Welcome to the British School in Tokyo

Message from the Principal

Welcome to The British School in Tokyo (BST), where our purpose is to bring out the best in every student; and help them approach life with confidence, curiosity and consideration for others.

The BST community is supportive and friendly and is committed to the pursuit of excellence. We have a long-established reputation for success that is based on collaboration and high standards.

The school has also developed an outstanding reputation for high-quality holistic education over many years. Established in 1989 in central Tokyo with a small initial cohort, the school now comprises over 65 different nationalities, over 1000 students and 200 staff located on two very well resourced campuses.

The key to the BST approach is establishing and maintaining healthy, caring and mutually respectful relationships. Our ethos allows the school’s staff to work in unison with supportive and aspirational parents in focusing upon the needs of all students. We value the wellbeing of every member of the school community and look to ensure that all students develop self-confidence, self-respect and resilience. Students at our school are encouraged to understand that they are all individuals with unique talents and potential.

From Primary to Secondary, we are focused on developing students who exhibit the characteristics of BST Learner Profile. We seek to develop independent learners who are curious about the world around them and have the desire to explore and ask questions — learners who think critically and thrive when faced with a challenge.

The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum based on the National Curriculum for England and tailored to meet the needs of international students based in Japan. The curriculum aims to help students develop a range of essential thinking skills, knowledge of critical concepts, and crucially, an aptitude for continuous learning.

BST is an inclusive school where academic standards are high. Our experienced educators are consummate professionals who are always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that all students are offered the opportunity to fulfill their potential both in and beyond the classroom. The result is that, whether they are returning to continue their education in their home country, moving on to another international school or seeking places at top universities around the world, BST students are invariably well-equipped to take the next step in their education.

Our students and staff come from all over the world, and we celebrate their individual stories and contexts daily. Internationalism permeates every aspect of BST and underpins discussions, actions and views enabling our school community to interact with and learn from our host country.

The school uses the world around us as a context for learning, and our students engage in various environmental issues that help them to become socially and internationally aware. Opportunities for student voice and service to others is a feature of school life, thus enabling all students to take action and gain a deeper and more compassionate understanding of the world. Students are also encouraged to take part in the broader life of the school through participation in an extensive extra-curricular activities programme and leadership opportunities.

We hope that this website gives you a genuine flavour of what we do, and how we do it. If you also choose to join our community, you will quickly realise that BST is a unique school and that you are part of something exceptional. There isn’t another international school like it in Japan. We do encourage you to visit us so that you can experience the school for yourselves.

Paul Tough
Principal