Communication
The British School in Tokyo Communications Protocol
Good communication is the backbone of any strong community and at BST we believe that ours is genuinely a community school. For many of our families, particularly those who are new to Japan, the BST network becomes something of a lifeline.
The Communications Team at BST is committed to keeping all members of our community informed of events in the day-to-day life of a busy school. Parents want to know what their children are doing; they want to keep up with any changes to routine or to the curriculum and they want to feel that they are well informed in terms of school policy and strategy. We believe too that we are well placed to share information that may offer insight and guidance to enhance the wonderful but occasionally bewildering experience that is life in Japan.
Channels of Communication
As with most organisations in this digital age, BST uses a wide range of communication channels. For more personal, sensitive exchanges of information it is likely that someone from school will contact parents directly by telephone. For this reason, it is important that we have the most up-to-date contact information* recorded on our iSAMS database; remember to let us know if you change the number of the primary contact (when you pick up your new Japanese mobile phone, for example!). Remember too, that it may not be possible to make contact by telephone in the event of a natural disaster such as an earthquake.
We use email as our main channel of communication. Occasionally an email will go out to all parents, sometimes to Primary or Secondary parents and, more often, to parents of a specific group of children – members of a particular year-group, class or after-school club, for example. Again, it is very important that we are given any updates to parents’ preferred email addresses, especially as this is likely to be a key channel of communication in the event of a major emergency.
It will come as no surprise that BST makes significant use of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. There are a number of accounts to follow, @BST_Principal and @BST_Sport for example, but the main school accounts on Facebook and Twitter are particularly important as these will be used as a back-up to email in the event of an emergency.
The website itself is a key element in school communications. Here reviews to our School Policies are published, the Calendar is regularly updated and there is a carefully curated Photo Gallery. You will also find a link to the Principal’s Blog on the Home Page.
We also, of course, make regular use of more traditional means of communication, such as our comprehensive weekly Newsletter, The Lion; occasional hard-copy letters sent home with children; and, in Secondary School, notes written in the Student Planner.
At BST we recognise that face-to-face communication is often more effective than through any other channel and we aim to be the most open and approachable of schools. The professional email addresses of our teachers are published on the parent portal. We ask them to respond to queries within 24 hours, except at weekends and during the holidays – teachers need a break too! In the Primary School the first point of contact is the Class Teacher and in the Secondary School it is your child’s Tutor.
It should also be noted that every term, in addition to regular academic and pastoral Parents Consultations, the school offers a wide-ranging series of informative workshops at both Shibuya and Showa on subjects as diverse as Earthquakes & Radiation; Help, My Child Has Become a Teenager; and The Maths Curriculum in Key Stage 3. These are sometimes led by external speakers with specific expertise in a particular area but, more often, by our own BST staff. Workshops are publicised on social media, on school noticeboards (electronic and traditional) and in The Lion, and are usually entered on the website calendar well in advance.
*Contact information can be updated at any time by sending an email directly to comms@bst.ac.jp or data@bst.ac.jp
Alternatively, a Contact Update Form can be completed at either of the Reception Desks at Shibuya and Showa.
Check-list
To help you better understand the many communications channels that we utilise, please see the summary check-list below.
This is subject to change, but will be reviewed on a regular basis.
| Channel | Content | Frequency |
| The Lion | School News & Events, with an introductory message from the Principal | Weekly |
| Principal’s Blog | Thoughts & news about British and international education, and life in Japan | Weekly |
| Head of Primary News | Primary News & Events | Weekly |
| Head of Secondary News | Secondary News & Events | Weekly |
| Primary Years Newsletters | Curriculum information Notices/Requests |
Weekly |
| PTA Newsletter | PTA News & Events Sale items (BST parents) Community News & Events (BST parents) |
Weekly |
| BST News & Events PTA News & Events Emergency information Photos Alumni link |
Daily | |
| BST News & Events Emergency information PTA News & Events |
Daily | |
| Website | About BST Curriculum information News & Events |
Daily |
| Letters home | Trip information Parent/Teacher evenings School reports |
As required |
| Class parents | Coffee mornings Requests from teachers Emergency information (not reliable) |
As required |
| Direct Emails | Emergency information Safety updates Health updates Trip updates Important notices Changes to ECAs/ASC/MECAs |
As required |
| Primary Notice board (in the 1F corridor on the Shibuya campus) |
PTA News & Events Sale items (BST parents) Community news & events (BST parents) |
As required |
| Secondary Notice board (on the 5F corridor of the Showa campus) |
Sports fixtures Team lists |
As required |
| Student Planners | Homework Notices from tutors Sports events |
Daily |
| Posters | BST events Educational events & opportunities BST related sales (for charity) |
As required |
| Teachers/Tutors | Requests for parents Scheduling information School news |
Daily |
| Showa and Shibuya Foyer TV Screens | Dates for the diary and upcoming events (School and PTA) clubs information, photos from past events, list of comms platforms | New every month, updated as required |
If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact the Communications Team at comms@bst.ac.jp