The British School in Tokyo (BST) was founded as a charitable trust in 1989 to provide a British-style education in Tokyo. The school was established on a site in central Tokyo leased from, and adjacent to the well-respected Japanese private school, Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen. In the early years, children were from ages 5 to 10 and the majority were British, in contrast to the situation today where the school provides education from age 3 to 18 and has over 1,100 students, from over 65 nationalities.

The School continued to grow and in particular to attract substantial numbers of non-British children, especially from other European countries and from Australia. Therefore, in 2006 the Trustees entered into an agreement with Showa Women’s University to open a second school in newly renovated accommodation on their campus. Both schools continued to grow, with parents being attracted by the growing reputation for academic excellence, care for individual student needs and a happy, international environment in which to learn.

In 2010 the decision was taken to expand the school to age 18 and in 2012 the first students graduated directly to university.

The purpose of the school is to provide a world class British education to English speaking students of the international community in Tokyo, and to inspire the students to thrive as global citizens.

The school aims to nurture students with the following values:

• Confidence in our ability• Excellence in everything we do• Responsibility to ourselves and others

Primary School Profile2019-2020

1100+Out of the 1,100+ students at BST, approximately 640 are Primary School students, representing over 65 nationalities.

1:11With the exception of Nursery, each year group has 4 forms with one teacher and one TA per class. The teacher to student ratio is a maximum of 1:11.

In the Primary School our residential trips are organised by year group. Years 5 and 6 spend three nights away from home. Our oldest students travel to Ashigara, Kanagawa in March, to explore traditional Japanese crafts, and carry out a physical, environmental and scientific investigation. Year 5 go to Norikura, Nagano in January where they complete a Design Technology challenge, write winter inspired poetry and take part in ski or snowboard lessons. Year 4 spend two nights in Yamanakako, Yamanashi in April. They hike in, and learn about the natural environment and vegetation in Japan, experience weaving on looms and enjoy spectacular views of Mount Fuji. Year 3 children travel to Norikura, Nagano in May and June to experience orienteering, repelling and indoor climbing, as well as other outdoor pursuits. Year 1 and 2 children spend one night in Hachioji, on the outskirts of Tokyo in May and June, where science, art and PE programmes are taken outside.

CurriculumAt BST we provide a broad and balanced skill based curriculum, which has its foundations in the English National Curriculum but extends well beyond its boundaries. The curriculum offers the full range of

EnglishMathsPersonal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)ScienceComputingHistoryGeographyArtDesign Technology (DT)Religious Education (RE)MusicPhysical EducationModern Foreign Languages – Japanese from Nursery and French from Year 3

The school’s curriculum is pitched high and designed to challenge and enrich, with close monitoring of students’ attainment informing individualised targets for progress.

Beyond the Classroom LeadershipPrincipal of the School

Mr Paul Tough

Head of Primary SchoolMrs Fiona Read

Deputy Head of Primary School Mr Karl Wilcox

Assistant Heads of Primary School Mrs Tamsin O'dell

Mr Mark PearceMrs Ruth Unsworth

‘Excellencein everything we do.’BST is an accredited member of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) and The Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS). The school last received in May 2015, an Excellent rating in all 8 categories examined by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), a UK Government, British Schools Overseas Scheme. BST is also an authorized Cambridge, Edexcel, and AQA International Examinations centre.

Entrance RequirementsBST operates an enrolment policy which is academically non-selective. However, all subjects are taught in English, therefore English language proficiency is an entry requirement for BST.

Sample Year 3 Timetable

Key Stage Year Age (by 31st August)

Foundation Stage

Nursery 3

Reception 4

Key Stage 1Year 1 5

Year 2 6

Key Stage 2

Year 3 7

Year 4 8

Year 5 9

Year 6 10

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

8.35am-9.00am Early Morning work

9.00am-9.30amMaths English Maths English

Whole School Assembly

9.30am-10.00amHomework & Star of

the Week

10.00am-10.30am Snack & Play

Physical Education (off campus)

Snack & Play Snack & Play Snack & Play

10.30am-11.00amEnglish English Maths Maths

11.00am-11.30am

11.30am-12.00pm Guided Reading Guided Reading Guided Reading Guided Reading

12.00pm-1.00pm Lunch & Play

1.00pm-1.30pmComputing

Music HandwritingScience/Foundation

Science/Foundation

1.30pm-2.00pm Japanese PE Taiko

2.00pm-2.30pm Japanese

Foundation Foundation

French French

2.30pm-3.00pm LibrarySpelling Science/Foundation

3.00pm-3.30pm Year Assembly

BST offers individualised support for those families transferring to another school either in Japan or elsewhere in the world. Most parents enter their children for two or three schools but experience indicates that almost all children from BST gain places at their first choice school.

84% of Year 6 students continue on to BST Secondary School. Of the 16% who do leave us, 14.4% are due to family relocation. About 1.6% matriculate onto boarding schools.

Student Transfers

Showa Campus (Year 6-Year 13)Showa Women’s University, Bldg. 51-7-57 Taishido, Setagaya-kuTokyo, 154-8533, JapanTel: +81 3 3411 4211

Shibuya Campus (Nursery-Year 3)1-21-18 Shibuya, Shibuya-kuTokyo, 150-0002, JapanTel: +81 3 5467 4321www.bst.ac.jp

UK Schools

Abingdon Preparatory School, OxfordAldro School, SurreyAlleyn’s School, LondonBenenden, KentBraeside Preparatory School, BromleyBrambletye, West SussexBrentwood Prep School, EssexChanning School, LondonCharterhouse, SurreyCheltenham Ladies College, GloucestershireCity Of London School for Girls, LondonCokethorpe School, OxfordColet Court, LondonColfes, LondonDevonshire House Prep, LondonDowne House School, BerkshireDr. Challoner’s Grammer School, BuckinghamshireDulwich College, LondonEltham College, KentEton House, LondonEton College, BerkshireFalkner House School, LondonFettes College, EdinburghFrancis Holland, LondonHaberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls, HertfordshireHeadington School, OxfordIbstock Place School, LondonJames Allen’s Girls’ School, LondonKensington Preparatory School, LondonKent College, CanterburyLady Eleanor Holles, Middlesex

Latymer Upper School, LondonMagadelen College School, OxfordMillfield Prep. School, SomersetNorland Place School, LondonNorth London Collegiate SchoolOld Palace School, LondonOxford High School, OxfordOxford High Junior School, OxfordRokeby Prep, LondonRoyal Grammar School Guildford, GuildfordRoyal Russell School, LondonRugby School, WarwickshireSevenoaks Preparatory School, KentSouth Hampstead High School, LondonSt. Paul’s, LondonSt. Paul’s Girls School, LondonSt. Helen and St. Katherine School, OxfordSt. Mary Calne, WiltshireSt. Mary’s CambridgeshireSutton High SchoolThe Beacon School, BucksThe Dragon School, OxfordThe Harrodian, LondonThe Junior Kings School, KentThe Mall School, TwickenhamThe Royal School Hampstead, LondonThomas’s Battersea, LondonUniversity College School, LondonUniversity College School Junior, LondonWhitgift School, LondonWycombe Abbey School, Buckinghamshire

Boarding

Benenden, KentBrambletye, West SussexCranleigh, SurreyDownside, BathDowne House School, BerkshireEton College, BerkshireThe Kings School, CanterburyPriorsfield, SurreyRugby School, WarwickshireSevenoaks, KentWycombe Abbey School, Buckinghamshire

Overseas Schools

British School in Beijing, ChinaBritish School in Manila, PhilippinesBritish School in Moscow, RussiaChapin School, USADiscovery Bay Int. School, Hong KongDulwich College, SingaporeHarding Academy, USAKellett, Hong KongScots College, Sydney, AustraliaSt Aloysius College, AustraliaStamford School, SingaporeTanglin Trust School, Singapore

Destination Schools from BST