General Information

THE CURRICULUM

The curriculum at The English School of Asturias has been developed using the British National Curriculum with adaptations appropriate to the needs and circumstances of a British school in Spain.

The table below shows the equivalent academic year groupings in the Spanish and British education systems, which may serve to understand the organization and terminology used with regard to the British system and which will appear in this and later sections.

 

Level The British System Ages The Spanish System
Infants(Foundation) Nursery 3 - 4 1º Ciclo E.I
Reception
4 - 5 2º Ciclo E.I
Infants(Key Stage 1) Year 1 5 - 6 3º Ciclo E.I
Year 2
6-7 1º Curso Ed. Primaria
Primary(Key Stage 2) Year 3
7-8 2º Curso Ed. Primaria
Year 4
8-9 3º Curso Ed. Primaria
Year 5
9-10 4º Curso Ed. Primaria
Year 6
10-11 5º Curso Ed. Primaria
Secondary(Key Stage 3) Year 7
11-12 6º Curso Ed. Primaria
Year 8
12-13 1º Curso Ed. Secundaria
Year 9
13-14 2º Curso Ed. Secundaria
Secondary(Key Stage 4) Year 10
14-15 3º Curso Ed. Secundaria
Year 11
15-16 4º Curso Ed. Secundaria
Secondary(Key Stage 5) Year 12
16-17 1º Bachillerato
Year 13
17-18 2º Bachillerato

 

THE ACADEMIC YEAR GROUPS

Most children join the school in Nursery and here at The English School of Asturias we give great importance to this fact, as it allows the children to come into contact with the target language at an early age. The first few years of the Foundation Stage are vital in reaching a high level of fluency in English, both in expression and comprehension. This solid base allows to fully implement the National Curriculum throughout the child's primary education.

Our pupils sit official examinations by taking part in the British National Tests at the end of Year 6 (key stage 2) This allows us to compare our academic levels with similar schools both in Britain and in Spain.

The results obtained by our students so far have been extremely positive and have allowed us to confirm an excellent academic preparation.

At the end of Year 11 (15-16 years old) our pupils obtain the International General Certificate of Secondary Education following the British Education System and the qualification Graduado en Educación Secundaria issued by the Spanish education authorities for pupils who have completed their secondary education in Spanish language and culture.

Official exams for obtaining the GCE (general certificate of education) "A" levels focus on academic studies taken in the final two years of Secondary Education (17-18 years of age). Our pupils have direct access to universities in the UK and to Spanish universities .

The academic organization at Foundation, Primary and Secondary levels is overseen by the Headteacher, key stage coordinators and the class teachers assigned to each year group who also carry out the role of tutor and the accompanying task of pastoral care. At Nursery level, classroom teachers are supported by two assistants who ensure that the children of these ages get all the attention they need. Constant support is also provided in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 by the presence of at least one classroom assistant.

With regard to Secondary Education, academic organization, as in the other stages, is the responsibility of the Headmaster and the Secondary Curriculum coordinator who oversees the work of the different specialist teachers in each area, as well as creating schemes of work and infrastructure, which facilitates an easy transition from one key stage to the next. The Pastoral Coordinator and all the Secondary staff also take an important role in advising pupils on subject choices in accordance with their preferences and strengths.

Studies, which form a part of the curriculum for Spanish language and culture, are given by fully qualified native Spanish teachers and are coordinated by a head of studies both at Primary and Secondary levels.