Newman press mentions and various awards
Schools with the best university entrance exam results. EL ESPAÑOL ESPAÑOL
“Within just 500 square metres of San Blas, three of the schools with the best university entrance exam results in the entire Community of Madrid are located“
Article in the newspaper “El Español” on 24 May 2026.
Although they share the same neighbourhood, the three schools represent very different educational models. Newman offers a comprehensive educational pathway from nursery through to sixth form, whilst the state schools stand out for their well-established academic structure and consistent results over the years.
Just a few metres away, the John Henry Newman International School shares in these good results, albeit from a different philosophy. Its headteacher, Juan Ramón de la Serna, explains that the school’s aim “is not to train students for the PAU”.
“We are not a cram school for passing exams,” he sums up. Newman advocates a model based on human development and a unified educational pathway that begins in nursery.
The student profile consists mainly of local residents, although the headteacher notes that, whilst they do receive applications from other areas, there is a mix of Spanish and migrant pupils.
“What we do with the youngest children is linked to what we do in the Sixth Form,” explains De la Serna, who emphasises critical thinking, reasoning and the holistic development of pupils.
The school places great importance on areas such as art, music, sport and life outside the classroom. The school radio station, choirs, literary competitions, international exchanges, sporting activities and Erasmus programmes are all part of a ‘school culture’ which, according to its headteacher, aims to educate people, not just students with good grades.
Even so, the academic results are impressive. Newman sends 98% of its pupils to sit the PAU and maintains a 100% pass rate.
Furthermore, it boasts a “virtually zero” deviation between A-level marks and university entrance exam marks. “That shows we don’t pad results or drill pupils for the exam,” explains De la Serna.
The headteacher also highlights differences compared to other schools with high grades, such as IES San Mateo, the school with the highest marks in the region.
The highest university entrance exam scores - EL MUNDO
The highest marks in Madrid’s university entrance exams are concentrated in San Blas.
A street-by-street map of the best and worst PAU results across the 674 secondary schools offering the Bachillerato in the region.
https://www.elmundo.es/madrid/2026/04/27/69ef4757e4d4d833778b458b.html
LINK TO THE PRINT EDITION OF THE ARTICLE
Interview on COPE - Medio Día regarding the use of AI
Mediodía COPE interviews teachers and pupils from J.H. Newman International School about the uses of AI both in the classroom and for personal use. You can listen to the report from the 43:00 mark.
Article - Interview with Juan Ramón de la Serna to mark the 20th anniversary of Newman | Huellas Magazine
May they love reason and be free
Newman School is an educational project launched by teachers and families over 20 years ago in a working-class neighbourhood of Madrid, which aims to provide an education that meets the demands of the human person. In this sense, it stems from a desire to respond – in an appropriate manner – to the educational needs of today’s society, which are often reduced to mere teaching, academic training and socio-professional service.
Visit by Mr. José Cobo to Newman | Archdiocese
Cardinal José Cobo visits John Henry Newman School on its 20th anniversary: “The school is a living member of the Church, called to walk in communion and to be a sign of hope and encounter”
The SAC Newman 2025 in Madrid Direct
The #SAC (Week of Arts and Sciences) is a six-day event where J. H. Newman School becomes a showcase of training and exposure of projects across various disciplines. The Telemadrid program Madrid Directo visited the school to film a feature on what takes place during this special week.
Each year, the SAC includes a wide range of activities: exhibitions of experimental and research-based projects developed and explained by students, informational conferences, workshops and lectures given by important figures from the world of academia and research, as well as competitions, sports activities, and much more.
J.H. Newman School among 16 top-performing schools in Madrid, according to ABC
Highlighted in an article in ABC (J.H. Newman School among the top 5 semi-private schools with the best academic results in the Community of Madrid):
“These are the schools and institutions with the highest marks of the Community of Madrid”.
The Radio school as an educational resource - Publication of the handbook manual "Radio School"
‘Radio school, from within’ (Saralejadría Editions) is the title of the book published by professor Jesús Ángel Pindado (CEIP Luis Vives de Parla) and Francisco Valero, a Language and Literature teacher at J. H. Newman School of Madrid. Its main objective is to promote school radio as an educational resource and to address the most common questions teachers have about how to implement it.
College J.H. Newman, winners of the HP CODE WARS
HP CodeWars, the competition programme organised by HP, held its 10th edition on February 15, for the first time in Valencia. The event took place at the School of Computer Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (ETSEINF – Universitat Politècnica de València, UPV), where young programmers put their skills to the test in a day of creativity and technology.
Six students from Newman (4th CSE, 1st and 2nd year of Baccalaureate) took part.
One of the two teams won the competition. Each student received an HP PC and all expenses paid to compete in the national final in Barcelona, held on March 1 in Sant Cugat del Vallès (travel and accommodation included).
J. H. Newman School wins the WeHack U-tad competition
On Saturday, November 30, 2024, four students in 2nd year of high school achieved 1st prize in the ethical hacking competition WeHack, organised by U-tad (https://u-tad.com/wehack/).
The contestants were: Jaime González Puelles, Sergio Marín, Santiago Gustavo Treviño López, and Shenghang Zhou Wang.
The competition was designed to assess students’ ability to decrypt information in different formats, break into simulated servers, and develop programs to automate and perform cybersecurity challenges. Newman students participated in the contest remotely from the school facilities. Congratulations to all participants!
Newman Choir at Puerta del Sol’s Nativity Scene 2024
On November 29, 2024, J. H. Newman’s choir performed Christmas carols at Puerta del Sol in front of the Nativity Scene at the Real Casa de Correos.
The College Newman celebrates 20 years | Magisnet.com
The prestigious newspaper Magisterium has covered the 20th anniversary of our school.
You can read the full article
here
.
Participation in the exhibition ´The young and the arts: the audacity of looking´
Under this title, a tour through the works of the Prado National Museum was developed as part of a project made possible by Fundación Notariado, in which teachers and students from Newman participated. The aim is to bring works of art closer to young people, fostering a love for this discipline and educating their way of seeing.
Participation in the Master of Educational Excellence in the World
The College J. H. Newman, one of the 8 schools taking part in the Master of Educational Excellence of the University Francisco de Vitoria – a pioneering training programme in Spain.
The Newman Choir appears on Madrid Directo
The Newman Choir appeared on Madrid Directo after winning the 2023 Madrid City School Choirs Competition.
The Newman Choir appears on 13TV
The Newman Choir
appeared on 13TV after winning in the 2023 Madrid City School Choirs Competition.
The Journal of Physics & Optics published an article entitled The Secret of Women in Physics: Finding Motivations
The British magazine Journal of Physics & Optics published an article entitled
The Secret of Women in Physics: Finding Motivations
(doi.org/10.47363/JPSOS/2023(5)205),
highlighting the stronger motivation among Newman students for studying physics compared to students from other schools, thanks to the methodology used.
Newman continues to promote science, especially among young women.
The Physics Education journal highlights Newman in the article Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs and the Photoelectric Effect
The Physics Education Magazine, belonging to the Institute of Physics in the UK and Ireland,
features Newman’s original and effective methodology for teaching the photoelectric effect in post-secondary education
in an article titled
Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs and the Photoelectric Effect,
based on the famous Disney film.
(https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/acff9f)
Participation in the 7th International Conference on Translational Medicine and Bioengineering
At the 7th International Conference on Translational Medicine and Bioengineering, organised by the Journal of Translational Neurosciences, Newman presented its contributions on students’ personal and emotional balance through a cross-curricular and engaging approach to science.
This approach combines laboratory sessions and encourages students to take part in their own learning, all supported by physiological explanations.
The reception from both the audience and organisers was very positive, with several questions and requests to share the material used in the conference.
Participation in the Crystallization in the School Contest of the Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid, through the Faculty of Geological Sciences, invited Newman’s science faculty to help train for the Crystallization in the School Contest, recognising their extensive experience.
And they were there — what an honour!
