Gibraltar’s Educational Options
Education in Gibraltar follows the British education system, and classes are taught in English as the territory’s first language. The territory has a number of public and private schools, open to students of all ages, as well as an array of courses in further and higher education, professional and vocational, part and full-time to meet the growing needs of our community. Gibraltar outlined plans to “revolutionise” schools in Gibraltar by either rebuilding or refurbishing all of them by the start of term in 2019, which is currently ongoing but so far several have opened the doors to new state of the art buildings and facilities for the children and teachers to benefit from.
Nursery School
Gibraltar has a large selection of nursery places for pre-school children, currently with seven Government School options, being; Varyl Begg Nursery, St Paul’s Nursery, St Mary’s Nursery, Governor’s Meadow Nursery, St Bernard’s Nursery, Notre Dame Nursery and St Joseph’s Nursery. There is also a nursery attached to St Martin’s Special School. Additionally, there are privately run playgroups and nurseries to choose from which can be found via the link
Primary School
Primary education in Gibraltar starts at age 4 and is compulsory for children up to the age of 16. There are several primary schools in Gibraltar, including St. Anne’s Middle School, St. Joseph’s Middle School, and St Martins School for children with special needs. These schools follow the National Curriculum of England and Wales and provide students with a strong foundation in subjects such as mathematics, science, English, and foreign languages. For a full list of the local Government Schools click here: https://www.education.gov.gi/home
Secondary School
Secondary education in Gibraltar begins at age 11 and is compulsory until age 16. There are several Government run secondary schools in Gibraltar, including Westside School, Bayside School, and St. Martin’s School for children with special needs which also teaches children from nursery to the age of 16. Many also offer vocational and technical education, as well as a range of extracurricular activities. Click the following links for more information:
Private Education
In addition to public schools, Gibraltar also has a number of private schools, including the Loreto Convent School for primary school children (https://www.loreto.gi/ ) and Prior Park for secondary school children (https://www.priorparkgibraltar.com/). Both of these schools have become extremely popular and early registration is recommended.
Further & Higher Education
Further education in Gibraltar offers children a selection of options. Bayside, Westside and Prior Park schools offer a good selection of A Levels, and Gibraltar College offers A Levels as well as professional qualifications ranging from academic, vocational and technical courses, part and full-time. Check out their website for more information: http://www5.gibraltarcollege.org/
The University of Gibraltar opened in 2015 to offer the community access to higher education. The University is continually expanding, but already offers an array of courses relevant to the local workplace demands within Gibraltar, including undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Business, Administration, Computing and Environmental Studies. To access the University website click here: https://www.unigib.edu.gi/
Additionally, the Gibraltar Government offers children who meet certain criteria, access to University in the UK free of charge via sponsorship. More information can be found at: https://www.education.gov.gi/home.
Access to Education
To enroll your child into Gibraltar’s education system you will need several documents, including local tenancy agreement/proof of property ownership, passport/ID card and Birth Certificate. More information and access to the enrollment form can be found here: https://www.education.gov.gi/enrolments
Useful links:
