Runnymede College

In Brief

Runnymede is the right call if you want a full British education from Nursery through to A-Levels in La Moraleja, without the group-school overhead. It is independently owned, which means decisions are made in the school rather than at a head office - that cuts both ways, so ask specifically about pastoral support and the sixth-form pathway before signing.

Runnymede sits in the middle of the La Moraleja cluster, cheaper than ICS but more expensive than King's, and it goes further - all the way to Year 13 with A-Levels. That full 3-18 pathway in one school is genuinely useful for families who expect to stay in Madrid through sixth form. The school has been independently owned since 1967 and is not part of any global education group, which gives it a different character from its neighbours - smaller in feel, less corporate in administration. Around 750 students across the school means teachers actually know families by name.

Results are solid. In 2025, 67% of IGCSE grades were A or A*, well above UK independent school averages, and 57% of A-Level grades were A or A*. Around 70% of sixth-formers sit four A-Levels rather than three, and 84% secured their first-choice university in 2025. Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Harvard and Stanford appear in recent destination lists. Strong languages provision - French, Spanish and the Extended Project - adds depth to the sixth form.

Staff feedback available publicly is mixed. Several recent reviews describe a pay structure with no automatic annual increments, and note that teacher turnover has been higher than you would want at a school of this size. That is background context, not a finding - but it is worth asking the school directly about teaching continuity in the year groups relevant to your child, particularly at IGCSE and sixth form.