Spain’s parliamentary debate in May on the state of the nation was understandably dominated by the economy. And José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Socialist prime minister, emphasised education reform – along with investment in innovation and renewable energy – as one of three areas essential for changing Spain’s production model and creating employment.

The global financial crisis has reignited debate about education across the political spectrum. The governing Socialist party and the conservative People’s party (PP), the main opposition, both maintain that Spain urgently needs to improve an education system consistently near the bottom of European Union league tables.