Spanish studies

SPANISH STUDIES

Under Spanish law the Lycée Français de Barcelone is a foreign establishment that welcomes Spanish, French or other foreign students who can switch to the Spanish education system at any time during their schooling or at the end of it. For this reason the Lycée Français de Barcelone, following programs provided for by Franco-Spanish cultural agreements, provides courses in Spanish language and culture and Catalan, the language of the Autonomous Community.

These classes are provided at every grade level from Preschool to 12^th grade by Spanish teachers with Spanish degrees, which allows our students a better command of these languages.

Furthermore, these studies allow them to obtain Spanish diplomas: the Graduado en ESO at the end of the 10^th grade and the Título de Bachiller (high school diploma) after obtaining the Baccalaureate (in 12^th grade).

CLASSES

Preschool

Spanish and Catalan are taught for 3 or 4 hours per week, depending on the class level, by Spanish teachers with Spanish degrees, who work in close collaboration with the classroom teachers. French children or other foreigners who do not speak Spanish benefit from special introductory classes to facilitate their integration.

Elementary school

Spanish and Catalan are taught for 4 hours per week. However, an exception is made for French children or other foreigners who are newcomers and do not speak Spanish. During their first school year at the Lycée Français de Barcelone and in order to facilitate their integration into the local community, they benefit from special introductory classes in Spanish. and are excused from Catalan classes. From their second year in Barcelona, they then enter mainstream Spanish courses and begin receiving special introductory classes in Catalan for one school year.

In 4^th and 5^th grade, the teacher teaches in Spanish for certain parts of the History and Geography of Spain which are part of the History and Geography programs worked on in French by the class teachers.

Middle school

In Middle School Spanish Language and Literature are taught for 3 hours per week and Catalan Language and Literature are taught for 3 hours per week. These Spanish and Catalan classes go well beyond the contents of an LV1 (foreign language class) in France. They follow the official Spanish programs and are taught by Spanish teachers with Spanish degrees, which allows our students a better command of these languages and the validation of their studies in the Spanish system. However, we align the methodology, the practices and the content with the French teachers.

Introduction to Spanish: French students or other foreigners who are newcomers and do not speak Spanish, benefit from Introductory courses (Spanish as a Foreign Language) for 3 hours per week for a maximum of two school years, before joining the mainstream class. Students are placed according to their knowledge in Level A1 / A2 or Level A2 / B1 (European Framework of Reference for Language Teaching CEFRL).

Introduction to Catalan: French students or other foreigners who are newcomers and do not speak Catalan, benefit from Introductory courses (Catalan as a Foreign Language) for 3 hours per week for a maximum of two school years before entering the mainstream class. Students are placed according to their knowledge in Level A1 / A2 or Level A2 / B1 (CEFRL).

Catalan waiver: A waiver may be requested in very specific cases where families only plan to reside in Barcelona for a year or two. Parents must request the exemption in writing and release the school from any obligation to issue a certificate of validation of studies to enter the Spanish education system. However, once a student has begun studying Catalan, then the class becomes compulsory.

The teaching of History and Geography in middle school follows what are called “integrated” programs: the official French programs, supplemented by certain parts of the History and Geography of Spain. They are taught by French teachers, in French, and by Spanish teachers, in Spanish, for 2 hours per week in each language (totaling 4 hours per week for this subject). The two teachers collaborate closely for this class and, the student’s assessment is done jointly.

High school

Spanish Language and Literature are taught in high school as follows:

3 hours per week in 10^th grade + 1 hour of personalized support
3 hours per week in 11^th and 12^th grades + 1 hour of Literary Studies

Catalan Language and Literature are taught in high school as follows:

3 hours per week in 10^th grade
2 hours per week in 11^th and 12^th grades.

These Spanish and Catalan classes go well beyond the content of a foreign language class in France. They follow the official Spanish programs and are taught by Spanish teachers with Spanish degrees, which allows our students a better command of these languages and the validation of their studies in the Spanish system. This is done in conjunction with the Humanities teachers with whom we align the methodology, the practices and the content of these classes. The study of Spanish and Catalan are also options for the Baccalaureate.

Teaching the history and geography of Spain

A Spanish History program is taught by Spanish teachers, in Spanish, as follows:

1 hour per week in 10^th grade
1.5 hours per week in 11^th grade
1 hour per week in 12^th grade

This subject completes the coursework for high school and allows our students to validate their studies in the Spanish system.

Spanish and Catalan as foreign languages

Taking into account the difficulty of some non-Spanish speaking students in adapting to the language level and requirements of the course content for the official programs of Lengua y Litératura in Spanish and Catalan in high school, we offer another option for the study of Spanish and Catalan in the 11^th and 12^th grades:

Spanish Language : preparation for the Baccalaureate (Foreign Language 1, 2 or 3) in the European Framework of Reference for Language Teaching (CEFRL); 3 hours per week.
Advanced Spanish Language: preparation for the Baccalaureate (Foreign Language 1, 2 or 3) in the European Framework of Reference for Language Teaching (CEFRL); 3 hours per week and preparation for the official Spanish exams (DELE, level B2-C1).
Catalan Language: preparation for the Baccalaureate (Foreign Language 2 or 3) in the European Framework of Reference for Language Teaching (CEFRL); 2 hours per week.

This choice implies definitively renouncing the validation of studies and obtaining the Título de Bachiller (Spanish High School Diploma) as well as the inability to apply for the Certificat d’equivalència del nivell C de català (certificate of equivalence of level C of Catalan) essential for professional life in Catalonia.

Catalan waiver: A waiver may be requested in very specific cases where families only plan to reside in Barcelona for a year or two. Parents must request the exemption in writing and release the establishment from any obligation to issue a certificate of validation of studies to enter the Spanish education system.

Access and admission to Spanish universities

The Ley Orgánica para la mejora de la calidad educativa – LOMCE (The Organic Law for the Improvement of Educational Quality), voted in December 2013, stipulates that students from European Union countries and foreign centers in Spain, whatever their nationality, can access Spanish Universities if they have the qualifications required to access universities in the country of the school system they attended. Our students are exempted from taking the tests of the “fase general de la Sélectividad” (General Selectivity Phase) as long as they have obtained their Baccalaureate. They have the opportunity to present subjects related to the graduate studies they wish to pursue in order to earn additional points which will complete their admission grade. Their final grade will allow them admission to specific universities.

« PCE, Pruebas de competencias específicas »

In order to better prepare our students for higher education in Spain, the Lycée Français de Barcelone offers the preparation of several different subjects for the “fase específica” (Specific Phase) of the “Selectividad” (university entrance exams) according to the following methods:

2 hours per week for each subject
classes given in Spanish by LFB teachers or by visiting lecturers
classes integrated into students’ schedules, from Monday morning to Friday evening.
some of these classes begin in 11^th grade, and others in 12^th grade.
These classes can also be an interesting way forward in the study and practice of the Spanish language for non-Spanish speaking students who may not be planning to pursue higher education in Spain.