In the province of Seville The 2026/27 school year began on 10 September. According to the education authorities, 160,667 children and young people in the second cycle of Educación Infantil, primary education and special education returned to 564 public and private centres. The number of teachers employed in the public sector in the province is 23,995.
A key policy initiative at the start of the year is to reduce class sizes in the three-year-old age groups: the Junta de Andalucía is reducing the number of children per group at this level to 22 and has set up 47 primary schools additional classes for this purpose. The regional government says the measure is justified by the demographic decline and aims to improve care and individual support in the early years of education. Teaching teams have also been strengthened.
In addition to the educational changes, the Junta points to investment in buildings: work to repair and modernise 54 public schools and institutes in the province is under way this school year. According to the authorities, 61 projects have been completed, with more due to finish by the end of the year; investment exceeds 14.4 million euros.
The city of Seville reports complementary work in areas under its responsibility. In recent months, maintenance, repairs and upgrades have been carried out in 49 municipal schools, funded with 5.6 million euros. The municipality has also introduced a new outsourced cleaning model for public schools, in force since 1 September. According to the city council, it provides for more staff, modern equipment and clearer work schedules. Before lessons began, more than 1,000 cleaning operations were carried out in the grounds of the schools. According to the city, around 400 employees are assigned to the new system.
In practice, two areas can therefore be distinguished: education policy led by the region (smaller groups in Infantil, more staff) and municipal infrastructure and hygiene measures (refurbishment, cleaning). Both sides cite improving learning and working conditions as their aim. Whether these have already led to measurable effects on learning outcomes, staffing or use of space remains unclear at the start of the school year, and the authorities responsible have not quantified any such effects.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).