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Curriculum IPC (International Primary Curriculum), Cambridge (Secondary), Cambridge IGCSE, IB (DP), American Curriculum
Taught languages Spanish, French, English
Typical class size 5
Strengths Sport, Visual and Creative Arts, Languages
Clubs Arts and Creative, Cultural and Language, Community and Service
Stages Preschool, Early Years, Primary School, Middle School, Secondary School, Sixth Form
Introduction
Colegio Gran Bretaña is a private, co-educational international school in Bogotá serving ages 3 to 18. It delivers a bilingual program with Spanish and English as language A, anchored in multiple international curricula, including the IPC for primary, IMYC for middle years, Cambridge IGCSE and IB Diploma Programme, as well as an American Curriculum option. The school emphasizes a global profile, welcoming students from 50 nationalities and offering English instruction while providing Spanish and Colombian Social Studies at varying levels and French in secondary. The campus sits in purpose-built facilities with D&T, Drama, Art, Music, PE and ICT spaces, complemented by Club Retiro de San Juan, 2 km away. A robust co-curricular programme includes wall climbing, robotics, photography, and performing arts, plus a house system with leadership opportunities and university guidance. The school is accredited to deliver IB DP and IGCSE and maintains CIS, NEASC and LAHC recognition across continents.
Colegio Gran Bretaña has 500 pupils, typical class sizes of 5, instruction in English.
Location
Located in the northern outskirts of Bogotá, the school is housed in purpose-built facilities. The address is Cra 51 No. 215-20, Bogotá, Colombia, and the campus is surrounded by other schools and country sports clubs, offering a quieter environment.
50 nationalities represented; majority international students.
School day structure
Arrival to school: 7:50–8:15. Classes begin: 8:10 for Key Stage 2 and Secondary; 8:25 for Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Classes finish: 14:55. Students depart: 15:05. Classes finish: 15:20. Students depart: 15:30. Co-curricular activities are scheduled during the school day and vary by term.
Bus service
The school contracts a bus company to run the school bus service. Vehicles are inspected to meet health and performance standards, each seat is equipped with a belt, and parents receive direct contact details for their child's bus routes. Bus rules are published in the Community Handbook.
Diving Deeper
The school has not added this information
Fees
Application fee
- An application fee is required before testing/interviews. The site lists an application fee of COP 210,000 (USD 75) on the Apply page. - A separate admissions instruction page and the FAQs also reference an application/admission fee of COP 300,000; the site contains both figures in different pages.
Tuition fees by year group (per term / per year)
- The school publishes a general estimated annual cost range rather than a fully itemised tuition schedule by year and term. The published estimate for average annual family investment is approximately COP 85,000,000 to COP 88,000,000; this estimate is stated to include tuition, registration and enrolment fees, learning materials and digital resources, textbooks, cafeteria service, school transport, a yearbook and the PTA fee. - There is no publicly posted, year-by-year or per-term fee table on the school site for the 2026/27 academic year (or for 2025/26) that itemises tuition for each year group and the per‑term amounts. Parents must obtain a personalised fee schedule from the school for an exact per-term and per-year breakdown.
Billing schedule and payment terms
- Monthly billing and due dates: bills are issued on the 25th of each month and available on the school's Phidias portal; monthly payments should be made between the 1st and the 5th of each month. Late payments beyond the scheduled windows incur surcharges and interest at the commercial rate; specific surcharge dates and amounts appear on the monthly bill. - Registration / matriculation timing: after acceptance parents receive instructions and must complete matriculation within two weeks; children may begin school three days after matriculation and after required payments and signed contracts are submitted. - The school issues monthly bills that include previous balances and current charges; additional curricular or extra‑curricular charges are normally added to the following month's tuition bill with prior parental authorisation.
Payment methods and practical rules
- Accepted payment channels include the school's online payment button (electronic payments via the bank), payment through the Banco Caja Social collection agreement (print the bill from Phidias and pay at the bank), and payment by check (payable to Colegio Gran Bretaña S.A.) or cash directly at the school's treasury office. The school advises against direct bank transfers because of identification difficulties and sets rules and penalties for returned checks. The school's policy restricts cash payments made via students/school personnel at the treasury window.
Boarding / residential provision
- Colegio Gran Bretaña operates as a day school; there is no boarding provision reported for the school (boarding count shown as zero in school directory profiles). All published information and the parent handbook focus on day-school services such as buses and the daily timetable.
Other costs and typical extras
- Uniforms: uniform items are purchased from two local suppliers (Jubalai and Disnogal). The PTA operates a second‑hand uniform shop with typical second‑hand item prices ranging from COP 5,000 to COP 30,000 for most items (blazers excluded). Specific new‑uniform pricing is set by the suppliers. - Transport, cafeteria and materials: transport and cafeteria services and learning materials are referenced as chargeable items that can appear on monthly bills; the general annual cost estimate above is stated to include these elements. Transportation fees and food service are charged and managed through the billing system. - Co‑curricular and extra‑curricular activities that incur additional costs are billed in the monthly tuition statement, with prior parental authorisation. Trip and activity costs may have separate refund conditions.
Refunds and cancellation / withdrawal provisions
- Refunds for trips or events: the handbook states that families who have paid for trips/events may forfeit costs if a refund is unavailable; when refunds are available they will be reimbursed. For school trips the school states it does not make profit but may be unable to absorb losses caused by behaviour or cancellations. - Cancellation of registration (matrícula) as a disciplinary sanction: the handbook sets out that cancellation of matrícula may be applied as a disciplinary sanction in serious cases; the handbook also explains the ‘Paz y Salvo' clearance process required when a student leaves, including settling outstanding accounts and replacement costs for lost or damaged materials. There is no separately published, detailed general tuition refund schedule for voluntary mid‑year withdrawals publicly posted.
What to expect when requesting exact figures and schedules
- The school provides an admissions process that issues payment instructions and a matriculation package after acceptance; exact tuition by year and per‑term amounts, boarding fees (not applicable), and specific refund tables are not published as a single public fee schedule on the site. Parents receive the formal fee schedule and payment instructions through the admissions/matriculation communications and via the Phidias billing system.
Brief summary of gaps found (concise):
- Itemised per‑year and per‑term tuition tables for 2026/27 (or 2025/26) are not publicly posted; only a general annual cost estimate (COP 85,000,000–88,000,000) and references to billing/payment procedures are published. The site contains two different stated application fee amounts (COP 210,000 and COP 300,000) on different pages. The school's parent handbook details payment methods, billing dates and treasury rules but does not publish a public, line‑by‑line fee table for each year group and per‑term amounts.
Academics
Colegio Gran Bretaña teaches IPC (International Primary Curriculum), Cambridge (Secondary), Cambridge IGCSE, IB (DP), American Curriculum for students aged 3 to 18.
Curriculum
Bilingual education (Spanish and IB English as language A). The school offers an international curriculum comprising VESS (Meaningful Life with Balance and Wisdom Model), International Primary Curriculum (IPC), International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC), International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).
Exam Results
IB Diploma Programme: Graduating class pass rates by year were 2019 89.3%, 2020 91%, 2021 89%, 2022 90%, 2023 70%; Highest point scores for those classes were 38 (2019), 40 (2020), 42 (2021), 39 (2022), 35 (2023).
Higher Education Progression
Graduates have progressed to universities worldwide, including Carleton University; University of British Columbia; University of Manitoba; University of Toronto; University of Victoria; University of Waterloo; University of Alberta; Toronto Metropolitan University; Queen's University; Universidad Católica de Chile; Universidad de La Sabana; Universidad de Los Andes; Universidad del Rosario; Universidad El Bosque; Universidad Javeriana; Universidad Militar Nueva Granada; Universidad Nacional de Colombia; The American University of Paris; Jacobs University; University of Milan; NABA; Tecnológico de Monterrey; Carlos III University; The University of Oxford; University of Manchester; University of Reading; University of Sussex; University of the Arts London; Lancaster University; Boston University; Brandeis University; Carnegie Mellon University; William & Mary; Fordham University; Embry Riddle University; Florida International University; Georgetown University; Georgia Tech; James Madison University; Lehigh University; Northwestern University; Northeastern University; DePaul University; New York Film Academy; Nova Southeastern University; Penn State University; Pace University; Pratt Institute; Purdue University; Ringling College of Art and Design; San Diego State University; Savannah College of Art and Design; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Suffolk University; Texas A&M; Tufts University; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Colorado, Boulder; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; University of Miami; University of Notre Dame; University of Pennsylvania; University of South Florida; University of Tampa; University of Texas; University of Tulsa; Vanderbilt University.
Wellbeing
The school has not added this information
Parent Experience
The school has not added this information
Facilities
The school has not added this information
Extra-Curricular Activities
The school has not added this information
Languages
The school has not added this information
Reputation
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Admissions
Admissions
1. Submit the application: Complete the online Application Form and upload the requested documents, providing English translations where applicable. Include the email addresses of current teachers, counselors, or coordinators as references; the system will send Confidential Student Reference Forms to those addresses. A minimum of two references is required per student, with three preferred. 2. Pay the application fee and schedule the admissions appointment: Pay COP 300,000 for the application, and the school will contact the family to schedule the admissions appointment, usually held on Fridays between 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 midday (Colombian time). 3. Admissions appointment: The appointment can be online or on site. In Colombia, students attend the admissions appointment in person between 8:30 a.m. and 12:00 midday; applicants abroad may complete it online. The process includes student interviews (three interviews of about 30 minutes each), a 30-minute parent interview (both parents/guardians must attend), and observations for preschool applicants to assess motor, language, and independence. Year 3 to Year 13 applicants must complete two tests during the appointment: the iDAT assessment and a writing test. 4. Additional online instructions: For online applications, tests and interviews can be taken from home. A parent may serve as the proctor, and the Proctor Agreement and a Commitment Letter must be completed by the proctor and parents, respectively. The day before the admissions appointment, the proctor will receive test instructions and the Google Hangout link. 5. The tests: Year 3 to Year 13 applicants must complete two tests (the iDAT and a writing test). The iDAT test lasts about 1 hour and 30 minutes and requires a quiet space, an additional device to record the student, and standard testing materials. Preschool applicants will complete observation tasks and an activity booklet as part of the assessment. 6. Admissions review and decision: The Admissions Committee meets every Wednesday to review applications; if the paperwork is incomplete, the committee will review it the following week. 7. After acceptance: Acceptance is followed by email instructions for matriculation; enrollment must be completed within two weeks. Start date is three days after matriculation, once payments are made and contracts are signed and submitted to the school.
Waitlist
Applications are accepted year-round. If a class is full at the time of application, the family will be placed on a wait list. Space availability is affected by transfers; on average about 20% of families transfer each year, and spaces typically become available toward the end of the year. Spaces are held only after the Admission Process has been completed and matriculation has taken place.
School Events
The school has not added events
FAQs
What curriculum does Colegio Gran Bretaña follow?
Bilingual education (Spanish and IB English as language A).
What age range does Colegio Gran Bretaña serve?
The school serves students from age 3 to 18.
What are the tuition fees?
Annual fees range from RMB 2,000 to RMB 86,500,000. Contact the school for the full fee schedule and any additional charges.
Is the school co-educational?
The school is described as co-educational.
How many students attend Colegio Gran Bretaña?
The school has approximately 500 students.
Where is Colegio Gran Bretaña located?
Located in the northern outskirts of Bogotá, the school is housed in purpose-built facilities. The address is Cra 51 No. 215-20, Bogotá, Colombia, and the campus is surrounded by other schools and country sports clubs, offering a quieter environment.
When was Colegio Gran Bretaña established?
The school was established in 1997.
Who leads Colegio Gran Bretaña?
The school is led by Joe Jalil Hover.
Does the school provide learning support for students with special educational needs?
Educational Achievement Department (EAD) provides support for a range of abilities. Students with diagnosed Specific Learning Differences and those with an Individualised Education Plan (IEP) are supported by a dedicated team led by the Head of EAD.
What languages are used for instruction?
Languages taught: English, Spanish, French. English is taught as a first language by internationally qualified, native-speaking teachers.
How do I apply to Colegio Gran Bretaña?
1. Submit the application: Complete the online Application Form and upload the requested documents, providing English translations where applicable.
What extracurricular activities are available?
The co-curricular programme includes Performing Arts, such as Music Band. Visual Arts is offered as part of the IB Diploma Programme (Group 6). Activities are reviewed each term and scheduled in the timetable.
Is there a school bus service?
The school contracts a bus company to run the school bus service.
