The classrooms at the Princess Leonor Maternity and Children's Hospital, located in Almería and part of the Torrecárdenas University Hospital, have commenced their activities for the new school year. This resource's primary objective is to ensure access to education for minors requiring hospitalization, having assisted over 700 children the previous year.
In the initial weeks of the academic period, the territorial delegates for Health and Consumption, Juan de la Cruz Belmonte, and for Educational Development and Vocational Training, Carmen María Jiménez, conducted an institutional visit to the facilities. They were accompanied by the managing director of the Torrecárdenas University Hospital, Manuel Vida, along with representatives from the hospital's management and teaching staff.
Throughout the 2025-2026 academic year, the Princess Leonor Maternity and Children's Hospital provided educational support to a total of 719 minors, enabling the continuity of their studies while they received medical treatment.
Juan de la Cruz Belmonte emphasized the importance of comprehensive care, stating that «the comprehensive health care for the youngest goes far beyond strictly medical attention. Making the hospital environment as close as possible to their daily routine is key to their emotional well-being and recovery. These classrooms humanize the hospital stay and offer an indispensable environment of normality for both pediatric patients and their families».
For her part, Carmen María Jiménez highlighted the «immense pedagogical and social value of the teaching team working daily in the hospital environment», adding that «The aim is that no circumstance of illness or medical confinement interrupts the right to education nor hinders the formative and personal development of the children of Almería. Permanent coordination with the minors' home schools ensures a fluid transition and prevents school absenteeism due to health problems».
The managing director, Manuel Vida, underscored the crucial role of the six teachers who form the teaching team, assigned to specific units such as chronic patients, acute cases, dialysis, oncohematology, and mental health. These classrooms are fundamental for hospitalized minors to continue their education.
Manuel Vida detailed that each teacher is responsible for educational support in reference Clinical Management Units: chronic illnesses (55 new students last year), acute illnesses (236 minors), hemodialysis (242 students, including two new ones), Pediatric Oncohematology (63 students), and two Child and Adolescent Mental Health units (121 minors in total).
Across the hospital classrooms of Torrecárdenas, Poniente University Hospital, and La Inmaculada Hospital, a total of 1,115 children were attended to during the 2025-2026 academic year.
The hospital classrooms serve minors aged between 3 and 16, reducing school absenteeism, facilitating learning continuity, and providing a relaxed environment that helps cope with illness. The general opening hours are Monday to Friday, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with personalized schedules in Mental Health and specific attention for those unable to attend in person.
Coordination with the children's home schools ensures that the educational needs of hospitalized minors are met and maintains contact between hospital teachers and those at their schools. The teaching team also develops a Tutorial Action Plan and offers advice to families to facilitate their participation.
