Curriculum

The British College of Benalmádena is fully recognised by both the British and Spanish Ministries of Education and is a member of NABSS (the National Association of British Schools in Spain).

At The British College, we combine the British Curriculum with the key areas of knowledge required by the Spanish Academic Authorities. This enables our pupils to gain dual qualifications, both British and Spanish.

Alongside their British qualifications – Cambridge IGCSEs (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and GCE AS and A Levels (General Certificate of Education Advanced Level) – our pupils also obtain the Spanish Secondary Education Certificate (Graduado/a en ESO) and the Spanish Bachiller qualification (spanish baccalaureate). In addition, they are awarded the Direct Access Credential for Spanish universities, which allows them to apply to Spanish universities without having to sit the PAU entrance examinations.

This dual pathway opens the door for our pupils to continue their education in the United Kingdom, Spain, any other country in Europe, the United States, or anywhere else in the world. Access to British universities, as well as to universities internationally, is fully supported by our British official qualifications, while students choosing Spain benefit from direct access through their IGCSE and A Level results.

Furthermore, through their IGCSE English qualification, and depending on the grade achieved, pupils may also obtain an officially recognised C2, C1 or B2 English certificate without the need to take an additional examination.

For students in Years 12 and 13 who wish to apply to Spanish universities and improve their university entrance score beyond 10 points – up to a maximum of 14 – we also offer Spanish-taught subjects delivered by native Spanish teachers alongside their AS/A Levels. These subjects include Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Business Studies, History of Art and Geography. Pupils choose two of these subjects according to the degree they intend to study and sit the corresponding examinations in order to increase their final admission score.

Every year, we publish on our website both the results our pupils achieve in these official examinations and the universities they go on to attend.

Maximum class size is around 20 pupils. However, with a pupil to staff ratio of about 13/14 to 1, clearly many classes are smaller.

The British College of Benalmádena is fully recognised by both the British and Spanish Ministries of Education and is a member of NABSS (the National Association of British Schools in Spain).