As I did last year, when we echoed the classification, and as it has been doing for 13 years, El Mundo newspaper has published the ranking with the 100 best private and concerted schools in Spain.
This is a list in which, as we have said, there are no public schools. This makes many readers come to think that it is an unimportant classification, especially since the schools that appear in the listings are the first interested in appearing in the top positions.
So you can see how schools are classified and so you know how they are scored, today we are going to comment what are the selection criteria used by the newspaper.
The same methodology as last year
To carry out the classification, the same methodology as last year has been used: a total of 27 criteria which are grouped according to the teaching model, the educational offer and the material means that each school has.
The same newspaper comments, before making the assessment, that they are the criteria they have chosen, but that they do not have to be liked by everyone and that, due to their use, large schools have been left out.
This is obvious if we consider that not all parents seek the same for their children. Some value very much the fact that they have books, do many homework and have many teaching hours and others value more that they have the option to develop free play, work for projects and not with books and to help them develop their creativity and be treated in a more individual way.
However, as the valued schools are private and concerted, most could be included in a more or less homogeneous teaching style aimed at parents with fairly common interests, for whom the 27 criteria used could be suitable.
The teaching model
The first set of criteria, the teaching model, is the one that contributes more points to the final classification, with 39 possible points of 100. In it the following parameters are evaluated:
- The educational model: The teaching model, ideology, methodology and innovation plans are valued. It contributes a maximum of 8 points.
- External recognition: what are the awards and mentions that the school has received. A maximum of 4 points.
- The quality models: What are the quality models (type EFQM, ISO, etc.) that have already evaluated the operation of the center. 3 points maximum.
- Educational coverage: They look at the educational offer at all levels, to see how far a school can offer comprehensive training that does not neglect some facets of education. It contributes a maximum of 5 points.
- Student Evaluation: if in addition to evaluating with the usual qualifications other methods are used to evaluate the children. 3 points maximum.
- Price: The quality and price ratio is valued, as well as complementary dining-type services, routes, uniforms, ... It provides a maximum of 6 points.
- Supply-demand ratio: if there are waiting lists and how many are the applications to get a place. 3 points maximum.
- Loyalty Index: How many of the children who start at school end up in the school and how many ex-student parents choose the center for their children. 3 points maximum for one of the factors that seems most important to me.
- 'Care' of teachers: assess the professional situation of teachers, how they are trained, if they participate in any educational research project, etc. It contributes a maximum of 4 points.
The educational offer
The second group of criteria is the one that values the educational offer, contributing a total of 34 points out of the total 100. The criteria included are the following:
- Languages: The number of languages offered by the school and their consideration in the teaching are valued. It is also taken into account if students have the option to take international exams within the center and if there are exchange programs. It contributes a maximum of 4 points.
- Faculty: the qualification of the teaching staff, the presence of native teachers for languages and what is the access of the cloister to recycling courses is valued. 4 points maximum.
- Number and qualification of support teachers: how many teachers does the center have to reinforce, individually or collectively, children's knowledge. A maximum of 4 points.
- Number of hours dedicated to tutorials per student, how many teachers are in the guidance department and how it works. 4 points maximum.
- Reinforcement for special needs or abilities: how children who have different capacities to achieve their proper development are reinforced or supported. It contributes a maximum of 4 points.
- Selectivity: the success of the students of the center in the exam of selectivity is valued. How many have presented themselves and how many have been able to study what was their first option at the university. 4 points maximum.
- Non-academic activities: If the school has workshops and social activities. 4 points maximum.
- Extracurricular activities: How many extracurricular activities does it have and what is its price. 4 points maximum.
- Medical service: If you have a medical service for possible eventualities. A maximum of 2 points.
Material means
The last group of criteria that is valued is that of the material resources that each school has. This group contributes a total of 27 points and the criteria that are valued are the following:
- Number of students per classroom: If there are more than 25, attention to the child's needs is difficult and the dynamics of the course are impaired (and in my class we were 40 ...). It contributes 3 points maximum.
- Number of students per teacher: The better the proportion (less students per teacher) the better the specific work will be and the greater the individualized work with each child. 3 points maximum.
- Square meter: The space that each center has is valued to adapt to the possible material needs that may appear. 3 points maximum.
- Classroom space: the space of the teacher and the group is valued, to ensure that the children have the necessary conditions to develop their abilities (if they saw the classes in which I studied ...). It contributes a maximum of 3 points.
- IT equipment: It is valued as positive that children can get used to computer science from an early age to become familiar in an environment of the future, very useful for higher education and for the professional world. It contributes a maximum of 3 points.
- Transport: Given that due to its situation, many schools make the transport offer necessary, its operation and cost are valued for families.
- Dinning room: the price, the available places are valued, if the children can take the food from home, etc. 3 points maximum.
- Laboratories: Some subjects require an adequate infrastructure and that is why the existence of laboratories to teach these subjects is positively valued. A maximum of 3 points.
- Sports facilities: the spaces destined to the physical and creative activities, necessary for a complete formation of the student are evaluated. 3 points maximum.
Tomorrow, the list with the best schools
After seeing what are the selection criteria that have been carried out and what points are awarded to each of the criteria, tomorrow we will see the classification to know which are the best private and concerted schools in Spain: The 100 best schools for the 2012-13 academic year according to El Mundo: the list of the best.
