Welcome to Secondary
Ages 11-16
Our young adults grow in heart and mind
Our Secondary Programme
‘‘Across the school, teacher-pupil relationships are positive, fostering a supportive and nurturing learning environment. Pupils demonstrate excellent attitudes towards learning, contributing to a culture of mutual respect and academic engagement.’’
NABSS Inspection Report November 2024
"The Olive Tree gave me the skills and confidence to pursue my dreams. The strong foundation in English I gained there has been crucial in my journey, allowing me to work for a major motorcycle manufacturer while studying mechanical engineering. Without this head start, I wouldn’t have had these incredible opportunities."
Dani Sala, ex-pupil
‘‘Choosing The Olive Tree School was our best decision when moving to Spain… An excellent team of teachers and administration, supportive community of parents, friendly children and high quality of education.’’
Parent, 7th Sept 2024
In-depth learning leading to academic success
At age 11, pupils enter secondary, which leads to the British GCSE examinations at age 16.
Our strong academic success is helped by an environment where each pupil is challenged and supported in their learning - on an hourly basis. Everyone succeeds, advancing at their own pace.
Class sizes are limited to a maximum of 20 pupils.
We are holistic: intellectual development is balanced with the arts (drama, music, and art) and a wide range of sports.
Pupils follow the English National Curriculum as established by the British government and take the General Certificate of Education (GCSE) exams at age 16.
Our pupils are guided to aim high, which is reflected in our excellent exam results.
What is special about The Olive Tree Secondary?
Academic
We have a strong academic record; our 16-year olds’ final exam (GCSE) results are well above the UK national average.
This is because we create an environment of deep thinking and an excitement for learning in all its forms.
We balance academics with daily sport, creativity in music, drama and art, and social commitment.
One-to-one welfare
A young adult needs warm, positive support from a trusted adult in order to grow socially and emotionally.
Each pupil has regular meetings with the same trusted mentor, every two weeks as a minimum, or more often if the pupil chooses.
Community
Our pupils develop their voice and social commitment: they do charity work, they debate at the Model United Nations conference in Madrid, they write and publish their ideas, and they debate and explore issues of global importance.
Deep thinking
High order thinking is part of every lesson: analysis, evaluation, justification and hypothesis are part of the creative thinking process in every hour.
We also awaken curiosity in the world with our calendar of Inspiring Speakers who visit the school.
Secondary Calendar
Our Secondary Enrichment Programme
Our Secondary Enrichment Programme
Our Enrichment programme offers non-examination courses and experiences.
Watch our Secondary Video
Find out more on our…
“In secondary, we explore subjects in more depth because of the small classes.”
Gwen, aged 15
“The OT Secondary is much more welcoming than other schools and the teachers really care about us.”
Chiara, aged 13
I now go to E15 drama school in london. The Olive Tree inspired my love of theatre. We studied Shakespeare from an early age and had the chance to do LOTS of musical theatre shows, which was fantastic. I also loved studying History. We really engaged with the topics and I enjoyed trips such as visiting the Delta D'Ebre to study the Spanish Civil War.
Lizzie, ex-pupil
“The Olive Tree taught me how to express myself. As a scientist, it’s really important to be able to present my research projects. The way we were taught from an early age to talk about our work and to question things gave me a great foundation. I loved my time there. It felt like home.’’
Max, ex-pupil - currently PhD student Sussex University
“We are free to speak our ideas, our thoughts.”
Joanna, aged 14