Back to school - the rise of international schools in Catalonia
Durada: 23 min
14/09/2024
This week marks the official back-to-school week in Catalonia, where 1.3 million Catalans have started or returned to classrooms, noisy school yards, and the routine of heavy backpacks and homework. While most Catalan students attend public schools, a growing number are enrolled in private institutions, particularly international schools. Catalonia is home to nearly fifty international schools, three of which are in the top ten of Forbes' 2024 list of the 100 best schools in Spain.Oriol Escudé Macià joins Lea Beliaeva Bander, to explore the world of international schools - from tuition fees and languages taught to the student body they attract. We talk to postdoctoral researcher Andrea Sunyol and education consultant and founder of My Barcelona School, Anya van der Drift. The Catalan phrase is "posar-se les piles," which literally translates to "put in the batteries", and means to get more active or energetic, sometimes after a long vacation, much like the English phrase "get to work"