Academic Excellence

We challenge and support our students to get the best academic results

At BSB we aim to make learning so much more than a set of grades or numbers but, at the same time, we acknowledge that we have a duty to our students and their parents to ensure students get the very highest exam grades they can.

Expectations are high, students are given targets and our academic and personal development teams provide a wealth of advice and support along the way.

Teaching at BSB is a privilege

Our students are ambitious and keen to learn and teachers are able to really focus on how best to engage each and every student and deepen their understanding of the various subjects. Lessons are not about delivering content. Instead, we expect lessons to be varied, thought-provoking and encourage independent thinking and curiosity.

As students move through the school there is, inevitably, more focus on formal external examinations, but our expectations of what good teaching looks like do not alter.

Every student is different

There is an expectation for BSB teachers to shape approach and content to individual student needs. Students with specific educational needs will be supported by our student support department and teachers will implement strategies in the classroom to make certain every student maintains a high level of progress.

All students need to be challenged, from the most able to those who may find a particular subject more difficult. Our teachers will always look to differentiate material and approach, to meet the requirements of each and every student, acknowledging that understanding can be unlocked in a variety of ways and may occur at different moments along the student’s educational journey.

My son receives amazing praise and encouragement from both the leadership team and his class teacher, which has developed into a passion for learning.

– Year 6 Parent, Voice of Parent Survey 2022

A stimulating curriculum that prepares students for life

In Early Years we follow the Curiosity Approach to learning, which is an inquiry, play-based curriculum that ignites the children’s natural curiosity to explore the world around them.

In Primary our model takes upon an inquiry-based approach to learning that allows our students to develop key learning habits, which are taught explicitly through our curriculum during the full course of their education at BSB.

Our Secondary pathway follows the best of the English National Curriculum, whilst giving us the flexibility to allow students to complete the Spanish ESO qualification by the time they come to the end of Year 11.

All teaching at BSB is in English, with the exception of Spanish and Catalan lessons, which are designed for all student levels from absolute beginner to native expert. We also offer French and German throughout Secondary school.

Students sit exams in 9 or 10 GCSE subjects at the end of Year 11 and then have the choice of doing the IB Diploma or A Levels in our Nexus building for their final 2 years at school. These qualifications give our students access to universities all around the world, including in Spain.

In Nexus, students also have the possibility of attending extra classes after school to help them obtain the extra points needed to access the very best Spanish University courses.

The IB Diploma is currently offered at BSB Nexus in Castelldefels. The British School of Barcelona City Campus is a candidate school* for the Diploma Programme. This school is pursuing authorisation as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy — a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education — that we believe is important for our students.

* Only schools authorised by the IB Organisation can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP), or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorisation will be granted.

Ensuring a love for long life learning

Here, at BSB, we share an understanding of exactly how we want our students to develop as learners, realising the value of knowledge acquisition alongside skilful learning behaviours.

Linking across all key stages and campuses is our commitment to developing students’ capability to become life-long learners, empowering them with the healthy dispositions and positive attitudes which will allow them to flourish in school and beyond it.

Fundamental to this, we have developed teachers’ and students’ understanding of the importance of nine essential Learning Habits which provide the foundation for success at school and in life.

These form the bedrock of all aspects of school life ensuring that when they graduate from BSB, all students regardless of starting ability, emerge as empowered, independent young adults ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead.

BSB Learning Habits

The ‘BSB Learning Habits’ relate to four key areas: emotional engagement, critical and independent thought, strategic learning, and collaborative teamwork.

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Having an inquisitive attitude to life.

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Managing and controlling your own learning.

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Benefitting from and contributing to the social world of learning.

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Creatively exploring possibilities.

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Locking your mind into learning.

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Sticking with challenges that matter to you.

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Standing back and taking stock of learning.

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Working things out with clarity and accuracy.

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Having and realising a vision to inspire positive change.

“The top-quality education provided and the outstanding academic achievements allow students to attend the best Universities in Spain and around the world.”

– The British School of Barcelona, BSO Inspection 2021

Outstanding Results

Academic performance at BSB is excellent. Results are significantly above national averages at GCSE, IB and A level, and every year we have students who achieve the highest marks in certain subjects across all schools in Spain or, in some cases, Europe.

In 2023 46% of all A Level grades awarded were an A*/A, with 22% of students achieving A* or A grades in all their subjects. The average IB score across our largest cohort ever was of 34.4 (significantly above the world average - 30.24), with 14% of students achieving a score of 40 or more.

Our academic results, coupled with our focus on developing powerful learning habits and key skills, ensure students are ready to take up places at great universities all round the world.

2023 Results Highlights

A Levels Highlights

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46%

of grades were awarded at A*-A

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22%

of students achieved A* and A grades in all their subjects

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of Chemistry grades being awarded at A*

IB Highlights

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98%

success for our IB contingent

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14%

students scoring 40+ points across all their subjects

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34.4

average point score

(30.24 World Average)

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2

students achieving 43 out of 45 marks

GCSE Highlights

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20%

of grades were awarded at 9

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50%

of all French and German grades were awarded at 9

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50%

of grades were awarded 7 to 9 (A*-A)

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25%

of all English Language grades were awarded at 9

PCE Highlights

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6

students achieved over 95% in their Spanish Access (PCE)



* PCE: Pruebas de Competencias Específicas (required exams to access to Spanish universities – for those courses with highest demand)

BSB students are world ready

BSB students are ready and able to study at universities right across the world.

Whilst, at the moment, the majority choose to go to the UK or Spain, there is a growing number of students opting to study in The Netherlands. Others have taken up offers to study in other international universities, including the US, France, Italy and Germany.

In 2023, approximately 37% of our leavers have chosen to go on to study in the UK, gaining entry to some of the very best UK universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, York, Warwick, Imperial College London, King's College London, Bristol, Exeter and UCL (University College London).

The picture for Spain is equally strong with 34% of our graduates choosing to remain in Spain and gaining places and, in several cases, scholarships to excellent public and private universities.

Last year's trend of more BSB students seeking places at universities in the Netherlands has continued with 14% of our students securing places at universities in Groningen, Amsterdam, Delft and Rotterdam amongst others. We also have several students going to other European universities in Stockholm, Berlin, Nicosia and Milan, to name but a few.

Four students will be travelling to US universities to continue their studies.

Whatever the chosen destination, our BSB Futures team are on hand throughout the year to help students and parents navigate the various applications processes and provide the guidance needed to help students get to where they want to go.

Outstanding Learner Awards

Every year BSB students are identified as the best performing learners from the international assessment boards and are presented with Outstanding Learner Awards for having gained the highest marks for a certain subject across the whole of Spain, the whole of Europe or, in some cases, globally.

British School of Barcelona

Enquiries :93 707 95 98