Cities / Barcelona / SIL School
SIL School
Trilingual concertado in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi on Avenida del Tibidabo, founded 1962 and operating its current trilingual model since the late 1970s. Catalan, Spanish and English from early years to bachillerato, around 700 students.
In brief
Trilingual concertado in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi on Avenida del Tibidabo, founded 1962 and operating its current trilingual model since the late 1970s. Catalan, Spanish and English from early years to bachillerato, around 700 students.
Subsidised status keeps fees well below the international school bracket, which is the obvious draw for Catalan families wanting strong English without paying St Paul's or BSB rates. The 11,000 square metre campus has the heated indoor pool, multi-sport courts and labs you would expect from an established Sarrià school.
Parent voice is genuinely split. Long-tenure families talk warmly about teachers, facilities and a family environment, including positive notes from a parent of a child with mild autism on the support offered. The negative thread is sharper: complaints about discipline through humiliation, demanding academic posture and unsatisfactory handling of bullying. A school where the experience seems to depend heavily on the year group and homeroom teacher.
Reviews
A long-running trilingual concertado on Avinguda del Tibidabo, family-feel and well known in the upper Sant Gervasi catchment. The English programme is the headline, and academic results in ESO and Batxillerat are quoted approvingly. Parent voice is broadly warm but mixed: alongside the praise sit complaints about a traditional teaching style, ageing facilities, and patchy support when a child struggles or does not fit the academic mould.
Positives
- Trilingual programme. English from early years sits alongside Catalan and Spanish, with French added later. Parents single out the language outcomes as the main draw and describe children leaving fluent in three.
- Family atmosphere. Smaller-feeling than the international school giants nearby. Parents describe a close, recognisable community where teachers know the children and families stay for the long haul.
- Academic results. ESO and Batxillerat pass rates are quoted favourably and PISA-style results come up positively in parent commentary. Long-tenured families talk about children thriving across the full age range.
- Facilities and location. Av. del Tibidabo address in upper Sant Gervasi, with a pool, school bus, and comedor that come up often in the praise. Building is handsome but parts of the estate read as dated.
Considerations
- Fit for children who struggle. A recurring strand of parent comment is that the school suits academically strong, low-maintenance children and is less patient with those who fall behind or need more individual attention. Some families talk about being quietly steered away from external assessments.
- Traditional teaching style. Pedagogy is described as more traditional than other schools in the Zona Alta, with religion still part of the mix. Read as a strength by families who want structure and as old-fashioned by those expecting a more progressive approach.
- Pastoral and discipline. Negative parent and alumni comment tends to cluster around teacher tone, playground supervision, and accounts of bullying that families felt were not handled well. Not the dominant note but consistent enough to flag.
Leadership