Girona shifts 343 students to public

Girona’s school system is dealing with a sudden transfer of 343 pupils from two formerly subsidised schools into the public network after the centres’ agreements ended, according to an APD report published on May 24. The move affects families linked to Bell-lloc and Les Alzines, two Girona schools that had operated with public funding under Spain’s concerted-school model before shifting to private status. Girona public schools were already under pressure, APD said, and the incoming students will now have to be redistributed across public centres in the city. ### Which schools are driving the transfer? Bell-lloc and Les Alzines are the two schools at the center of the change. APD reported earlier that 342 students were expected to leave the two centres for the next academic year after their transition to private ownership, a figure based on pre-registration data closed on March 18. The May 24 APD report updated that total to 343 students relocating into the public system. (apd.cat) ARA, in a separate report published earlier this year, said Girona City Council had been preparing for months for the effect of the privatization of the two Opus Dei-linked schools. The outlet said the city expected to create 11 new classes, mainly in lower secondary education, to absorb students leaving the schools. (apd.cat) ### Why does the number matter beyond Girona? The figure matters because it shows how a change at two schools can ripple across an entire local system. APD said the demand for subsidised places in Girona is forcing the transfer of students into a public network that already carries a large share of pupils with additional educational needs. That means the public sector is not only adding numbers, but also taking on a broader mix of student profiles. (en.ara.cat) ARA reported that uncertainty over where students would end up had been hanging over Girona’s public schools for months as officials tried to map out available places. The issue was not limited to primary education, with much of the expansion expected in compulsory secondary schooling. (apd.cat) ### What does this mean inside classrooms? Public schools receiving new students are likely to face wider attainment ranges and more uneven readiness levels, based on the APD description of existing pressure in Girona’s public system. The report said those schools already serve a high proportion of students with additional educational needs. (en.ara.cat) For teachers, that kind of intake usually requires lessons built around one common task with different routes through it. A practical version is a three-part structure: a shared input for the whole class, scaffolded support for pupils who need help starting, and an extension path for pupils ready to go further. That approach is an inference from the reported mix of needs and the pressure on public centres, not a policy announced by Girona authorities. (apd.cat) ### How are schools likely to track progress with more mixed groups? Mixed cohorts usually push schools toward broader assessment categories rather than fine-grained marks in everyday classroom work. In practice, teachers often sort pupils into working groups such as secure, developing and support, because those labels help direct teaching time quickly when classes change size or composition. That is a classroom response to the conditions described in the APD report, rather than a formal Girona-wide grading rule. (apd.cat) ### What happens next for Girona families and schools? The 2026-27 school year is the next concrete milestone. Girona’s public schools will have to absorb the 343 students leaving Bell-lloc and Les Alzines, while local authorities continue managing placements and class capacity across the city. APD’s May 24 report and its earlier March-based estimate provide the clearest public accounting so far of the scale of the shift. (apd.cat)