Further to the accreditation of The British School of Barcelona as a Common Sense School in September 2022 in recognition to our efforts in teaching digital citizenship to young people and engaging the entire school community in this important discussion, we are now thrilled to announce that Cognita Schools Spain has been recognised as a Common Sense District for its Group commitment to taking a whole-community approach to preparing our students to use the immense power of digital media to explore, create, connect, and learn, while limiting the perils that exist in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy, and cyberbullying.

Common Sense is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to helping children and families thrive in a rapidly evolving world of media and technology. This recognition acknowledges Cognita’s commitment to creating a healthy culture where our whole community is invested in helping children thrive as digital learners and citizens.

Sabrina Espasandin, Digital Learning Adviser Cognita Spain, has said, ‘Three years ago, I made it a priority to support our schools with their digital citizenship programmes, to ensure a strategic approach, provide essential teacher training, and actively involve our families. Today, we celebrate the results: a firmly established programme, recognition as Common Sense Schools for eight of our schools, and the Common Sense District status for Cognita Spain, highlighting our commitment to digital wellbeing for our almost 6000 students.’

She added, ‘With the rise of AI, the need for digital citizenship has become even more evident, and I believe our schools have laid a strong foundation on which to build healthy habits in the use of this technology.’

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to our digital leaders at BSB, as well at our sister schools El Limonar International School, British School of Valencia, The English Montessori School, Colegio Europeo de Madrid, Colegio Mirasur, and Colegio Internacional Meres, who helped drive this initiative at their schools, assisted with the teacher training, and engaged both students and parents. Together, we’re shaping a safer, more responsible digital future for our students.

What makes this recognition even more special is that it’s typically awarded to schools in the US. We’re proud to stand among a select group of international institutions devoted to teaching digital citizenship and digital wellbeing.