Profile & History
School Profile
The BST is an independent co-educational two-site day school, offering a high quality education, based on the English National Curriculum and set in the context of Tokyo.The School is a non-profit organisation, overseen by a Board of Trustees representing the British and international community in Tokyo. Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador to Japan is the School’s patron.
The majority of students have a British passport, but students from all nationalities are welcome, provided that each child, relative to age, is fluent in English. There are on average over 30 nationalities represented within the School community.
Our teachers are qualified and experienced in the English National Curriculum and are of a very high calibre.
Our expectations are high, our academic results are excellent and we have a happy school.
History
The British School in Tokyo was officially opened in 1989 by the incumbent British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, with just 63 girls and boys on roll. The School was established to meet the needs of parents who wished their children to receive a British-style primary education in Tokyo. A number of nationalities were represented in the School community, with the majority being British.During the early 1990s the School’s success led to an increased demand and by 1993 the premises had expanded and places were available from Nursery to Year 6. There were then 200 pupils on roll and the School’s curriculum began to follow the newly introduced National Curriculum of England and Wales.
The School’s reputation was spreading, both nationally and internationally, and the existing site could no longer accommodate the growing demand for places. A modern building with improved facilities, the current BST Shibuya site, was opened in Shibuya on 14 May 1998 to provide a bright and stimulating environment for over 300 children aged three to ten. In 2000, the School opened a small second site, initially a Shibuya municipal facility, the Shibuya Elementary School (SES), to accommodate a small number of older students, up to age thirteen; the Upper School. In 2003 SES was demolished and the Upper School had to be moved to another municipal facility on the far side of Shibuya Station, the Owada Junior High School. The School continued to attract strong interest, though facilities, particularly for the Upper School, were less than ideal.
In order to address the issue of inadequate facilities, in August 2006 BST moved part of the school to newly renovated accommodation on the campus of the Showa Women's University, which is located a ten minute journey down the Tamagawa Dori, to the west of Shibuya station. Our original site 'BST Shibuya', now accommodates 350 Nursery to Year 3 pupils in facilities that have been entirely refurbished in order to suit the needs of this age group. 'BST Showa' currently offers educational provision from Year 4 to 11, soon to be extended to Years 12 and 13, for 300 students in a superb facility with excellent sports and other specialist facilities. Our provision currently reaches to Key Stage 4, including ‘GCSE’ and ‘AS’ level courses, and enhancements such as academic tutoring and the International Duke of Edinburgh Award.
In January 2010, it was decided that the school should extend the provision at BST Showa to Key Stage 5 and offer A-Levels.
Today, we are a school of 650 students, enjoying an excellent reputation and providing a stimulating and challenging education within a positive, welcoming ethos.
