Holy Mary British Catholic School

Community: The Family School That Stayed a Family School

One of the most distinctive features of Holy Mary British Catholic School is that it remains exactly what it was when it opened in 2009: a family school, founded by a family, still led by that family. Co-principals Marta and María Riva de Aldama, the school's founders, continue to serve as the school's day-to-day leaders — a rarity in a sector where founding families are often bought out or replaced by corporate operators as schools grow.

Three Campuses, One Community

The school operates across three campuses within walking distance of each other in the Prosperidad neighbourhood of Madrid (postal code 28002):

1. Alfonso Campus (Calle Alfonso Rodríguez Santamaría 23–25): Nursery through Year 2
2. Cinca Campus (Calle del Cinca 20–22–24): Year 3 through Year 6
3. Arga Campus (Calle Arga 17–19): Year 7 through Year 13

Rather than housing all 750 students on a single large site, this distributed model gives younger children a smaller, more nurturing environment, while older students have their own dedicated secondary campus. Parents moving children between campuses as they progress through year groups build lasting relationships with the school across a 14-year journey from Nursery to A-Level.

Peer Mediators: Community Care from Within

A standout community initiative is the school's Peer Mediators programme, now in its 2025–2026 iteration. Older students are trained to act as mediators in disputes between younger pupils, supporting bullying prevention from within the student body rather than relying solely on adult supervision. This programme reflects the school's Catholic emphasis on fraternal responsibility and care for others.

Inclusive Admissions

The school is non-selective: there is no entrance examination. Places are offered on a first-come, first-served basis (with a waitlist when oversubscribed), making it accessible to families who want a British Catholic education without the pressure of an entrance exam process. The student body draws from local Spanish families, expatriate families, and diplomatic community members resident in Madrid.

Philosophy: Where Faith and Academic Excellence Converge

Holy Mary British Catholic School occupies a unique niche in Madrid's international school landscape: it is simultaneously a rigorous British curriculum school and a genuinely Catholic institution, not merely a secular school with a chapel. This dual identity shapes every aspect of life at the school.

British Curriculum at its Core

The school follows the England National Curriculum from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year 13, with all lessons delivered primarily in English by teachers trained in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Students progress through the standard British milestones — Early Years Outcomes, Key Stages 1–4, GCSE/IGCSE in Year 11, and A-Levels in Years 12 and 13 — giving graduates qualifications fully recognised by universities in the UK, Europe, and globally.

The school's approach to assessment reflects best British practice: formative and summative assessment tools are used continuously, including standardised benchmarking instruments such as GL and CEM assessments in the lower and middle years, before students sit formal external examinations from IGCSE onwards.

Catholic Values as a Living Framework

Unlike many international schools that describe themselves as 'welcoming of all faiths', Holy Mary is explicitly and actively Catholic. The school's co-founders and co-principals, Marta and María Riva de Aldama, describe the school's mission as offering 'una educación británica de excelencia enraizada en los valores católicos' — a British education of excellence rooted in Catholic values. Catholic faith formation, community service, and moral education are woven into the curriculum and school culture, not bolted on as optional extras.

This shows up practically in the school's peer mediation programme, its emphasis on community and belonging, and the way pastoral care is framed as an expression of Christian love of neighbour.

Character Before Credentials

While academic results are strong — 100% first-choice university acceptance, with 60% of graduates going to QS Top 100 universities — the school frames academic achievement as a byproduct of good character rather than the end goal in itself. Leadership, service, empathy, and integrity are explicitly named school values, and programmes like the Duke of Edinburgh Award and Peer Mediators give students structured ways to live these values out.

Academic Culture: A-Level Pathways to Top Universities

Holy Mary's academic culture is shaped by the British A-Level pathway, which differs meaningfully from the IB Diploma Programme approach taken by many Madrid international schools. This gives the school a distinctive character: students specialise deeply in three or four subjects at A-Level, developing genuine expertise rather than breadth.

Exam Qualifications Offered

Students at Holy Mary follow a clear academic ladder:

• Early Years Foundation Stage (Nursery–Reception): play-based learning aligned to EYFS outcomes
• Key Stages 1 & 2 (Years 1–6): UK National Curriculum core subjects
• Key Stage 3 (Years 7–9): subject specialisation begins
• IGCSE / GCSE (Years 10–11): formal external qualifications in 8–10 subjects
• A-Levels (Years 12–13): 3–4 subjects studied to university-entry standard

The school is a Cambridge International Examinations centre, enabling it to offer the internationally portable IGCSE and Cambridge A-Level qualifications.

University Outcomes

The school's published outcomes data is striking:

• 100% of leavers receive an offer from their first-choice university
• 60% of university destinations are QS World University Rankings Top 100
• 40% of destinations appear in the Times Higher Education Top 200

These figures suggest that the school's Sixth Form is small but highly focused, with students well-supported through the university application process. The school does not publish absolute student numbers for its Sixth Form cohorts, but the consistent 100% first-choice rate implies personalised guidance.

Assessment Philosophy

Holy Mary uses a layered assessment approach. In the lower school, GL and CEM standardised tests provide objective benchmarking data. In the upper school, students are regularly assessed formatively throughout the year, with summative assessments building towards the high-stakes external examinations. The school emphasises that all students, from the earliest years, are 'exposed to formal assessment' — normalising exams as part of school life rather than a sudden Year 11 shock.

Unique Features: The Homologated British School

For families considering Holy Mary, two institutional credentials stand out as particularly meaningful in the Spanish context: NABSS membership and official homologation by the Spanish authorities.

NABSS Membership

Holy Mary is a member of NABSS (the National Association of British Schools in Spain), the professional association that represents genuine British schools operating on Spanish soil. NABSS membership is not automatic — schools must demonstrate that they genuinely deliver the British curriculum to a meaningful standard. For families, the NABSS logo is a reliable signal that the school is not simply trading on a British name while teaching a localised curriculum.

Spanish Homologation

The school holds official homologación from the Spanish Ministry of Education. This is critical for Spanish-national families and for families who may not remain in Spain for the full 14-year journey from Nursery to A-Level. Homologation means that the British qualifications gained at Holy Mary are formally recognised within the Spanish educational system, giving graduates full flexibility to continue education in Spain (at a Spanish university), in the UK, or internationally.

Cambridge International Centre

As a Cambridge International Examinations centre, Holy Mary is authorised to administer the official Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level examinations. This means results are externally moderated by Cambridge Assessment — students' grades are not awarded by the school itself but by one of the world's most respected examination boards, providing an objective quality assurance for university admissions tutors worldwide.

The Flamenco Differentiator

In a more cultural dimension, Holy Mary offers Flamenco as an extracurricular activity alongside ballet and modern dance — a charming example of how the school integrates genuine Spanish cultural heritage into what is otherwise an almost entirely British curricular experience. Students on the Arga campus in Prosperidad are, after all, living in Madrid, and the school takes that seriously.

Campus Atmosphere: Urban British School with Neighbourhood Warmth

Holy Mary is not a campus school with playing fields and a grand entrance. It is a Madrid neighbourhood school — three buildings on residential streets in the Prosperidad district of the Spanish capital. This shapes the school's atmosphere in distinctive ways.

Compact, Human-Scale Campuses

With approximately 750 students spread across three sites, no single campus feels overwhelming. The youngest children (Nursery through Year 2) are on the Alfonso campus, a dedicated early years environment where everything is sized for small people. Upper primary students (Year 3–6) move to the nearby Cinca campus, and secondary and Sixth Form students (Year 7–13) occupy the Arga campus. This age-based separation means that 16-year-olds and 4-year-olds never share a playground — a simple but important pastoral benefit.

British Rhythms in a Spanish City

The school follows British school rhythms — a September-to-July three-term year, British-style uniform, house competitions, debating club, chess club, and drama — while being embedded in the daily reality of Madrid. Students walk to school through Madrid streets, eat lunch in a Madrid neighbourhood, and return home through one of Europe's great cities. The extracurricular programme reflects this dual identity: football, rugby, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award sit alongside flamenco, Spanish, and House activities.

House System and Community Spirit

The school operates a House system, dividing students into competing houses for inter-school competitions, sports events, and activities. This is a classic feature of British school culture — it builds cross-year-group relationships and a sense of loyalty and belonging beyond one's own class cohort. Combined with the Peer Mediators programme, the House system gives students structured roles within the school community from an early age.

Uniform Culture

Students wear a British-style school uniform, reinforcing a sense of shared identity and reducing the social pressures associated with casual dress. The uniform is a visible daily signal of the school's British identity and its expectation of a certain standard of presentation and behaviour.