SPANISH TO SAY · CATALAN TO READ
School
The two-stage enrolment that catches everybody, the meals grant, and the note that comes home in the bag in Catalan.
School phrases
WORDS YOU READ
Letters and notices from the school
Your child’s school writes to you in Catalan by default, the same as the Ajuntament and the Generalitat — you read Catalan, you speak Spanish. The letter that carries a deadline arrives in Catalan even though the conversation about it happens in Spanish.
escola / institut
primary school / secondary school
Different buildings, different enrolment.
Where you’ll see it: Signs and letters
preinscripció
applying for a school place
An application, not a place. There is a strict window each spring.
Where you’ll see it: Preinscripció. Curs 2026-2027
matrícula
enrolling, once you have been given a place
Preinscripció is not enough. Miss the matrícula window and you lose the place you won.
Where you’ll see it: The letter after the lists
llista provisional / llista definitiva
provisional list / final list
You can challenge a provisional list with an al·legació. A definitive one needs a recurs.
Where you’ll see it: Posted at the school and online
llista d'espera
waiting list
Where you’ll see it: Same notices
codi de la sol·licitud
your application code
You cannot check the lists without it. Photograph it.
Where you’ll see it: On the preinscripció receipt
tutor/a · tutoria
your child’s class teacher · the parent meeting with them
The tutoria is where problems get solved. Ask for one; you do not have to wait to be called.
Where you’ll see it: Diary, circulars
reunió
meeting
Where you’ll see it: Circulars
sortida
school trip
Here it means an outing, not an exit. A sortida escolar needs a signed autorització.
Where you’ll see it: Permission slips
autorització
written permission slip
No signature, no trip.
Where you’ll see it: Sent home for trips, photos, going home alone
ajut de menjador / beca menjador
school-meals grant
The official name is ajut individual de menjador — "beca menjador" is what everyone says. Barcelona runs four application windows across the year, so arriving late in the year does not shut you out. Apply through your school.
Where you’ll see it: The Consorci d’Educació’s Ajuts de menjador escolar
espai de migdia
the supervised lunch period
What the meal charge actually pays for.
Where you’ll see it: Menjador letters
AFA (abans AMPA)
the families’ association at your child’s school
The Catalan federation renamed from AMPA (mares i pares) to AFA (famílies) with effect from the 2020/21 school year, and most Barcelona public schools followed. AMPA survives on older signage, statutes and bank accounts, and in what parents actually say. It runs after-school activities and is often the cheapest childcare in the building.
Where you’ll see it: Noticeboards, circulars, the school website
deures
homework
Where you’ll see it: The diary
circular
a notice sent to all families
Where you’ll see it: The bag, the app
alumnat nouvingut · aula d'acollida
newly arrived pupils · the reception class for them
If you arrive after enrolment closes, this is the route in. There is a separate procedure — you do not wait for next year.
Where you’ll see it: Letters about mid-year arrival
extraescolars
after-school activities
Where you’ll see it: AFA notice
beca
grant
Where you’ll see it: Council and school
5 sources · checked September 2026
- Consorci d'Educació de Barcelona — Ajuts de menjador escolarfour windows, motius de denegació, resolució provisional/definitiva, al·legació, recurs d'alçada, espai de migdia
- Generalitat — Preinscripció curs 2026-2027
- affac — the 2019 vote and 2020/21 rename from FaPaC/AMPA to affac/AFA
- affac — Què són les AFA?
- Llei 12/2009 d'educacióarts. 11, 16 (Catalan in school communications)
WORDS YOU READ
The note that comes home in the bag
Health notes come home in Catalan, usually on paper in the bag or by app.
el vostre fill / la vostra filla
your son / your daughter
té febre
has a fever
s'ha fet mal
has hurt himself / herself
ha caigut
has fallen
cal venir a buscar-lo / buscar-la
you must come and collect him / her
veniu al més aviat possible
come as soon as you can
no pot venir a l'escola
must not come to school
fins que estigui bé
until he/she is well
hem detectat polls
we have found head lice
cal revisar el cap
you must check the head
tractament
treatment
cal portar un justificant mèdic
you must bring a doctor’s note
autorització
permission slip — sign and return it
medicació a l'escola
medicine at school (needs a form and a prescription)
al·lèrgies / al·lèrgia alimentària
allergies / food allergy
revisió mèdica
medical check-up
vacunació
vaccination
farmaciola
first-aid kit
cal signar i tornar
sign it and send it back
truqueu a l'escola
phone the school
2 sources · checked September 2026
- DIEC (Diccionari de la llengua catalana, Institut d'Estudis Catalans)normative entries for dejú, analítica, derivació, consultori, guàrdia
- Viccionaridejú ("no haver menjat res des que s'ha fet de dia"; compound en dejú), planta ("pis o nivell d'una construcció"), consultori, guàrdia, and the body-part and symptom vocabulary in section 5