Steps into Spain

Independent education consultant

SINÉAD GALVIN

I help families moving to Spain find the right school for their child, in Madrid and Málaga.

Sinead Galvin education consultant in spain

Why I started Steps into Spain

My Story

Since founding Steps into Spain in 2020, I’ve helped more than 500 families find the right school for their child in Madrid.

  • Every conversation with heads, teachers, students and parents adds to what I know about a school.
  • I run Madrid Education, a Facebook group where more than 4,000 parents share questions and advice.

From Ireland to Madrid

I’m Irish and I’ve lived in Spain for more than 20 years. I’ve called Granada, Valencia, Tenerife and Barcelona home, but Madrid has been ‘mi casa’ for most of that time, apart from five years in London and a stint in Melbourne.

How My Career in Education Began

When I first moved to Spain, I taught business English. I went all by my lonesome from office to office with my English books and knew Madrid’s metro lines off by heart. Fast-forward a year later, and I was lucky enough to become involved in a project with la Comunidad de Madrid and the British Council, teaching English for a number of years in Spanish public schools.

That gave me an insider’s view of how the Spanish education system really works, which I draw on every day, whether a family is looking at public, concertado or private schools.

A Parent Supporting Other Parents

As a parent myself, I’ve been through the school search and application process for my own three children, so I know how it feels from your side.

When you work with me, you get my knowledge of the schools, matched to what your family needs, so together we find the school where your child will thrive.

Why Families Choose Steps into Spain

Steps into Spain - Helping Families To Find The Right School for Your Child in Madrid and Málaga, Spain
Steps into Spain - Helping Families To Find The Right School for Your Child in Madrid and Málaga, Spain
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5.070 Google reviews
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Diana Forbes profile picture
Diana Forbes
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In moving to a new country and choosing a new school for our 13-year-old, the stakes felt incredibly high. I can't imagine how many additional dozens of hours I would have had to invest in this decision had it not been for Sinead and her team at Steps Into Spain. I'm pleased to say that she not only found a fantastic match for our family's needs and values, but she made the process as simple and proactive as possible. I recommend her highly. At the risk of going on too long, let me share 3 things that made her my favorite resource in the entire process of moving to Spain: 1) She has been around and knows her stuff! She knows the schools, employee/leadership turnover, family experiences, history, the "vibe" of each school, and so much more. No amount of research or AI could match her expertise and experience provided and CUSTOMIZED specifically to benefit our values and our specific child. 2) There is so much here as an immigrant to Spain that "we don't know what we don't know." With several professionals, we've had to ask if things were happening on time, what the next step was, or if we were doing things correctly. We never had to worry about this with Sinead. Right away we had a checklist of her process and what to expect/next steps. She frequently checked in with email reminders and to see how we were doing. She would even send proactive emails once we were accepted like "So has the school sent you your welcome info yet?" Whatever system she uses for keeping tabs on her families and making sure nobody misses anything, it is impeccable. I joke that she's set the bar so high, she has ruined me for the rest of Spain. 3) I found Sinead to be incredibly professional, yet also personable and down-to-earth. Visiting schools with her was enjoyable and I got to be myself instead of nervous and worrying about remembering everything. She was able to truly get to know us and our child, and that helped us make decisions more easily. I usually second-guess big decisions like this, but Sinead's expertise and recommendations made this process easy by comparison.
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waffle
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Sinead and her team were a true blessing for our family settling in Madrid. She guided us through the entire process of finding the best schools for our daughter. From detailed insights to visits and interviews at the short listed schools, we were able to make the best decision and pick the best school for our 13 year old daughter. I cannot imagine a better and more profesional service with personal attention from Sinead from start to finish. I highly recommend steps into Spain. Thank you !!
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Camilla Elverum Smith
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Brilliant, knowledgeable, and a great resource for us when relocating to Madrid with two young children. Thank you so much for your help and your kindness, Sinéad and co <3
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Scott Kellum profile picture
Scott Kellum
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Sinéad has been an immense help in getting our family situated and into school in Spain.
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Aimi Muraru profile picture
Aimi Muraru
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Sinead was super supportive in helping us find a school for our kids in Spain, and went above and beyond to help us- finding the right fit, securing the spaces, liaising with the school and checking in regularly to help communication. She was friendly, professional and great to work with. Would highly recommend.
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Maira Shafiei
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We truly cannot say enough wonderful things about Sinead and her amazing team, Kari and Amy. Moving internationally with children can feel overwhelming, but they made the entire school search and transition to Madrid so much smoother for our family. From the very beginning, Sinead took the time to truly understand what we were looking for in a school for our children. She personally visited the schools for us, which gave us so much confidence while trying to make such important decisions from abroad. Sinead, Kari, and Amy were all incredibly responsive, supportive, patient, and helpful throughout the entire process. They assisted with communication between us and the school, answered countless questions, and guided us every step of the way during a very big life transition. We genuinely could not be happier with the school our children are now attending, and we are so grateful for all the care and dedication they showed our family. We highly recommend Sinead and her team to anyone relocating to Madrid and looking for support finding the right school for their children.
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Giorgia Marin profile picture
Giorgia Marin
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We moved from Hong Kong to Madrid with a 14 and 16 years old. Steps into Spain helped us to research schools, arrange visits and provided feedback on each school for us to consider. Sinead was very kind and proactive on "life" tips in Spain too and that was equally helpful to me. It was great to have this support to reduce the stress of the move, and we are also happy with our school choice. I can happily recommend Steps into Spain, our choices were fairly limited because our eldest boy was already in his IB Diploma year, but I can see just walking around Madrid how many international and bilingual schools are around, Steps into Spain can help a lot ! good luck with your move
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Kimberly Lawrence profile picture
Kimberly Lawrence
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We reached out to Sinead months before we relocated from the USA to Spain. Thanks to her guidance, she made us aware of several resources available for special needs children in Madrid. She really knows a lot about the schools and processes which differ greatly from the US. Patience is key when dealing with Spanish bureaucracy and she forewarned us. Shortly after arrival, we engaged Sinead to help us communicate effectively with the local education department and government officials. She attended meetings with us and communicated with them continuously on our behalf. While we had an unusual situation where it took the government agency several months to approve our daughter for school placement, Sinead did not let up and maintained constant contact with us and them. Sinead really is a wonderful advocate for families and children. She is responsive, knowledgeable and a lovely person. We definitely would work with her again.
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Helena Requero Bravo profile picture
Helena Requero Bravo
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We are so glad we found Sinead. We were planning to move from London to Madrid over the summer with our two daughters, and we knew that finding the right school was key to the success of the relocation plan. Even though I was born in Spain and I speak the language I was very worried as navigating the education system and application process can be daunting- not to mention having to do that while planning all other aspects of an international move! Working with Sinead was brilliant, we felt supported and reassured the whole way and her help was priceless: from doing the research, getting the expert insights, to visiting the schools and handling all the paperwork and deadlines. After that, the transition went smoothly. Two months into the school year, the girls are settled and happy :) Massive thanks!
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Ailyn La Torre La Torre Photography
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I would highly recommend Sinead with Steps into Spain to anyone who needs any help with anything related to school in Madrid or anyone transitioning their children into the Spanish School system. Sinead was informative, patient and so wonderful to work with! 5 stars! Thank you again for all your help Sinead!

EXPERTISE

Over 300 school visits. Ear to the ground, always.

BESPOKE

One on one service - I work individually with every family.

Straight Talking

I work for my clients (not schools) and will always have your back.

EMPATHY

I’m a mum who has been through this myself. I know exactly what it's like.

As featured in

Articles

Forbes June 2026 – Quoted as education expert on Yale’s reinstated SAT requirement and its impact on IB students applying to US universities from Madrid.

The Times London May 2026 –   Quoted as education expert in a Times report on private equity’s growing influence over Madrid’s British school sector. 

The Irish Times July 2021 – How a Kerry woman built a life and business in Madrid — and why she’s the person expat families call when it’s time to find the right school.

Interviews & Podcasts

RNE — Desde Esta Orilla Una conversación sobre el sistema educativo, la vida en Madrid y emprender en España siendo extranjera.

Innovate Spain: The IT Chronicles AI, smartphones, and your child’s education in Spain.

Mum Abroad –  9 tips for families moving to Madrid.

My Approach

I offer a boutique school search service, with one-to-one guidance for every family.

Getting to visit every school you’re interested in might not be possible, so you can lean on my experience to learn about school life, fit and the many things that are hard to pinpoint online. That firsthand information goes well beyond school websites (aka shop windows!) and social media.

I take the time to get to know each family personally. What works for one child may not work for another, because schools differ in their culture and in what they expect from parents.

That’s what lets me put together a shortlist of schools that suit your child.

My Approach

There’s no such thing as a perfect school (I’ve searched, believe me). I work alongside you to find the school where your child will thrive, and I’ll tell you honestly where a school could do better.

Once you decide to work with me, we keep going until we find the right school for your child in Madrid or Málaga.

Together we’ll find the right school for your child.

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