Putting your child in education in Spain can be quite an expensive affair. Unlike in the UK where the majority of school materials are free, in Spain materials such as books, notepads, papers and anything else that your child will use will need to be bought by yourself.
During the first year of our son starting school in Spain, we at paid over £1k towards, books, uniforms and materials. These did not include the fees have to pay to the school, especially if you are sending them to private education.
Prices of books also differ depending on what year your child is in. For example; my son who is in year 5 will need 16 books this year. The prices start from around €7.00 per book (brand new).
If your child is in ESO (secondary) prices of books are higher, they can start from €25.00 to €35.00 each. Again your child might need 10-14 books. As you can see the price adds up. If you have more than 2 children in school, it’s quite an expensive do every year! Not to mention the reading books, dictionaries and other supplies that they will also need.
A guide to La Xarxa De Llibres
Fortunately, schools in Valencia also offers a way to save money on books. La Xarxa de Llibres is an educative programme for the region of Valencia in Spain. Which aims to provide free books and other materials (like eBooks) to Valencian students.
This programme is financed in equal parts by the regional government of Valencia, the governments of each province and the town councils.
Who can participate?
Students of Primary and Secondary school or Professional training attending state schools or state-financed schools (colegios concertados).
What is included in La Xarxa programme?
Textbooks, eBooks, other material which complement textbooks. Reading books, dictionaries, atlas, workbooks and school materials are NOT included.
How to apply
Those interested in participating in la Xarxa for the first time must fill an application form (one for each student) and show it in the school before the end of the school year. Usually, you will be informed by AMPA about when to fill in the form and when to send it. You can find more information here, along with other information about the dates.
The procedure for the first time
- Each family must buy the textbooks and show the original invoice and a copy that will be certified by the town hall. Families will receive up to €100.
- At the end of the school year, families must fill a form (usually provided by the school) and hand all the books over to the school. They could receive up to €100.
- It is extremely important to keep books in good conditions (not written or underlined), otherwise, they will not be accepted in La Xarxa.
- These books are now part of the book bank and will be used by other students next year.
- Families participating in this programme will have free books next year.
Get Registered With Xarxa And Save Money On Books
Below is a sample list of books that my child will need for this year. If you are a member of Xarxa, most of the books will be given to you second hand.
It’s not guaranteed that you will receive all of the books that your child will need. This year, we were given 7 subject books from the list below, but we had to buy the rest of the books ourselves. I usually purchase them from Amazon as I find you can save a little bit rather than ordering them through the school.
The total cost of the books that they didn’t provide was £90. As you can see there is a large difference in the price.
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1 comment
Thank you for all of the info on kids and schools in Valencia! Your blog is really helpful. We are planning to move there early next year. Our kid will be starting educación infantil 2 next fall. I have a list of schools that I have checked out online and want to see in person when we get there – 2 privates, 3 concertados, and a couple of state schools. I am interested to know which private school you had such a bad experience with to avoid it ourselves. I am also interested to know if you have experience with the concertados. Oh, and we are moving from the US. Husband is a native Spanish speaker. I am fluent in Spanish and also am a language teacher by profession. All the same, I dread the mountains of homework that everyone talks about there. Thank you again for your great articles!