Last year, the government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso decided to change the educational model in Spain and restore the so-called EGB model through which ESO I and II are taught in schools.
The system, which the government of Pedro Sánchez has criticized by ensuring that there is no legal framework for it, breaks the dynamics of educational plans through which the institute and the primary stage are differentiated in environments and spaces.
In the debate over which of the two models is better, science has spoken. The latest study by the European Society and Education Foundation shows that educational transitions from primary to secondary levels increase the risk of dropping out of school.
According to this report, “inappropriate” transition – with a change in position, an increase in the number of teachers per subject, and organizational breakdown – increases the odds of grade repetition, school failure, and abandonment of early education.
The jump also coincides with the beginning of adolescence, which “generates confusion, insecurity and discontentment with school.”
In the face of this, the report supports other systems in which there is no formal separation between stages – such as Nordic stages or those with a single structure -: they show better results and lower dropout rates, especially among the most vulnerable students.
The analysis confirms that “the absence of a break between stages, the continuity of the curriculum and the attendance of students in a stable school environment allows for a smooth and less stressful transition,” which reduces the negative effects of changing the course.
In this sense, It explicitly highlights the Ceipso model (Centers that bring together pre-school, primary and ESO in the same place), has been in effect in Madrid and other regions although on a specific basis for years: this formula favors “emotional stability” and a deeper knowledge of the student throughout his studies.
Madrid and Murcia are aligned
This scientific support comes after the model promoted by Ayuso began to spread to other societies governed by the People’s Party.
Murcia, headed by Fernando López Miras, announced last June that it would also implement this formula. Schools will be allowed to teach stages one and two of ESO “as long as their facilities permit it”, encouraging minors to remain “in a more protected environment” until the age of 14, when “their maturation process still makes them vulnerable and highly dependent”.
The Morsi measure, already proposed for the 2026-2027 academic year, would prioritize rural centers and those with the highest proportion of vulnerable students.
López Miras advocated that the goal is for children to “live their childhood to the fullest” and to prevent early entry into high school from increasing pressure on a still immature student body.
Madrid, a pioneer in this model, started last year with 52 accredited schools and 49 already operational. Currently, according to the Ministry of Education’s own data, 93 public centers in Madrid apply this formula, that is, one in eight.
The expansion continues: twenty schools have officially applied to join in the 2026-2027 academic year.
Families love it
Far from being a controversial procedure in the classroom, this model exists It is widely requested by parents themselves.
According to data from the Madrid Ministry, nearly 300 schools requested information about the program last year, creating a real waiting list to join.
Counselor Emilio Veciana He emphasizes the “excellent reception” and advocates that students benefit from a stable environment, with life companions and without a sudden jump to secondary school until the age of 13-14 years.
The experts who signed the study agree on this point: a stable environment, without changing buildings or separations between stages, allows “greater educational continuity” and prevents the most vulnerable students from falling behind.
The “sudden” transformation.
Although she admits that there are drawbacks such as the rotation of secondary school teachers in these centres, the lack of specific organization and specific deficiencies in infrastructure. The arguments relied upon by the Pilar Alegría Department when asked about this system.
The report notes that Spain, despite being universal up to age 16, is experiencing one of the most “abrupt” shifts between primary and secondary education in Europe.
Unlike countries such as Sweden, Finland and Portugal, they lack formal mechanisms for support, teacher coordination, and curriculum continuity.
The regulations governing transfer are “dispersed and heterogeneous”, according to the Autonomous Community and do not guarantee a homogeneous transfer of students.
Other European countries apply filters or transitional mechanisms, such as state proficiency exams (as in Italy), while Germany or Austria separate students into different tracks too early, exacerbating inequality.
The Sánchez government criticized the Madrid EGB model from the first moment and went so far as to assert that “there is no legal framework” for teaching part of the ESO in schools.
Political battle
But regional reality has moved in the opposite direction: PP communities are expanding their commitment to the hybrid model, which facilitates jumping between educational levels.
The Community and Education report confirms that the current transition between primary and secondary levels has measurable negative impacts and that models in which students remain in the same school until age 14 reduce school failure.
This is exactly the argument that the Community of Madrid has been using for two years: to provide stability for students.Educational continuity And an emotionally safe environment until the completion of the first years of adolescence.