Spain plans eight-child nursery groups, down from 20
Nursery classes in Spain could eventually be limited to eight children, instead of the current maximum of 20 for those aged two to three. On 1 September, paediatricians urged faster action before the school year begins, saying smaller groups give staff more time with each child. The Ministry of Education proposal is still going through the legal approval process.
At present, Spain generally allows up to eight babies in a class until their first birthday, 14 children from 12 months to two years, and 20 from two to three years old. The limits vary between autonomous communities.
Ministry plan starts in 2027-2028
The ministry wants to bring those limits down gradually to four, six and eight children per class. Its timetable foresees the change starting in the 2027-2028 school year and being phased in until 2029-2030.
Dr Miriam de Nazaret García del Saz, of the Spanish Association of Paediatrics and the Spanish Society of Social Paediatrics, said class sizes are not simply an organisational matter. They shape the time, attention and quality of contact each child receives.
She said the first three years are a key period for brain development. Smaller groups can allow more individual care, support language and emotional development, and help staff spot possible developmental difficulties earlier. Large groups, she warned, make it harder to respond to each child’s needs.
Call for inclusive classrooms
Dr Beatriz Fernández Prudencio, of the Spanish Association of Primary Care Paediatrics, also called for inclusive classrooms that work for children with different ways of learning. She said such a setting benefits the whole class, not only children who need specific support.
Children with autism, attention difficulties with or without hyperactivity, dyslexia and other learning difficulties may need extra help, she said. But a diagnosis should not become a label that defines a child.
She added that primary care paediatricians can follow a child’s development over time, recognise warning signs and help when difficulties emerge in learning, communication, attention or behaviour. As schools reopen, the specialists also advised families to gradually return to regular sleeping and meal times, without rushing children or putting them under excessive pressure.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com