Españaula Blog: Your Guide to Schools & Education in Málaga & the Costa del Sol

For many international families, figuring out how school communication works in Spanish schools can feel confusing and overwhelming. If you are used to one central parent portal or platform for communication, you may need to adjust to juggling a few different tools, plus keep up with informal parent networks. It can feel overwhelming at first, but once you get over the logistics of passwords, access, and remembering what each platform is for, you will develop a rhythm.

The Different Channels of Communication

• Educamos / iPasen (or similar apps)
  These are some common official platforms, used for things like attendance, absences, grades, school calendars, and official announcements. If you need to relay a sick day or read a message from the administration, this is the place to check. These may be linked to another messaging and email platform like Teams and Outlook to facilitate quick communication with the teacher.
• Paper notes
  Especially in infantil, notices about events or supplies might come home in your child’s backpack. It’s worth making a daily habit of checking.
• WhatsApp class groups
  Almost every class has a parent-run WhatsApp group. These groups are not official, but they are where you’ll get the fastest updates and reminders, send out birthday party invites, as well as a good place to ask questions and clarifications from parents who just have more experience with the school and norms.
• Direct contact with teachers
  This is very school dependent and will be clearly relayed at the beginning of the year when you are onboarded to the school platform of choice. Often schools provide direct communication through one of the platforms mentioned above.

The Juggle Is Real

At first, it can feel like a lot: one app for official notices, another for teacher communication, plus parent WhatsApp groups buzzing nonstop, and if you’re child takes the bus or has extracurriculars, there are groups for these too! Each channel has a slightly different purpose, and part of the adjustment is figuring out which one to check for what.

The juggling act can feel like a full-time job in September, but it settles into a rhythm and becomes easier to keep up with the bright side being there is no shortage of avenues to reach out and ask for help along the way!