Regulating the Welcome Schools in the Autonomous Region of Madrid

Abstract

During the recent two decades, Spain has experienced a considerable influx of immigrants. As a result, the number of immigrant children enrolled in Spanish schools has increased substantially. The increase was recorded in all age groups - pre-school, primary and secondary - and compelled the government to respond by issuing regulations to improve the educational process of the immigrant students. These were students of distinct characteristics and diverse historical and social backgrounds who did not speak Spanish and did not use Spanish as a vehicular language because they communicated in other languages. This social reality was more visible in the large cities, but especially in the capital of Spain. According to statistical data from the National Department of Education, the immigrant groups from over a hundred seventy nationalities with distinct cultures, languages, ideologies, religions and customs established their presence in Madrid. In this context, the purpose of the article is to present and analyze legislative framework and legal norms regulating the Welcome Schools, and to make determination if the regulations support the academic and social integration of the immigrant students in Madrid.