Costa Blanca International College vs Willow International School
Costa Blanca International College and Willow International School are both in Alicante. Both schools offer British programmes. Costa Blanca International College also offers Spanish, and Willow International School also offers Cambridge (Secondary), Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International AS Levels, Cambridge A Levels and Pearson Edexcel IGCSE. Published annual fees are €500 - 5,750 at Costa Blanca International College and €5,520 - 12,300 at Willow International School, which puts Willow International School roughly 185% higher. Both take pupils from 3 to 18. Costa Blanca International College is the larger school, with around 300 pupils to Willow International School's 87. Typical class sizes are 20 at Costa Blanca International College and 12 at Willow International School.
British Curriculum, Cambridge (Secondary), Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International AS Levels, Cambridge A Levels, Pearson Edexcel IGCSE
Pupils
Pupils
300
Pupils
87
Typical class size
Typical class size
20
Typical class size
12
Instruction language
Instruction language
English, Spanish
Instruction language
English
Opened
Opened
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Opened
2020
Bus service
Bus service
No
Bus service
No
Essentials
Essentials
Location
Location
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Location
The Willow International School is located at Avenida del Mar 2b, Local 6-7 Pueblo Bravo, 03170, Alicante, Spain. It is a UK National Curriculum School based in Ciudad Quesada, Alicante. It sits in the Pueblo Bravo neighbourhood of Ciudad Quesada, Alicante. The school delivers the British Curriculum in English, with strong Spanish language learning and a nurturing, multicultural environment.
Stages
Stages
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Stages
Early Years – Reception (Age 3-5) follows the Early Years Foundation Stage. Primary Education covers Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2. Secondary Education covers Key Stage 3 & Key Stage 4. A-Level Education provides Sixth Form.
School type
School type
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School type
UK National Curriculum School.
Pupil nationality mix
Pupil nationality mix
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Pupil nationality mix
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Additional learning support
Additional learning support
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Additional learning support
Pastoral care and wellbeing support are provided, including Primary School Support with a dedicated pastoral and wellbeing leader, and Secondary School Support with a designated tutor and PSHE-based guidance.
Country affiliation
Country affiliation
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Country affiliation
United Kingdom.
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation
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Religious affiliation
Christian values are integrated from an ecumenical perspective; religion is part of the SMSC provision with opt-out on request.
School day structure
School day structure
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School day structure
Registration 8:30 AM – 9:15 AM; Lesson 1 9:15 AM – 10:00 AM; Lesson 2 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM; Break 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM; Lesson 3 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM; Lesson 4 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM; Lunch 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM; Lesson 5 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM; Lesson 6 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM; Extra Curricula Activities 3:00 PM – Various.
Bus service details
Bus service details
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Bus service details
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Fees
Fees
Fee details
Fee details
*Application fees*
- No definitive, school-published application or enrollment fee schedule is publicly available. Third‑party listings report a one‑off admission/registration fee of €500 and an enrolment deposit of €575.
*Tuition fees by year group (per term / per year)*
- The school does not publish a public, itemised fee schedule for the current academic year; therefore there is no confirmed, school‑published per‑term or per‑year breakdown available. Third‑party listings provide sample monthly/annual figures that have been reported for comparable year groups: Preschool reported at €520 per month (≈ €5,200 per year), Primary reported at €545 per month (≈ €5,450 per year), and Secondary/High School reported at €575 per month (≈ €5,750 per year). These figures are third‑party reports and are not a verified, school‑published fee schedule.
*Billing schedule and payment terms*
- There is no publicly available, school‑published statement of the billing schedule or the precise payment calendar for the current academic year. Third‑party information that lists monthly totals implies a monthly billing option may be used, but a definitive termly/annual/instalment schedule and due dates are not published. Expect the school to require payment either annually, by term, or by monthly instalments and to require an upfront registration/enrolment payment when a place is accepted, though the exact timing and any penalties for late payment are not publicly listed.
*Boarding / residence fees*
- Costa Blanca International College is listed as a co‑educational day school; no boarding or residential fees are publicly documented. If a boarding option is required, separate boarding providers or different schools should be considered because no board (pension) fees are published for this school.
*Other costs and common extras*
- Uniform: The school is recorded as having a mandatory uniform; however the cost of uniform items is not published. - School meals / comedor: The school offers a school meals service; meal pricing is not publicly listed. - Transport: A school transport service is recorded as available; specific routes and fares are not publicly listed. - Examination and external assessment fees: The school offers the International Baccalaureate and/or British curriculum qualifications; IB, GCSE or A‑level exam fees and any external assessment charges are not published and are typically billed separately by many schools. - Books, materials, excursions, extracurriculars and insurance: These common additional costs are not detailed in any publicly available school fee schedule. Parents should plan for additional annual expenses for textbooks, school trips and optional activities.
*Refund information*
- A school‑published refund policy for deposits, tuition or extras is not publicly available. There is no published public statement of which fees (if any) are non‑refundable or on what schedule refunds (partial or full) are issued.
*Fee payment options*
- The school does not publicly list accepted payment methods. In practice, private schools in Spain commonly accept bank transfer, direct debit/standing order or card payments; specific accepted methods and details (online payment gateway, card surcharge, account details for international transfer) are not publicly listed for this school. Parents should be prepared to arrange international bank transfer or card payment if required.
*Summary note on availability of detailed school figures*
- There is no school‑published, itemised fee schedule publicly available for the current academic year. Third‑party directories and local guides list the school and report sample admission and monthly tuition figures (examples cited above), but a full, authoritative per‑year, per‑term, and per‑year‑group breakdown with billing dates, refund rules and official payment methods is not published in a publicly accessible fee schedule. Where exact, school‑issued numbers and terms are required for a database, the school's official fee schedule or formal fee communication is needed to confirm final figures and terms.
Fee details
Application & Registration Fees
- Enrolment / one-time administration (registration) fee: €600, payable at registration. This fee is non‑refundable and secures a pupil's place once paid.
- Primary 1 (Sparrows): €552 per month. Annual equivalent (10 months, September–June): €5,520. Per school term (annual divided by three terms): €1,840.
- Primary 2 (Robins): €552 per month. Annual equivalent: €5,520. Per term: €1,840.
- Primary 3 (Owls): €578 per month. Annual equivalent: €5,780. Per term: €1,926.67.
- KS3 (Key Stage 3): €600 per month. Annual equivalent: €6,000. Per term: €2,000.
- KS4 (Key Stage 4): €615 per month. Annual equivalent: €6,150. Per term: €2,050.
- AS / A2 (Sixth Form) teaching: €225 per subject per month (fee shown in the school fee schedule under cohort tuition). For reference, this charge is applied per subject taken. Annual and term totals will depend on the number of subjects and months enrolled.
Additional compulsory / annual fees and resources
- Platform & Microsoft licence fee: €350 annually, due by 1 June. This covers digital platforms (including White Rose Maths provision, English SPaG, and Spanish provision in Primary).
- Annual registration fee for continuing (current) students: €200, payable by 1 June.
- Textbooks for KS3/KS4: parents receive an ISBN booklist by 1 June each year and are responsible for purchasing required textbooks.
Billing schedule and payment terms
- Tuition is payable monthly from September through June (10 monthly instalments). Additional annual charges (platform licence, continuing‑student registration) are due by 1 June. The one‑time registration/enrolment fee is payable at the time of registration.
- A place is confirmed only when registration and resource/enrolment fees are paid. Parents must notify the school by 1 June if their child will not be returning in September.
Boarding
- Boarding is not offered by this school (the school operates as a day school).
Other costs (uniforms, meals, extracurriculars, transport)
- Uniform: All official uniform items for the school year must be purchased through the school's approved supplier; orders are placed online through the approved retailer. Uniform items are compulsory (with limited exceptions for some PE items). Parents should budget for a full uniform set per child.
- School meals (compulsory for Primary): KS1 lunch cost: €5.00 per day; KS2 lunch cost: €5.50 per day; Secondary lunch cost: €6.95 per day. Budget for daily lunch charges where applicable.
- Curriculum resources & textbooks: Parents are responsible for purchasing required KS3/KS4 textbooks from the provided ISBN lists. Additional charges for optional trips, activities, or external exam fees may apply when relevant.
Refund information
- The enrolment / registration administration fee of €600 is explicitly non‑refundable. No separate published refund schedule for tuition instalments or other fees is provided in the available fee information; withdrawal notification by 1 June is required for changes to the following September intake.
Fee payment options
- The school's published fee pages and policies list the amounts and due dates but do not specify the accepted payment methods (credit card, bank transfer, etc.) in the publicly available fee summary. Contact the school office directly for the school's accepted payment channels and any bank details or card‑processing arrangements.
Brief note on available information
- The school publishes monthly tuition rates (September–June), the one‑time registration fee (non‑refundable), the annual platform licence charge and continuing‑student registration charge, the requirement to notify the school by 1 June for withdrawal, uniform purchasing arrangements, and per‑day meal charges. No boarding charges are published because boarding is not offered. Specific detail on accepted payment methods and a detailed published refund schedule for tuition instalments were not provided in the publicly available fee documents.
Diving deeper
Diving deeper
Boarding arrangements
Boarding arrangements
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Boarding arrangements
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Uniform requirement
Uniform requirement
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Uniform requirement
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Food options
Food options
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Food options
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House system
House system
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House system
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Governance and ownership
Governance and ownership
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Governance and ownership
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Academics
Academics
Curriculum details
Curriculum details
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Curriculum details
The school is a UK National Curriculum School based in Ciudad Quesada, Alicante. The British Curriculum is taught in English, with strong Spanish language learning and a nurturing, multicultural environment. Reception (Age 3-5) follows the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum; Primary Education covers Key Stage 1 & 2; Secondary Education covers Key Stage 3 & 4; and A-Level College provides Sixth Form.
Student teacher ratio
Student teacher ratio
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Student teacher ratio
Small class sizes.
Exam results
Exam results
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Exam results
OFSTED 2024 Inspection Report rated OUTSTANDING.
Higher education progression
Higher education progression
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Higher education progression
There is a smooth pathway to UK, European, and global universities.
Gifted and talented
Gifted and talented
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Gifted and talented
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Academic calendar
Academic calendar
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Academic calendar
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Wellbeing & support
Wellbeing & support
Social & emotional learning
Social & emotional learning
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Social & emotional learning
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Special educational needs (SEN)
Special educational needs (SEN)
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Special educational needs (SEN)
—
English as an additional language
English as an additional language
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English as an additional language
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Mental wellbeing
Mental wellbeing
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Mental wellbeing
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Safeguarding
Safeguarding
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Safeguarding
—
Safeguarding policy
Safeguarding policy
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Safeguarding policy
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Facilities
Facilities
Facilities overview
Facilities overview
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Facilities overview
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Sports facilities
Sports facilities
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Sports facilities
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Academic facilities
Academic facilities
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Academic facilities
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Extra curricular facilities
Extra curricular facilities
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Extra curricular facilities
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Parent experience
Parent experience
History
History
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History
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Community
Community
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Community
—
Parent teacher association
Parent teacher association
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Parent teacher association
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Extra-curricular
Extra-curricular
Academic & intellectual
Academic & intellectual
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Academic & intellectual
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Arts & creative
Arts & creative
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Arts & creative
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Cultural & language
Cultural & language
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Cultural & language
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Social & hobbies
Social & hobbies
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Social & hobbies
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Community & service
Community & service
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Community & service
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Leadership & professional
Leadership & professional
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Leadership & professional
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
Lifestyle & wellbeing
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Lifestyle & wellbeing
—
Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
Language provision
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Language provision
—
Bilingual teaching
Bilingual teaching
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Bilingual teaching
—
Immersion programs
Immersion programs
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Immersion programs
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Reputation
Reputation
Awards
Awards
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Awards
—
Accreditations
Accreditations
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Accreditations
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Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
Admissions
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Admissions
1. The application process begins with completing the downloadable Primary & Secondary Application Form. After submission, a member of our admissions team will contact you to discuss your application and outline the next steps. The process is designed to be straightforward and supportive to guide you through enrollment. A one-time registration fee of €600 is payable upon enrolment and is non-refundable; for tuition and other fees, refer to the comprehensive fee structure. Admissions are accepted throughout the year. 2. For the 2025/2026 academic year, there are Age & Course Guidelines to place students into the correct Willow year group. The guidelines show date of birth ranges and the corresponding Willow year group and Spanish equivalents. This placement helps ensure the curriculum and cohort are appropriate for each child. 3. The Admissions Checklist lists documents required to complete the application: an online or paper application form; a photocopy of a valid Visa for non-EU students; a photocopy of the identity documents of both parents; a photocopy of the account holder's identity if not the child's parent; an official medical certificate indicating the child has no infectious or contagious diseases; a photocopy of vaccination book; two passport-size photographs; end-of-year school reports for the last two years (where applicable); and a photocopy of the birth certificate, Libro de Familia, identity card or passport. 4. Interested families can download the Primary & Secondary Application Form or the A-Level Application Form to begin enrollment. You can also book a tour to see Willow International School in person. The school looks forward to welcoming your family and supporting your child's educational journey.