Ronda does not have an international college for children of expatriate families. That said, there isn’t a large number of foreign (English speaking) children needing to be educated either. Most of the foreign children that are resident in Ronda tend to be fully integrated in the Spanish education system.

The bilingual education project in Spain wasn’t intended just to make it easy for foreign students to get a Spanish education. The system was also intended to allow Spanish students to learn English at an enhanced level throughout their school years. The goal, of course, being to produce a generation of Spanish able to compete on the international stage.

In Ronda there are two “bi-lingual” schools listed. A primary school (CEIP Juan Carillo), and a high school (IES Dr Rodriguez Delgado)

• Colegio de Educacion Infantil y Primaria Juan Carrillo
• Address: Avenida de Andalucia, 24, Ronda
• Tel. 952 16 99 24
• Web: https://blogsaverroes.juntadeandalucia.es/ceipjuancarrillo/

• Instituto de Educacion Secundaria Dr Rodriguez Delgado
• Address: Calle Dolores Ibárruri, 2, 29400, Ronda
• Tel. 952 16 99 00
• Web: https://iesrodriguezdelgado.es/

It is interesting (and slightly concerning) to see both websites only published in Spanish. (Both are officially registered as a “bilingual”.) A bi-lingual school, one would think, would have its website in English as well as Spanish?

The British Council and the Spanish Ministry of Education are supposed to be working hand in hand to make bilingual education a reality throughout Spain. There is also a requirement of teachers in bi-lingual schools to conduct part of the curriculum in English. (Meaning that the entire lesson is either in Spanish, or English.)

Bilingual education in Ronda is not new but it does seem to have lost its way somewhat. As far back as 2010, the Juan Carrillo primary school in Ronda hoped to offer 25% to 30% of all education in English. Several teachers with English training helped to coordinate the curriculum, whilst other teachers undertook English night courses at the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas. Owing to a shortage of qualified bilingual teaching staff and a lack of interest in general it seems that the bilingual education project (in public schools in Ronda at least) has fallen flat on its face.

Alternatives to bilingual education in Ronda

International schools close to Ronda

If you are looking for an international school that teaches the English curriculum close to Ronda then take a look at the international schools database here: https://www.international-schools-database.com/in/malaga-costa-del-sol

The announcement of the bilingual education system starting in Ronda around 2008 was good news for foreign families because both of the named bilingual schools welcomed English speaking children if places were available. Right now, though, in 2023 it seems that one school in Ronda is as good as the next one and not a lot of emphasis is being placed on the merits of a child to be educated in a bilingual environment.

Other schools in Ronda that are not registered as bi-lingual

Just search for the name of the school and add “Ronda” to the phrase to discover more about these schools.

• Instituto Martín Rivero
• Instituto Pérez De Guzmán
• Instituto Dr. Rodríguez Delgado
• Colegio Manuel Leal
• Colegio Ramón Corrales

If you have any experiences of bilingual education in Ronda please feel free to leave a comment.

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