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

Secondary School Profile2019-2020

UCAS School ID: 46200SAT School ID: 680002

1100+Out of the 1,100+ students at BST, approximately 500+ are Secondary School students, representing over 65 nationalities.

Sixth Form (Years 12 & 13): 110+ students. All follow the A level programme (Edexel & AQA).

Years 10 & 11: 120+ students, all of whom are preparing for International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE/GCSE) examinations (Edexel & CIE).

Years 7-9 [Key Stage 3]: 242 students. A bespoke curriculum based on the National Curriculum of the UK, with a focus on IGCSE material in Year 9.

Academic Programme

Our curriculum is complemented by a vast array of clubs which cater for interests in sport, art, music, languages as well as other creative areas such as cooking, gardening, app writing and photography. BST also runs opportunities for academic extension and is a member of the Kanto Plains Association of Secondary Schools, which gives our students access to a variety of competition events, from Speech contests to Sports tournaments.

All Secondary students take part in the BST Outdoors residential programme twice a year which generates much enthusiasm and excitement throughout the school. For our Secondary students, this is an opportunity for many of the older children to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh International Award scheme. All of the Secondary students participate in a community project whilst on their trip. Year 12 & 13 students organise and plan their own excursions.

The language of instruction at BST is English, and all communications are in English.

All students in the Sixth Form (Years 12 & 13) follow the A level curriculum, the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level, the national academic qualification of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and a well-respected gateway to top universities in the world.

Students in Years 10 and 11 follow the Edexcel and Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) curriculum, an internationally recognized curriculum that is externally examined at the end of two years of study. The number of IGCSEs taken is between 8-11.

Students in Years 7 to 9 are grouped together as ‘Key Stage 3’, and a common curriculum based on the British National Curriculum is studied by all.

Activities Programme LeadershipPrincipal of the School

Mr Paul Tough

Head of Secondary SchoolMr James Thomas

Deputy Head of Secondary SchoolMr Duncan Grey

Assistant Head(Sixth Form & Student Development)

Ms Maja Trachonitis

Assistant Head(Learning & Assessments)

Ms Alison Woods

‘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.

There are separate requirements for entry into Sixth Form (Year 12 & 13):• 5 IGCSE passes grades A* to C (or 9 to 5) or equivalent

grades in other curriculum• Subject specific entry expectations for coursework• To study 4 AS levels, we would expect students to gain

mostly A to B grades at IGCSE or equivalent grades in other curriculum

Students should also be able to demonstrate:• An excellent record of attendance and punctuality• Positive attitude to all school work• Good relations with peers and teachers• Contribution to the wider school community• The ability to work independently

Grading System• Grades are awarded 3 times a year in Years 7 to 9 at the

end of each term. There is also a full annual report.• For (I)GCSE, mock examinations are taken in December,

before students sit their final examinations in May/June• For A-levels, predicted grades are awarded in October/

November (as part of university application), and mock examinations in January/February before students sit their final examinations in May/June

• Students are not ranked or awarded Grade Point Averages• The school year runs from September to July, with three

terms.

A Level UK Grading USA Grading

A*/A A+/A

B A-/B+

C B/B-

D C+/C

E C-/D+

U F

(I)GCSE Years 10 & 11 A Level Years 12 & 13

67%In the last three years, 67% of BST grades were A*/A (9-7), compared to the UK national average of 22%.

98%In the last three years, 98% of BST grades were A*/C (9-5), compared to the UK national average of 71%.

50%In the last three years, 50% of BST grades were A*/A (9-7), compared to the UK national average of 26%.

90%In the last three years, 90% of BST grades were A*/C (9-5), compared to the UK national average of 79%.

2018-2019 data

United KingdomBournemouth University*4

Brunel UniversityLondon Camberwell College of Arts*2

Central St Martins College of Artand Design*3

City University, LondonDurham University*3

Glasgow School of ArtGoldsmiths, University of London*2

Heriot-Watt UniversityImperial College London*4

Keele University*2

King’s College London*3

Kingston University*3

London School of EconomicsLondon South Bank UniversityLoughborough University*3

Newcastle UniversityNottingham Trent UniversityOxford Brookes UniversityPlymouth University*3

Royal Academy of MusicRoyal Holloway, University of LondonSouthampton Solent UniversitySt Mary’s University, TwickenhamSwansea UniversityThe University of SheffieldUniversity College London*13

University of AberdeenUniversity of BathUniversity of BirminghamUniversity of Bristol*5

University of Cambridge*2

University of DundeeUniversity of Edinburgh*12

University of Essex*5

University Acceptances 2012-2019 * denotes multiple enrolments

University of Exeter*5

University of HertfordshireUniversity of HuddersfieldUniversity of HullUniversity of Kent*3

University of Leeds*2

University of Leicester*2

University of Manchester*5

University of Reading*2

University of RoehamptonUniversity of SouthamptonUniversity of South WalesUniversity of St. AndrewsUniversity of StrathclydeUniversity of Warwick*2

IrelandTrinity College Dublin

Europe (other)University of Zagreb, CroatiaLappeenranta University of Technology, FinlandESMOD Berlin International Academy of Fashion, GermanyBocconi University, ItalyUniversity of Amsterdam*2, NetherlandsLeiden University*3, NetherlandsRoal Academy of Art, The Hague, NetherlandsUniversity of Groningen*2, NetherlandsDelft University of Technology, NetherlandsEscola Artistica de Danca do Conservatorio Nacional, PortugalUniversity of St. Gallen, SwitzerlandBahcesehir University, Turkey

JapanDoshisha University*2

International Christian University*3

Keio University*4

Nagoya UniversityThe University of Tokyo (Todai)*4

University of OsakaWaseda University*5

KoreaSeoul National University

ChinaTsinghua University

United States & CanadaSimon Fraser University, CanadaUniversity of British Columbia, Canada*2

University of Toronto, CanadaYork University, CanadaLos Angeles College of Music (LACM), USNorthwood University, USUniversity of California San Diego, USUniversity of Michigan, USThe University of Virginia, USNew York University (NYU), US

South AfricaUniversity of Capetown

MalaysiaTaylor’s University

AustraliaAustralia National UniversityMacquarie UniversityUniversity of New South WalesThe University of Sydney

New ZealandOtago University

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