British School of Barcelona

Infobox Private School
background = #f0f6fa
border = #ccd2d9
name = British School of Barcelona


established = 1958
type = Private, day school
religion = Non-denominational
city = Castelldefels/Barcelona
state = Catalonia
country = Spain
campus = Non-residential, Suburban
enrolment = 1000+
colours = Blue and White
homepage = [http://www.britishschoolbarcelona.com/ britishschoolbarcelona.com]

The British School of Barcelona is a private profit-making coeducational bilingual International school located in Castelldefels near Barcelona, Spain.

History

The British School of Barcelona was founded in 1958 under the name of The Anglo-American School. Official authorisation to impart a British education (with recognition of studies) to pupils of all nationalities, including Spanish was published in governmental documents in October 1979.

The School moved to new premises in the town of Castelldefels in 1999. Today the school is owned and operated by Cognita, a private Schools company based in Milton Keynes in the UK. The school is also a founder member of the National Association of British Schools in Spain.

The School today

Although located 20 miles out of Barcelona the school serves children from the city and the surrounding area - Bus services have been contracted to serve pupils from the Barcelona, Castelldefels and Villanueva/Sitges areas. The school premeses include classrooms, libraries, three laboratories, Art room, Information Technology suite, Music and Audio-visual rooms, Gymnasium and outdoor sports facilities. The complex also has gardens and play areas and is surrounded by, bars, hotels, Sports and Tennis clubs. The Olympic Canal is only a few minutes walk away and is used for rowing and sailing.

School organisation and studies

The British School of Barcelona provides a British education for children from Nursery School age to University Entrance. Programmes of study follow the National Curriculum of England and Wales adapted to the needs of the pupils in an international community. Pupils are prepared for GCE (General Certificate of Education) examinations both at GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and Advanced level.

The school is divided into three departments - Early years, Primary and Secondary, each one being directed by a Head of Department. Spanish studies are supervised by a “Director Técnico”. Staff are qualified and trained in Britain and members of staff in the Spanish section hold the qualifications required by the Spanish Ministry of Education.

The teaching of Spanish and Catalan language and culture is a legal requirement for the school as is knowledge of the History and Geography of Spain. The school has a programme of Spanish Studies similar to that of a Spanish school in these subjects. Spanish language and culture is introduced in Year 1 and Catalan language and culture in Year 2. Both languages are continued throughout the child’s education. Pupils who enter the school from other countries with little or no knowledge of Spanish are taught Spanish as a foreign language.

British studies at this school are oficially recognised at all stages and pupils who wish to continue their studies at Spanish Universities can proceed  directly to the university access examination “Selectividad”. This examination is specifically for pupils from authorised foreign centres in Spain and is organised by the UNED (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia).

External Links

* [http://www.britishschoolbarcelona.com/ British School of Barcelona official site]