British School of Barcelona

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The British School of Barcelona
Location
Sitges & Castelldefels (Barcelona , Catalonia) Spain
Coordinates	41°16′20″N 1°59′22″E / 41.272155°N 1.989335°E / 41.272155; 1.989335
Information
Type	Private, day school
Established	1958
Enrolment	1500+
Campus	Non-residential, Suburban
Colour(s)	Navy Blue, Red, Grey and White
Website	www.britishschoolbarcelona.com

The British School of Barcelona (BSB) is a private coeducational bilingual international school located in the Barcelona metropolitan area, Catalonia, Spain.^[1]

The British School of Barcelona has four campuses:

• BSB Sitges: From Nursery to Year 6 (3-11 years old)
• BSB Castelldefels: From Nursery to Year 11 (3-16 years old)
• BSB Nexus, in Castelldefels: Pre-University campus for students in Years 12 and 13 (16-18 years old)
• BSB City, in Barcelona: From Nursery to Pre-University (3-18 years old) - Opening September 2021

The school is formally recognised and accredited by the British government for teaching the English National Curriculum, and by the International Baccalaureate Organization to deliver the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP). The school is also authorised to validate the Spanish ESO and Bachillerato (Secondary and Sixth Form) by the Spanish Ministry of Education and the Catalan department of Education.

The British School of Barcelona has been a Cognita school since 2007.

The school is a founder member of the National Association of British Schools in Spain (NABSS).

History[]

• Founded in 1958 as the Anglo-American School. In 1978, the first Royal Decree recognizing foreign schools in Spain was published and studies were validated for Spanish pupils as well. The recognition of studies was an important factor in the growth of the school, as more families from the local area showed interest in British education and the learning of English, and the need for expansion became apparent.

• In 1999 The British School of Barcelona is founded.
• In 2007, the owners reached retirement age and transferred its ownership to the Cognita Schools Group.
• In January 2016 Cognita Group acquires International School of Barcelona, located in Sitges, and the school is integrated as a new campus under the brand of The British School of Barcelona as from September 2016.
• April 2018 sees the opening of BSB Nexus, the new Pre-University campus of The British School of Barcelona in Castelldefels, a purpose-built, three-storey centre.
• In September 2019 the school expands its sports facilities with a new 9,000 sqm rugby and football stadium adjacent to the BSB Castelldefels campus.
• In 2021 BSB announces the opening of a new campus in the city of Barcelona. The new BSB City campus will become the fourth campus of The British School of Barcelona. The BSB City Foundation campus will open in September 2021 for Early Years and Primary children. BSB City will then expand to Secondary and Pre-University students in September 2023.
• September 2021 will also see the opening of a new state-of-the-art BSB Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Centre in Castelldefels opposite the BSB Nexus campus. This Centre will expand existing lab space and facilitate innovative and flexible teaching methods for Secondary and Pre-University students.

The British School of Barcelona is considered one of the most important international schools in Spain (El Mundo, Best Schools in Spain).

Facilities[]

The school has campuses in Barcelona, Castelldefels and Sitges. It serves children from the city and surrounding areas.

All four campuses ofter purpose-built buildings and sports facilities, such as spacious classrooms, library and resources centres, Science laboratories, Information Technology rooms, Music and practise rooms, indoor gymnasium, outdoor multi-sports courts, a multi-game artificial turf pitch, a theatre/auditorium. Swimming takes place at the sports centres next door (such as Gran Via Mar and Club Natació Sitges).

Since September 2019 the school has a 9,000 sqm rugby and football stadium adjacent to the BSB Castelldefels campus.

September 2021 will see the opening of a new state-of-the-art BSB Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Centre in Castelldefels opposite the BSB Nexus campus. This Centre will expand existing lab space and facilitate innovative and flexible teaching methods for Secondary and Pre-University students.

Castelldefels

Sitges

Campuses

School organisation and studies[]

The school educates children from Nursery school age (3 years old) to University entrance (18 years old).

Studies at the school mainly follow the National Curriculum of England and Wales. Pupils at the school then study for GCSE examinations and, as they enter Pre-University education, can then choose between Advanced Level examinations (A Levels) or the International Baccalaureate (IB Diploma Programme (DP).

The British School of Barcelona educational offer at Pre-University stage comprises two different pathways: A Levels (British Curriculum), and International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP). Both programmes share a core curriculum of subjects that all students take.

The Pre-University curriculum also ensures that students can fulfil the requirements of the Spanish and Catalan Governments so that they can achieve the Spanish Bachillerato qualification, if they complete the relevant courses and assessments throughout Years 12 and 13.

In addition, the school also prepares the students to take the Spanish University Access exams (PCE or Pruebas de Competencias Específicas) to access Spanish universities, which is organised by the UNED (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia).

School Facts[]

• Founded in 1958
• Education from 3 to 18 years old
• One school - 4 campuses (2 campuses in Castelldefels - 1 campus in Sitges - 1 campus in Barcelona)
• A 9,000 sqm rugby and football stadium in Castelldefels
• A state-of-the-art STEM Centre in Castelldefels
• 1,548 pupils
• 60 nationalities
• Main Language: English
• Others Languages: Spanish, Catalan, French, German; Russian as an after-school activity.
• Academic curricula:

- British National Curriculum - Advanced Level Exams (A Levels)
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP)
- Validation of Spanish Bachillerato

• Nearly 250 educational and non-educational staff
• A Cognita school since 2007
• Sports: Football, basketball, handball, netball, endball, rugby, volleyball, swimming, cross country, among others. Annual ski trip.
• Extracurricular Activities: football, taekwondo, rugby, basketball, skateboarding, mugendo, gymnastics-dance, swimming, fencing, tennis, robotics, coding, ICT, debating, aloha (mental arithmetic), chess, cookery, arts-and-crafts, ballet, music, choir, orchestra, drama, Russian, Spanish.
• Summer camp: A four-week summer school in July
• Holiday camps: A four-day STEAM camp and a four-day WEVY camp during the Autumn half-term and the Easter holidays

References[]