The British School of Barcelona

The British School of Barcelona (BSB) is one of the top international schools in Spain, teaching the English national curriculum including A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and with the possibility of convalidation with the Spanish national Bachillerato qualification. The school teaches pupils ages 3-18 across four campuses in and around the Barcelona area.

About

The British School of Barcelona has been rated as one of Forbes España’s top 50 schools in Spain as well as national newspaper El Mundo’s 100 Best Schools in Spain. Forbes particularly praised the school’s innovative culture of support and student wellbeing, including a detailed policy of digital security and anti-bullying, alongside its policy of giving each child their own digital devices at the forefront of technology and software. The school was founded in 1958. 

The school has four campuses:

• BSB Castelldefels teaching Nursery to Year 11 (ages 3-16)
• BSB Sitges teaching Nursery to Year 6 (ages 3-11)
• BSB Nexus teaching Years 12-13 (ages 16-18)
• BSB City opened in September 2021

Find out more by registering for the school’s onsite or virtual Open Days.

Find out more about their new Barcelona City Campus which opened in Autumn 2021

Curriculum

The British School of Barcelona follows the English national curriculum from nursery through iGCSEs at keystage 4 and A Levels at keystage 5. The school’s BSB Nexus sixth form institution offers the IB Diploma Programme, and at both keystages 4 & 5 the school helps students to convalidate their studies to obtain Spanish national qualifications the ESO (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria) and the Bachillerato.

To obtain the Bachillerato, the school offers required Spanish and Catalan-language classes alongside a student’s desired course of pre-university study. The school also prepares students for applications to Spanish universities through specific tests required (PCE or Pruebas de Competencias Específicas) as part of the compulsory Spanish university access exams (EBAU or Evaluación del Bachillerato para el Acceso a la Universidad). You can read more about sixth form education here.

Academic results are strong for a non-selective school, with A* – B grade A Level results making up 73% of all results in 2020. A total of 10% of IB results were over 40 points, out of a total of 45 – a score of 29.9 is the world average. For more information of university destinations click here.

Location

BSB Castelldefels and BSB Nexus are located in the town of Castelldefels, a 30-minute drive south of Barcelona city centre, and a 10-minute drive from the Barcelona-El Prat international airport.

BSB Sitges is located a few minutes’ drive from the Sitges seafront, and is a 45-minute drive from Barcelona city south.

BSB City is located in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district of Barcelona city, and is a 20-minute drive from the city centre with public transport links.

Fees & Admissions

School fees start at €10,900 annually for Nursery and Reception, and rise to around €15,000 for sixth form tuition. For more information on what the fees include, costs of school transport, lunches and more, visit the school’s dedicated Fees page.

The British School of Barcelona is non-selective, but has an admissions policy that includes submitting an application document including previous school reports, assessment of a child’s age and level of English, and offer of a place subject to available space in appropriate year group. Initial enquiries can be made online.

Click here to return to a list of 50+ international schools and nurseries in Catalonia.