British Schools in Spain

Teacher and pupils in a British Primary school

Certification of British Schools in Spain for the Spanish Education Authorities.

According to Real Decreto 806/93 all foreign schools in Spain must be accredited by their Embassy. The British Embassy has delegated this authority to the British Council in Spain and only schools which have successfully passed an inspection by an authorised inspectorate will be accredited.

British Council ensures that all of these schools undergo the required inspections by Department for Education approved Inspectorates allowing us to provide guarantee to parents and Spanish authorities that British standards of quality are met.

Please note however it is the competency of the Spanish Education authorities to then authorise all foreign schools.

Protocol for Accreditation and Authorisation

Our Handbook below provides a complete overview of the responsibilities of all stakeholder groups: families, schools, British Council, inspectorates and Spanish Authorities. It also outlines how to:

open a British school in Spain
apply for inspection
make a complaint about a British school in Spain

Compliance with Spanish legislation: Child Protection, Health and Safety, Employment and Tax.

British Schools in Spain are essentially private organisations and as such operate with a high level of autonomy regarding for example their ethos, admissions policies, codes of conducts and recruitment. This is similar to how Independent Schools in the UK work.

When a pupil is admitted to a British School in Spain parents and families must understand that their agreement or contract with the school is governed by Spanish legislation. Over and above the inspections carried out , British Schools in Spain must comply for example with Spanish legislation regarding Health and Safety, Child Protection, Employment and Tax.

British Council Spain

British Schools in Spain