The British School Punta Arenas

The British School operates across multiple sites in Punta Arenas: Junior School on Avenida España 853; Senior School, Administration, and the St. James Church building on Waldo Seguel 454; sports facilities on Avenida El Bosque S/N.

Infant & Junior School; Middle School; Senior School

Private

British international school network; member of ABSCH (Association of British Schools in Chile).

Anglican

The school offers International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes: Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and Diploma Programme (DP). PYP is taught in Infant & Junior School (Play Group to Fifth Grade); MYP in Middle School (Sixth Grade to First Year of Secondary); DP in Senior School (Second to Fourth Year of Secondary). The PYP uses two languages of instruction, Spanish and English, with each language used 50% of the time. In Senior School, Diploma Programme courses include Language A: Literature in Spanish; Language A: Language and Literature (Spanish/English options); and Language B in English, with most subjects taught in Spanish and English materials or inquiry available as needed. The IB programmes began at The British School in 2007, and the school implements the three IB programmes.

The British School fosters social-emotional development through Sunshine Circle from play group to first grade, Circle Time in second through fourth grade, and tutoring hours from fifth grade through fourth year of secondary. These spaces are designed and led by the year-level teams, including tutors and psychologists. The wellbeing of all members of the community is valued, and a Comité de la Buena Convivencia (Good Convivence Committee) works to promote healthy convivencia across the school.

The Learning Support team works with families, teachers, and students to identify, reduce, and remove barriers to learning for students with atypical development trajectories, providing tailored educational responses within the school's IB framework and policies. The Learning Support staff include Ma. José Jainaga (Coordinator, Educational Psychologist); Marion Ojeda (Psychologist); Paula Bitsch (Psychologist); Sofía Mayanz (Special Education Teacher); Paula Torrejón (Psychopedagogue); Paula Chávez (Psychologist); Paulina Cárdenas (Occupational Therapist).

The school promotes multilingualism as part of its IB programme, reflecting its British origins and its IB implementation across three programmes.

Mental wellbeing is supported through the Formacion y Convivencia Escolar program, which emphasizes socio-emotional development and healthy convivencia. From Sunshine Circle (play group to first grade) to Circle Time (grades 2–4) and tutoring hours (grades 5–4th year of secondary), these spaces are led by tutors and psychologists. The team includes Andrea Tenore (Coordinator of Formación y Convivencia Escolar, Psychologist) and psychologists Alejandra Concha, Paula Bitsch, and Liz Toledo.

The school prioritizes healthy convivencia and student wellbeing through the Comité de la Buena Convivencia. It operates under formal school policies and internal regulations (Reglamento Interno Escolar y Protocolos) to support safeguarding and safety across the community.

1. Admissions process (2023): The British School invites applications from families who share and adhere to the Institutional Educational Project and IB curriculum, and admission is subject to vacancies. There is no PIE (Special Education Integration) program, and no separate integration admission process. Chilean and foreign applicants must meet the general requirements: birth certificate; age by March 31 for Play Group through 1st Basic; minimum age per MINEDUC for the year being applied to; certificates of current year grades and promotion from the previous year; and, where required, convalidation of grades with Chile's Ministry of Education in Santiago. Families must provide additional documents including the personality report; qualitative reading, writing and comprehension report (for 1st and 2nd Basic); identity card or passport; guardian residence certificate; certificate of no debt from the previous school; the IPE (provisorio school identifier) for SIGE; relevant medical reports (psychologist, occupational therapist, neurologist, psychiatrist, speech therapist); up‑to‑date vaccination certificates through 2nd Basic; and, if relevant, medical certificates for vision and hearing. A postulation fee of 3 UF applies. Age requirements are specified as minimum by March 31 for Play Group to 1st Basic, and a maximum age of 16 for 1st year Middle during the academic year.

2. Process of evaluation: The admission process comprises three stages: a visit to the school, evaluation of the student, and a parent interview. From Play Group to Kindergarten, applicants are admitted on a first‑come, first‑served basis. For Pre‑Kinder and Kinder, a diagnostic interview assesses basic skills and socialization, with in‑class intervention as needed. First Grade entrants must take a Basic Functions test to determine eligibility; from Second Basic to Fourth Year, applicants take admission exams in Language (Spanish and English) and Mathematics, and the results determine entry. Exams are scheduled biweekly starting in September of the year of application; students who do not pass may not retake the exams in the same year but may reapply the following year.