The Balearic Government's Education Department has announced that it will open disciplinary proceedings against concerted nursery schools, known as escoletes, where inspections establish that regulations have been breached.

Education Minister Antoni Vera made the announcement in the Balearic Parliament on Wednesday, September 9, during a debate over complaints raised by workers and trade unions about conditions and alleged regulatory breaches at privately managed centres receiving public funding.

Vera said that proceedings would be opened wherever the evidence showed that action was warranted, while also arguing that the department's powers differ depending on whether a centre is operating under its publicly funded agreement or as a private service outside the concert period.

The controversy comes just as the 2026-27 school year begins, with September 10 established as the common starting date for infant, primary and secondary education.

Education Minister Promises Action Where Breaches Are Confirmed

Vera told Parliament that the Education Department is aware of certain incidents involving concerted escoletes.

He said the department would open proceedings against centres where breaches of the regulations were identified.

The minister's statement follows weeks of criticism from representatives of the 0-3 education sector, who have accused some concerted centres of failing to comply with requirements relating to staff ratios, professional duties and the official school calendar.

The announcement does not mean that all concerted escoletes are considered to be in breach of the rules.

Any proceedings will concern individual centres and specific alleged infringements established through the relevant administrative procedures.

The Dispute Over What Happens During July and August

One of the main points of disagreement concerns the period during which concerted escoletes operate outside their publicly funded education agreement.

Vera argued that the Education Department's direct supervisory powers over the terms of the concert are concentrated in the ten months covered by the agreement, from September through June.

During July and August, centres can operate private services under different conditions.

The minister therefore distinguished between activity carried out as part of the publicly funded agreement and services offered privately during the summer.

That distinction was immediately challenged by PSOE deputy Amanda Fernández.

PSOE Says Some Rules Apply All Year

Fernández accused the minister of giving an incorrect account of the regulatory situation.

She argued that certain requirements, particularly those governing the maximum number of children per classroom, apply throughout the year rather than only during the months covered by the concert.

The Socialist deputy also called on the Education Department to investigate concerted escoletes that began receiving children before the official September 10 start of the school year.

Her argument is that the common calendar established by the Government should apply to the centres concerned, regardless of whether the activities are described as educational, adaptation or private services.

The disagreement therefore goes beyond the question of whether individual centres complied with specific rules and extends to the scope of the Education Department's regulatory powers.

Workers and Unions Have Reported Multiple Concerns

The parliamentary confrontation follows complaints made in August by the Xarxa 0-3 and the trade unions CCOO, UGT and STEI.

The organisations reported what they described as recurring breaches at some concerted escoletes.

Among the issues they raised were alleged failures to maintain required classroom ratios, questions concerning staff qualifications and claims that educators were routinely required to perform duties outside their professional role.

They said some educators had been required to undertake cleaning, laundry, maintenance, administrative work and even food preparation.

The organisations argued that these duties could reduce the time available for educational and care responsibilities.

These are allegations made by the sector's representatives and do not establish that every concerted centre has committed such breaches.

Ratios Are at the Centre of the Dispute

The number of children permitted in each classroom has become one of the most sensitive issues.

Adequate ratios are intended to ensure that young children receive appropriate supervision and attention and that educators can carry out their responsibilities safely.

The workers' organisations have alleged that some centres exceeded the permitted ratios, particularly during the summer months.

Fernández has now argued in Parliament that the applicable limits continue to apply irrespective of whether a centre is operating during the concert period or privately.

The Education Department's inspection process will determine whether individual centres have actually breached the relevant requirements.

Early Opening of Some Escoletes Also Under Scrutiny

Another major issue concerns centres that began activities before September 10.

The Balearic Government established September 10 as the official start of the 2026-27 school year for infant education, primary and secondary education, among other stages.

The decision was particularly significant for first-cycle infant education, covering children aged 0 to 3, because this stage has now been incorporated into the common official school calendar.

Education sector representatives had previously complained that some concerted escoletes were beginning activities before that date.

They argued that bringing children back early reduced the time available to educators for classroom preparation, programming and coordination before the start of teaching.

The Government has now been asked to determine whether centres that opened early complied with the rules applicable to them.

The Sant Josep Nursery Controversy

The debate comes only days after a separate political dispute in Ibiza over an early-years centre that began an adaptation programme before September 10.

Ibiza Town Hall's Education councillor Catiana Fuster, who is also a co-owner of the private nursery involved, said activities held from September 7 were part of a previously communicated adaptation and welcome programme rather than the formal beginning of regular teaching.

The PSOE questioned the arrangement and argued that centres should follow the official calendar.

Fuster maintained that the centre operated under a particular private agreement and that no additional payment was charged to families for the earlier adaptation period.

The Balearic Education Department has indicated that inspection services have intervened in cases involving centres operating before the official start date.

The two controversies are separate, but both have brought the interpretation of the 2026-27 calendar for early-years education into the spotlight.

What Concerted Escoletes Are

Concerted centres are privately managed educational establishments that receive public funding under an agreement with the administration.

In the case of the 0-3 sector, the Balearic Government has progressively expanded free early-years education and public support for places.

The Government has also increased the number of directly managed escoletes and expanded the overall number of places available across the islands.

For the 2026-27 academic year, around 15,300 places for children aged 0 to 3 are available across the Balearic Islands, following an increase of approximately 1,200 places.

The public financing of these services is one reason the reported breaches have generated such strong criticism from workers' organisations, which argue that publicly funded centres should be subject to effective supervision.

Education Department Has Increased Direct Management

At the same time as the controversy over concerted centres, the Balearic Government is expanding the number of escoletes it manages directly.

For the 2026-27 academic year, the Education Department has assumed direct management of ten additional 0-3 centres.

This brings the total number of directly managed centres to 32, with 1,687 places.

On Ibiza, the Government has added the escoleta at EI Can Cantó and CEIP Blanca Dona to its directly managed network.

The expansion reflects the Government's broader strategy of increasing direct involvement in early-years education while maintaining a mixed system that includes public, directly managed and concerted centres.

Inspectors Will Play a Central Role

The next stage of the controversy will depend heavily on educational inspections.

The Education Department must establish whether individual centres complied with the regulations and, where it finds evidence of breaches, determine what administrative action is appropriate.

The minister's statement indicates that the Government is prepared to open formal proceedings where infringements are confirmed.

That process is important because allegations from workers, unions or political parties are not equivalent to an official finding.

Each case must be assessed according to the specific rules applicable to the centre, the activity being carried out and the period concerned.

A Broader Dispute Over Conditions in Early Education

The parliamentary confrontation reflects a wider debate over the organisation of the 0-3 education sector in the Balearic Islands.

Workers and unions have been seeking improvements to professional conditions and greater consistency between centres.

The Government, meanwhile, has been expanding free early-years education and increasing both the number of places and its direct management of centres.

The result is a system undergoing significant change while also facing complaints about staffing, working conditions and compliance with educational regulations.

The latest announcement could therefore lead to greater scrutiny of concerted centres across the islands.

Public Funding Brings Greater Scrutiny

The debate over concerted escoletes also raises a broader question about the relationship between private management and public funding.

The centres may be privately operated, but their concerted places form part of a publicly supported education system.

That means compliance with the conditions attached to public funding is a matter of public interest.

The Education Department's position is that where breaches occur within the scope of its supervisory responsibilities, it must intervene.

The opposition and sector representatives are pressing for that oversight to be applied more broadly and consistently.

What Happens Next

The immediate next step is for Education Inspection to assess the cases brought to its attention and determine which centres, if any, have breached the applicable regulations.

Where evidence supports the allegations, the Government says administrative proceedings will be opened.

The dispute over the official calendar is also likely to continue, particularly concerning centres that offered activities before September 10 and how those activities are legally classified.

The Education Department's interpretation of its powers during July and August remains another point of disagreement with the opposition.

Greater Scrutiny for the 0-3 Sector

Antoni Vera's announcement marks a move from public accusations towards potential formal administrative action.

The Education Department says centres that are found to have breached the regulations will face proceedings, while the opposition is demanding a broader investigation into the concerns raised by workers and unions.

The outcome will depend on inspections and the evidence gathered in individual cases.

For families using concerted escoletes, the issue is particularly important because the centres form part of a publicly supported education system for young children.

As the 2026-27 school year begins, the Balearic Government is now facing pressure to demonstrate that the rules governing early-years education are being applied consistently across the network, including requirements relating to staffing, classroom ratios, professional responsibilities and the official school calendar.