Best schools in Barcelona and Catalonia
Education in Barcelona
There is a varied selection of international schools across Barcelona, the majority of which are grouped fairly close together on the north-western edge of the city. There is a small number situated in the towns of Gavà, Castelldefels and Sitges, 20km south-west of the city, in the Maresme, north-east of the city and in Sant Cugat del Vallès, north of the city. A couple of schools outside of the city offer boarding but this is by no means the norm.
Public schools and concertadas (state-subsidised private schools) receive different levels of government funding and are subject to certain curriculum requirements - most notably that the main language of instruction is Catalan. Spanish and English are taught as foreign languages. Public schools and concertadas are a less popular option for international families (unless Catalan or Spanish is already part of daily life) as there is no guarantee that the teachers will speak English.
A couple of concertadas and a dozen private schools are trilingual (Catalan, Spanish, English) and a number of them offer the IB diploma and/or the Batxibac (official French and Catalan university qualification).
Children in Catalonia are required to go to school between the ages of 6 to 16, however, from the year in which a child turns 3, every child in Catalonia is entitled to a school place. Interestingly, the majority of families choose to send their child to school from the age of 3 and most children will have completed infant education before starting primary school.
Choosing a school in Barcelona
Most international schools teach at least one of the following: a British curriculum, leading up to IGCSEs and A levels, an American curriculum leading to an American high school diploma or the IB diploma programme. Some British schools offer the choice of A levels or the IBDP and similarly, a few American-style schools offer the IB primary and middle years programmes as well as the diploma. Some international schools also offer the Bachillerato (pre-university education). All international schools have a good mix of foreign and Spanish families.
Two things to note about state schools: first, standards can vary dramatically and second, remember that Catalonia is an autonomous region with responsibility for its own education system and that here, all lessons are taught in Catalan. There are no public, concertada or private schools that use Spanish as the main language of instruction in Barcelona.
Smaller children tend to adapt and become integrated more easily, and attending a state school or concertada is a good solution (particularly at the infant or primary stage) if you intend to stay for a long time and/or want your child to speak fluent Catalan and Spanish. Families who arrive with secondary age children are more likely to enrol in an international school. It is definitely easier to move from state to international than vice-versa.
Recent years has seen a growth in some schools offering a more varied and alternative (for want of a better word) curriculum. St Peter’s School have put together a smart curriculum (within an IB framework. The British College of Gavà have recently introduced an IB career related programme with a Business Pathway and another with Sustainability with specialisation in the fields of fashion, tourism, hospitality, nature conservation, finance and digitalisation.
Special education needs in Barcelona
It is a government requirement that all public and concertada schools attempt to educate children with SEN within mainstream education where at all possible, if they have the necessary teachers and facilities. The government offers grants to schools that have specialist teachers available such as speech therapists. Children with SEN are usually integrated into mainstream classrooms.
Most international schools describe themselves as inclusive but the reality is each school will assess each SEN case on an individual basis.
Pre-schools, kindergarten and nurseries in Barcelona
Pre-school in Barcelona consists of two stages: nursery schools, known as guarderías cater for children from 3 months to 3 years and kindergarten or infant school (educació infantil) is for children from 3 to 6.
There are many different options for children in the first stage including 100 Escoles Bressols run by the Barcelona City Council. These are public nurseries but are not tuition free (parents are means tested) and there is no guaranteed place. As a result many families opt for nannies or private nurseries, however private nurseries may not take babies as young as 3 months old as they do in the public ones.
For the second stage, there are both public options run by local authorities and private preschools available. Sometimes public options are located at the same site as a primary school and for this reason alone many families choose to send their children to preschool for fear of missing out on a place at their preferred school if they wait until their child is older. Educació infantil in a public school is free.
A couple of international schools will take babies from under a year - Highlands School and SEK from 4 months and St Peter’s from 12 months. A few more offer pre-school from 2 years but the vast majority of international schools offer infant education from 3 years old.
