The Senior School


Lessons are taught by subject specialists with the class tutor having the important pastoral role of coordinating all aspects of the pupils’ academic, as well as, social development. 

From Year 10 our students begin to select the subjects they prefer or that they consider most appropriate for the career they will one day want to dedicate themselves to.

Secondary School Stages in Tres Cantos 

Year 7 to Year 9 (from 11 to 14 years old ) 


In National Curriculum Years 7 to 9 specialist teachers deliver a balanced programme broadly based on the English National Curriculum, but with additional factors such as the introduction of the three separate sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) in Year 9 and the availability of three modern languages (French, Spanish and German). 

All students validate their studies by following courses in Spanish Language, Literature and Social Sciences, according to the curriculum set by the Spanish Ministry of Education. Students with little knowledge of Spanish study Spanish as a foreign language. 

As in England, assessment based on National Curriculum levels continues to be used and students progress monitored accordingly.  King’s College, The British School of Madrid keeps abreast of all curriculum developments in progress in the UK and pursues those policies best suited to the students’ needs. 

Year 10 to Year 11 (from 14 to 16 years old )


The curriculum for age 14-16 is fundamentally the same as in English schools. All students study up to nine subjects in preparation for the award on the International General Certificate of Secondary Education. IGCSE is a highly regarded qualification which is accredited by the University of Cambridge (www.cie.org.uk) and approved by the Joint Council of British Universities. The school also offers GCSE’s and IGCSE’s from Edexcel.

All students are required to study English Language, Mathematics, Science, Spanish Language & Literature and Social Sciences.  In addition, they have a certain freedom to choose those subjects which they prefer and which will be most useful for their future career. 

Students with little knowledge of Spanish will normally study 9 academic subjects, as would be the case in most schools in England and in other international British schools. The rest of the pupils will study slightly fewer subjects in order to include within their academic programme the necessary courses required by the Spanish Ministry of Education: (a) Spanish Language & Literature, and (b) Social Sciences.