachers so that they can devote time to the necessary pedagogical and organisational adaptations. Currently, there some 290,000 pupils that will count as two.

Each region will be responsible for implementing the new regulations in educational centre. Authorities will be in charge of ensuring "a balanced distribution of students with special needs". In addition, the regional ministries will be obliged to provide "human and material resources necessary for the adequate attention to all students with special educational needs enrolled in ordinary classrooms".

The draft law under negotiation states that the royal decree to be drawn up within a year of the approval of this law will incorporate specific measures to improve schools with a high level of social complexity (poor families, high immigration), which are those most in need of small groups and educational support. Usually, higher levels of year repetition is registered in these schools. The Ministry of Education will collaborate with the national institute of statistics in order to assess which educational centres are more vulnerable and, therefore, where ratio reductions are more necessary. Most of these schools are within the public education system, as that is where 80% of pupils with special educational needs are enrolled.

The same law that will lower the ratios will establish the new maximum weekly teaching hours that teachers will have to teach from next year onwards. These are the effective hours of class, to which must be added those used for meetings, tutorials, corrections or preparation of teaching material and class preparation, in order to complete the monthly working day of teachers. As Pedro Sánchez has already announced, there will be a maximum of 23 hours in primary education and 18 hours in secondary education.

The same law that will reduce class sizes will also set the new maximum weekly teaching hours that teachers will have to give from next year onwards. These are the actual class hours, to which must be added the time teachers spend on meetings, tutoring, grading, preparing teaching materials and lesson planning to complete their monthly work schedule. As PM Pedro Sánchez already announced, the maximum will be 23 hours in primary schools and 18 hours in secondary schools and Bachillerato.

The draft law establishes a timeline for implementing all these measures. The new weekly teaching hour limits and the double-counting of students with special needs for class ratios would come into effect next school year. In the following year, 2027-28, the new ratios would begin to be applied gradually, starting with the first year of the second cycle of early childhood education and the first year of primary school. Within three years, in 2028-29, the new maximum ratios for secondary education would start to be applied gradually from the first year, and in 2029-30, the future ratios for Bachillerato would begin to be applied from the first year. All stages are expected to have the new ratios fully applied to all grades by 2031-32 at the latest.

Sánchez also announced a plan to grant free education for children from zero to three years of age to all children from families with incomes below the poverty line. The initial budget for this initiative will be 175 million euros for the first two years. In addition, the government plans to implement measures to reduce the bureaucratic burden on teachers.