Community
BST prides itself as the School of the British and international community in central Tokyo. Though we have families and teachers who remain with the School for many years, the average tenure of a student in our School is around two years and two terms. Therefore, it is important that the School feels welcoming.
Though BST is the only British School in Japan, it isn’t a ‘little island of Britishness’. Sixty percent of our children are UK passport holders, but the rest represent countries from all over the world. This makes the School a vibrant international community.
An important part of our School community is our Parent Teacher Association (PTA), which is a wonderful source of information and support. The PTA is responsible for organising the many social events which take place throughout the school year and which pull the school community together. These events range from quiz nights, fundraising dances, Christmas carol concerts, to the Chistmas and Spring Fairs and even picnics.
Another key part of our school community are the two school libraries: these are ‘Community Libraries’ and parents are encouraged to come and use them as much as children. We host regular coffee mornings at both Showa and Shibuya libraries and these are popular events and a good chance to come and meet other parents informally. Our libraries are also used to host our Carer’s Community Network events, when helpers and nannies of BST students are invited to come to the school for coffee and cakes.
BST is a social community. If families want to get involved in the social life of the School, several events are formally organised by the PTA. Informally, many families find the School is a convenient way of making friends and teaming up to share interests such as sport, culture or music.
Examples of informal groups that have formed through the BST parent community network would be; Tennis groups, the weekly men's football session, book clubs, card evenings, at least one rock band, ski groups and long distance walkers, to name a few.
The Junior and Senior Schools both support charities that become the focus of student activities across the year. Recent causes that have been supported in School include:
- ‘Room to Read’, which helps local communities establish libraries, creates local language children's literature, constructs schools, and provides education, in particular to girls.
- ‘Action Aid’, the international anti-poverty agency
- ‘Send a Cow’, which helps rural families in Africa overcome poverty by providing sustainable farming training, livestock, social development support, and ongoing advice.
- ‘Tabitha Cambodia’, which aims to support local communities in Cambodia.