The British School Madrid, bilingual study and three sixth-form routes

The British School — El Colegio Británico is a co-educational day school in Pozuelo de Alarcón, west of central Madrid. It serves pupils from age one to 18. There is no boarding.

Its bilingual structure is more important than its former name, the British Council School. Pupils follow the English curriculum alongside Spanish Language and Culture. The school then seeks Spanish recognition of their lower-secondary study.

This route can suit a family wanting continuity with English schooling without abandoning Spanish academic progression. It also creates a more complex choice at 16: BiBac and International A Levels are available now, while the IB Diploma is still planned.

Location and useful comparisons

The campus address is Solano 5 y 7, Prado de Somosaguas, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón. Test the school journey from a realistic home at the times your child would travel.

Do not confuse it with King’s College Soto in Tres Cantos. King’s Soto is a day and boarding school in a different part of the Madrid area.

The American School of Madrid is geographically closer in Pozuelo, but follows an American programme. Runnymede College is another British-curriculum comparison elsewhere in Madrid.

Compare these schools when their programmes fit the child. Sharing a city or an education group does not make their qualifications, admissions rules or daily journeys interchangeable.

British and Spanish study through Year 11

The school’s admissions page identifies it as an authorised foreign school under Spain’s Royal Decree 806/1993. It says Spanish Language and Culture accounts for about 20% of the weekly timetable.

At the end of Year 11, the school applies to the Spanish Ministry for recognition of each pupil’s studies. This provides the Spanish Graduado en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, or ESO lower-secondary certificate, alongside IGCSE study.

Ask what records the school needs for that recognition, particularly after a mid-course transfer. Confirm how Spanish is taught at the child’s entry level and what support a new learner receives.

IGCSEs are subject examinations normally taken around age 16. They precede the sixth-form pathways rather than constituting a final pre-university qualification by themselves.

Choosing the sixth-form route

The school currently presents three routes, but only two are in operation as of this review.

Route	Current status	Main structure
BiBac bilingual Bachillerato	Current	Spanish Bachillerato subjects authorised by the Community of Madrid, taught in English or Spanish
International A Levels	Current from September 2026	Three or four subjects studied in depth through English
IB Diploma Programme	Candidate programme, planned from 2027	Proposed six-subject diploma with core requirements

BiBac is the school’s name for its bilingual Spanish Bachillerato, not the French Baccalauréat. The programme page says pupils may study up to 70% of their subjects in either English or Spanish. Assessment includes Spanish university-entrance examinations.

International A Levels began in September 2026 for Year 12. These are subject-based qualifications, with pupils normally choosing three or four. Ask which subjects operate in the first cohort and how combinations fit the intended university course.

The school describes itself as an IB candidate school and says the Diploma is planned for 2027. Candidacy does not equal authorisation. Families interested in this route should ask whether authorisation has been received, which subjects will run and which pupils can enter.

The current 2026/27 fee document lists BiBac for Years 12–13 but International A Levels only for Year 12. It does not print an IB fee. Do not infer a future programme’s cost or availability from either current row.

Admissions and assessments

Applications are accepted throughout the year, subject to places being available. The process begins with an enquiry, followed by a booked in-person or virtual visit.

Parents then submit the application and required documents. Applicants from Year 3 complete an online Cognitive Abilities Test, called CAT4. The assessment costs €30 and is non-refundable.

The school may add an interview in English, Spanish or both. It says additional assessments depend on the applicant. Ask for the exact requirements before arranging a test or sending sensitive reports.

A committee decision normally follows one to three weeks after the complete admissions process. An offer explains the payment needed to reserve the place. Do not make an irreversible schooling decision until you have the offer and its conditions in writing.

For secondary or sixth-form transfer, ask how prior subjects map onto IGCSE, ESO, BiBac or A-Level requirements. General year-round admissions do not guarantee that a viable subject combination is available mid-course.

Termly fees for 2026/27

The school’s current fee PDF is two pages and has been visually checked. The following figures are per term, with three terms in the year:

Year group or route	Tuition	Sundry charge
Lion Cubs, 12–24 months, and Pre-Nursery half day	€1,780	€300 for Pre-Nursery
Lion Cubs and Pre-Nursery full day	€2,610	€300 for Pre-Nursery
Nursery–Year 1	€3,165	€370
Years 2–4	€4,065	€485
Years 5–6	€4,065	€715
Years 7–9	€4,370	€615
Years 10–11	€4,750	€675
BiBac, Years 12–13	€4,905	€540
International A Levels, Year 12	€5,295	€675

Sundry charges are mandatory non-academic charges. The school says they may cover technology, security, activities, some materials and administration of some external exams or certificates. They do not cover uniform, textbooks or optional activities.

The PDF offers termly and annual payment arrangements through direct debit, but prints only the termly amounts. Request the annual payment figure and all due dates rather than assuming the annual option is three identical payments.

Other charges

Item	Termly amount or treatment
Lunch	€700
Lunch for third and later children	€260 shown in the discount row; confirm how it is applied
Transport	€773
One-way transport	€607
Transport for second and later children	30% discount
New-pupil admission fee	€1,900, one-off and non-refundable
Re-enrolment payment	€450, charged in March 2026 and credited to September 2026 first-term fees

The €450 re-enrolment payment changes when existing families pay; because it is credited, it is not extra annual tuition. The transport lines carry an asterisk that the PDF does not explain, so confirm route availability and the final transport quotation.

Published tuition discounts are 25% for the third child, 30% for the fourth and 35% from the fifth child. Ask whether the children must attend concurrently and which charges remain undiscounted.

For a new BiBac pupil, three terms of tuition and sundries total €16,335. Adding the €1,900 admission fee makes €18,235 before lunch, transport, textbooks, uniform or optional activities. This is our calculation from the published table, not a school quotation.

For a new International A-Level pupil in Year 12, the corresponding calculation is €19,810 before those extras: three times €5,295 and €675, plus the admission fee.

What to resolve before accepting

For sixth form, put the offered route and subjects in writing. Check them against the intended Spanish and international university-entry requirements. A pathway described as international does not by itself satisfy every course’s subject conditions.

Our take

Shortlist The British School if your family wants an English-curriculum day school in Pozuelo with substantial Spanish study. The current BiBac route is strongest for pupils wanting a bilingual Spanish qualification. International A Levels suit pupils ready to specialise through English.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.