The Best in Health and Education - Costa Calida

Hospitals, Heath Centres and Emergencies Costa Calida

Hospital Morales Meseguer
Avda Marqu‚s de los V‚lez s/n.
Telephone: 968 360900
This hospital treats all types of emergency care except gynaecological cases.

Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca
C/ Madrid Cartagena s/n, El Palmar-Murcia.
Telephone: 968369500

Centro de salud del Carmen
C/ Madre Elisea Oliver s/n (beside ®Cuartel de Artiller¡a¯)
Telephone: 968 262723/ 262841

Centro de salud San Andr‚s
C/ Doctor Quesada s/n, San Andr‚s, Murcia
Telephone: 968 291746

Centro de salud Santa Mar¡a de Gracia
C/ Arturo Duperier s/n
Telephone: 968 290209/ 296912

Centro de salud Sim¢n Garc¡a
C/ Sim¢n Garc¡a
Telephone: 968 212232/ 217405
Centro de salud Vistabella

C/ Alicante s/n
Telephone: 968 340 300/ 0 400

Centro de salud de Vistalegre-La Flota
Avda. Juan de Borb¢n (La Flota).
Telephone: 968 242439
Emergencies

In case of emergency (firemen, police or medical assistance) call the following number: 112. This number is free and may be called from any public or mobile phone.


Information on Local Education

State schools
There are many English children attending state schools in Murcia.

Arrangements for foreign pupils.
Many schools have a specialist teacher to help immigrant children of all nationalities learn Spanish. Generally speaking the younger the child, the more quickly they learn the language and integrate.

It is quite common for secondary pupils to be placed in the class a year below their actual age in order for them to learn the language and cope with normal school work. A pupil who does badly in end-of-year exams, especially if the staff feel that they have made insufficient effort, can be required to repeat the year, but this can only happen once.

Costs
State education from three to sixteen years is free in Spain, but parents have to buy all of their children's books and materials. Schools supply a list of what is required at the start of each school year which will include art and craft materials as well as text and exercise books. Expect to spend a minimum of around fifty pounds per child. School uniform is not normally worn in state schools but is usually worn in private schools.
There are three phases of state education in Spain;
Infantil from age 3-6yrs
Primaria from age 6-12yrs
Secundaria from age 12-16yrs
Compulsory education is from 6 yrs old, but the infantil or pre-school stage is regarded as an integral part of the education system with infantil classes in almost every primary school. There are some separate Colegios Infantiles or nursery schools.
The Spanish name for a primary school is a Colegio, and for a secondary school, Instituto. The stages of education are often referred to by their initials, eg. ESO or Education Secundaria Obligatorio for secondary education.

Qualifications
A Certificate of Secondary Education is awarded at the end of compulsory secondary education and a student who achieves appropriate grades graduates from compulsory secondary education ESO and can apply for one of the different types (academic or technical) of
(Spanish) Bachillerato. Vocational training is also a possibility after ESO. The new qualifications replace the COU and the BUP. Students with appropriate qualifications and wishing to progress to University in Spain, must usually take an entrance exam. The School Leaving Certificate is not inferior to a number of GCSEs. The Bachillerato is not inferior to A levels. Therefore, students obtaining the appropriate grades required for entrance into universities in Europe, including England, are not precluded because they have Spanish qualifications.

School hours
Primary school hours at present are 9.00 until 12:30 and 3.30 until 5:00, except during June and September when they work mornings only, 9:00 until 1:00. There is a move towards a single session day in primary schools which would bring them in line with secondary schools. To achieve this each school has to submit a programme of extra curricular activities to be offered in the afternoons to the education authority, and if this is approved the proposal to move to a single session day is put to a vote by the parents for their approval. Some schools have a dining room and provide lunches, but many do not.
Secondary schools work 9:00 until 2:00 all the school year.

School terms
Broadly similar to the English three term system, but with slightly shorter holidays at Christmas and Easter, and longer in the summer, this year 2005 the summer holiday runs from June 21st until September 1st. The English half-term holiday does not exist, but there are frequent odd days and long weekends relating mainly to religious holidays and regional and national holidays.

Religious Education
Takes place in all schools in accordance with the doctrine of the Roman Catholic church. Parents are asked when they enrol their children whether or not they wish them to take religious education.

Availability of schools
All but the very smallest villages have their own primary school, and there is widespread coverage by school transport. Small village schools are grouped together under the auspices of their local teacher's centre for the provision of specialist teachers for subjects such as music, English, etc. Most larger villages and towns will have a secondary school.

Bilingual schools
Shoreless Lake school at Totana is a private fee-paying school for boys of all ages which follows the American curriculum, with all teaching conducted in English. El Limonar is a private fee-paying bilingual primary school in Murcia city.