Why relocating families keep St. Anthony’s on the shortlist
St. Anthony’s College remains relevant for one simple reason: it offers a long-established British-style education in a part of the coast where many families want to live. On its current introduction page, the school says it was founded in 1968, describes itself as a co-educational British school and teaches pupils from age 3 to 18. The campus is on Camino de Coín, Km 5.25, Mijas Costa, which puts it in a practical position for families based around Fuengirola, Mijas Costa, La Cala de Mijas and nearby inland areas.
| Detail | St. Anthony’s College |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1968 |
| Location | Camino de Coín, Km 5.25, Mijas Costa, Málaga |
| Age range | 3 to 18 years, from Pre-school to Sixth Form |
| Curriculum | British National Curriculum with Spanish ESO and Bachillerato alongside it |
| Senior route | IGCSE in Key Stage 4 and A Levels in Sixth Form |
| School type | Established day school serving the Mijas-Fuengirola corridor |
Academic structure: clear British stages with a Spanish pathway beside them
The current school pages say children can start at age three. In Primary, English and Spanish are taught by specialist teachers, and the school also lists science, mathematics, ICT, history, geography, French, sport and TEFL support for non-native English speakers. By Key Stage 3, the timetable becomes more subject-based, with substantial time allocated to English, mathematics and Spanish alongside science, PE, ICT, humanities, French and expressive arts.
Key Stage 4 moves into the familiar British exam route. The school says pupils prepare for IGCSEs with core subjects including English, mathematics, Spanish, science, ICT and PE, plus options such as geography, history, art, French and business studies. Sixth Form then leads to A Levels, and the current public list includes chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, further mathematics, English literature, history, French, Spanish, art and psychology. For relocating families, that makes St. Anthony’s easier to read than schools where the final exam pathway is not obvious from the website.
Bilingual programme and the Catholic-identity question
The bilingual side is one of the school’s most practical strengths. St. Anthony’s does not present Spanish as a minor add-on. Its public material repeatedly shows English and Spanish running together: specialist Spanish teaching appears in Primary, the school explicitly refers to the Spanish section through ESO and Bachillerato, and the contact page lists a Technical Director of the Spanish Section. A recent Good Schools Guide profile also classifies the school as having a Spanish-English bilingual programme.
That can work well for children arriving from the UK or other English-speaking systems who need a familiar academic framework but also want stronger access to Spanish. It can also suit bilingual families who want more than a purely British bubble. The school’s own introduction page adds tutor groups, pastoral oversight and individual wellbeing to that picture.
The school’s name also leads some families to expect a clearly Catholic school identity. Current public information does not strongly support that assumption. The official pages focus much more on the curriculum, the Spanish route and pastoral care, while a recent third-party profile classifies the school as non-denominational. For families who specifically want visible Catholic practice or religious formation, this is something to ask directly rather than infer from the name alone.
Facilities, day-to-day life and who the school suits best
The website is simple, but it still gives a useful picture of daily life. Staff listings show specialist teaching across science, chemistry, physics, biology, ICT, computer science, art and drama, music, PE, French and Spanish, which points to a broader subject offer than a very small prep-style campus. The Sixth Form page also describes a community programme in which older students support younger pupils and build experience for university applications.
For logistics, the school publishes more practical detail than some competitors. The school lunches/refectory page says food is cooked on site, and the calendar page makes the school-year structure easy to review. Longstanding public background profiles also reference science laboratories, a hall with stage and an astroturf playing field.
This is best understood as a day school, not a boarding school, so location is part of the value. Families living between Mijas and Fuengirola may find St. Anthony’s especially attractive if they want an established British pathway, a visible bilingual structure and a more compact school environment.
For a broader comparison, start with our guide to international schools on the Costa del Sol. If you are comparing British-pathway options in this zone, also read The British College of Benalmádena and Aloha College Marbella.