BST Annual Report 2021-2022

Annual Report

Guiding Statements

Our Vision

At The British School in Tokyo (BST), we look to nurture each student’s unique potential and strive to help them create a strong sense of self, built around purpose and passion.

Our Mission

BST provides an inclusive and holistic education in English for the international community of Tokyo, with our modern British identity incorporating a distinctly international outlook. We are committed to the pursuit of excellence and lifelong learning. We pride ourselves on instilling a sense of integrity, and value our collective responsibility to positively impact the wider world.

Our Core Values

BST’s Core Values act as a guide for students, families, alumni and staff, and underpin our community’s decision-making and actions:

• We strive to achieve our personal best.

• We are honest and show kindness, compassion and respect for others.

• We are curious, creative and innovative in our thinking.

• We embrace diversity and celebrate individuality.

• We are internationally minded and culturally aware.

• We have a sense of social and environmental responsibility.

Message from the Principal

I am delighted to introduce this year’s Annual Report following last year’s inaugural edition. This Annual Report gives an overview of the opportunities provided for students and cross-school developments at BST during the year 2021-2022.

Highlights of the year include:

• completion of the second year of the School’s Strategic Plan;

• a return to a full activities, sports and creative arts programme, including BST Outdoors;

• curriculum development in the Primary School involving concepts and enquiry approaches;

• outstanding public examination results in the Secondary School;

• enhanced educational collaboration with partner institutions, including Showa Women’s University (SWU) and Temple University Japan (TUJ);

• embedding of the School’s new rewards and recognition approach – “The BST Way”;

• introduction of Award Ceremonies in both the Primary and Secondary School;

• launch of the School’s first Annual Fund and subsequent support for seven excellent educational projects;

• Senior School students and staff returning to conservation projects in Fiji as part of Operation Wallacea;

• part one of the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) accreditation process completed successfully;

• planning for the opening of the new Senior School Study Centre; and

• significant progress towards completing the new Primary School campus.

These achievements would not have been possible without the resilience and commitment of the School community as the year continued to present challenges no more apparent than during the Omicron surge in Term 2. However, students, staff and parents were resolute throughout. As a result, high-quality learning and teaching continued, and the School’s standing remained strong.

I am delighted that many of the year’s highlights are outlined in the following pages. I commend this report to you and congratulate our students, staff and parents on what has been achieved.

Paul Tough Principal

“High-quality learning and teaching continued, and the School’s standing remained strong.”

Message from the Chair of the Board of Trustees

The school year 2021-2022 has been a rewarding time for BST and its wider community with the return of performances, audiences, residentials and student celebrations for the first time since the pandemic.

The Board of Trustees too was able to more practically fulfil its governance role as “critical friend”. The Board supported and challenged the school’s leadership team with the aim of ensuring, under often rapidly changing circumstances, that the school is always delivering the best possible outcomes for all students.

Core Duties of the Board of Trustees:

• monitoring the implementation and progress of the Strategic Plan;

• overseeing and scrutinising the financial performance of the school;

• identifying an opportunity to secure a rapid opening of the Senior School facility;

• the appraisal of the Principal’s performance;

• a robust audit of the school’s safeguarding arrangements;

• continued strengthening of the core partnerships on which BST depends;

• ongoing planning for the smooth transition to the new Primary campus in 2023 and for the enhancement of the Secondary School provision;

• completing training on International Schools governance and performing a skills and diversity audit for the Board.

In addition to its governance work, the Board of Trustees supported the School in advancing several key initiatives including sustainability, staff and student well-being, and the launch of BST’s inaugural Annual Fund. From a development perspective, a highlight of the year was the gala launch event and the generosity of the founding donors of a fund that will support the mission of the School.

The parent and staff surveys, conducted during the year, provide valuable feedback on important areas including curriculum, communication and well-being, and ensure the Board is able to optimise the BST experience for our students as the School plans for its next stage.

The Board of Trustees, would like to thank the Senior Leadership Team, the staff, students and wider BST community for a year of truly outstanding effort.

Comino Tamura Chair of the Board of Trustees

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

2021-2022 year brought many

Early Years at BST, with a particular

of impressive

EARLY LEARNING GOALS

of year

and the celebration of key yearly trips and events.

key highlight

class trips

included visits to Yoyogi Park to explore natural environments

Bonta Italia to explore the process of pizza making and a trip to a local

Shop

delve deeper into language development.

such as

Primary School

2021-22 has been a fantastic year across the Primary School in terms of progress in learning, in particular within the 3 core areas of Reading, Spelling and Mathematics.

Broader Curriculum

The return of residentials in Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 and additional day/outdoor learning trips in all other year groups provided the Primary students with a much needed enriched curriculum. There were ample opportunities for experiential learning such as den making, rafting, hikes and bushcraft.

Student Leadership

Leadership roles for students across both Primary campuses doubled and now there are established leadership roles in; School Houses, Wellbeing, PE and Sport, Art and School Council.

Primary School Academic Achievements

The tracking, monitoring and use of assessment data is fundamental to the academic provision for BST Primary School students. Whilst the Primary School is characterised by high achieving students, the School is focused on ensuring all students make significant academic progress throughout the year. BST students’ academic profile is tracked to ensure each individual is progressing in their learning in all subjects.

Reading Results 2021-2022 (Y2-Y6)

Over 86% of BST Primary School students were achieving at or above expected levels of progress in reading. With over 39% tracking as significantly higher, this is an outstanding achievement for the students and their teachers.

Significantly higher than expected 39.9%

Higher than expected 15.1%

Lower than expected 13.6%

Expected progress 31.4%

Spelling results 2021-2022 (Y2-Y6)

With over 79% of students achieving at or above their expected level and 20% of these students achieving significantly higher than expected results in spelling, this illustrates the high academic ability of many BST students.

Higher than expected 13.6%

Significantly higher than expected 20.5%

Lower than expected 20.9%

Expected progress 45%

Maths Results (Y2-Y6)

Autumn 2021Summer 2022

BST Primary School mathematics results speak for themselves. Over 94% of students achieving expected or above levels of progress is an exceptional achievement.

Significantly higher than expected 65%

Higher than expected 9.3%

Lower than expected 5.2%

Expected progress 20.5%

Secondary School

Within the Secondary School, this year has been full of opportunities, creativity and future thinking.

Academic success within the classroom can be measured in many ways. The dedication of BST students and staff has been a highlight of the year. Outstanding lessons and resilient students are constant features of the learning that took place within the classroom on a daily basis.

The Outdoor Education Programme returned, albeit at first with day trips, then on to full residentials in Term 3. It was wonderful to see the joy and delight reflected in the students’ response to the activities and opportunities presented in the amazing Japanese countryside.

The Duke of Edinburgh International Award continues to be a feature at the school. An array of students took part in all levels of the award, which reintroduced the adventurous and challenging expeditions once again.

Alongside this, the Arts and Sport at BST have once again flourished with the students able to display their talents in performances, shows, fixtures and exhibitions. Highlights have included the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools (KPASS) Drama Festival, the Secondary Production: The Sound of Musicals, various cabarets, the Summer Concert, the Showa Cosmos Festival and the Advanced Level (A Level) & International General Certificate of Secondary Education (I)GCSE art exhibitions.

“The dedication of BST students and staff has been a highlight of the year.”

Sports and Physical Education (PE)

The focus within curriculum PE this year has centred around integrating the BST Learner Profile into the lessons. This has encouraged students to be collaborative and imaginative with their learning and link together key concepts from different activities. It has been great to see our Primary students’ “Reaching For Gold’ during their lessons and modelling the BST Way. The increase in mixed gender classes have been a real success in Secondary PE with all students accessing a wide range of activities.

Numbers attending our competitive and recreational swim clubs have grown significantly this year. Through the support of our BST swim coaches, students are once again thriving in the pool and gaining valuable competitive experiences at local swim meets.

Over the course of the year we were delighted to offer our Primary students the opportunity to participate in a range of sports festivals. A particular highlight was our own internal Federation of British International School in Asia (FOBISIA) Games held at the Showa Campus.

This year proved another highly successful one for our examination classes in PE.

ACROSS BOTH (I)GCSE AND A LEVEL PE: A*-C

A*-A

“Great to see our Primary students ‘Reaching For Gold’ during their lessons and modelling the BST Way. ”

Key Music

Inaugural BST FOBISIA squad

Primary Sports Festivals

Primary and Secondary Ski Weekends

5 School Sports Days

Inter House Competitions

Primary and Secondary Swim Squad

Internal Primary

Tournament:

Tee-ball, Netball, Football and Golf Camp

2022

EYFS

Key Music Events in 2021-22:Significant Achievements

PE Department review

ISTAA Competitions

Middle School Girls Volleyball

Middle School Girls Basketball

Middle School Girls Football High School Boys Basketball

Middle School Boys Football High School Girls Futsal

High School Boys Futsal

BST Swimming Records

Football, Athletics and Tee-ball

PE & Sport 2021-22

Completed an incredibly successful review by Primary and Secondary Senior Leadership Team staff

Hosted by BST - Over 100 Primary pupils for a sports morning and 4 ISTAA competitive football tournaments for students ranging from Year 1-13 and from 6 different schools

Kanto Plains Tournament finalists

Unbeaten season

Both A and B teams - unbeaten seasons

Unbeaten season

Kanto Plains Tournament Finalists

ISTAA Champions

ISTAA Champions

BST school records were broken at Swim Meets

and Clubs

Primary Sports Clubs Recreational

C

Competitive Secondary Squads competing in over 100 fixtures and tournaments between them and training regularly each week.

sports and

offer

Art

Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) students have worked hard at developing both their technical and critical skills during the academic year through a range of challenging projects. The Art History and Ethics and Pottery electives have enabled students to study these aspects of the subject in more depth. Select Year 9 students created a mini exhibition after their Print workshop towards the end of the academic year.

Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11) students had an interesting year which included a number of art curriculum trips. Additionally, they were able to exhibit their work in the Temple University Art Gallery.

Key Stage 5 (Year 12-13) students, likewise, have had a successful year of trips and a hugely ambitious and well-received exhibition of their work at Temple University Art Gallery. Student, Risa Kakizoe, was commissioned for illustration work for a book after the exhibition.

Key Art Events 2021-22

Sakura Photography Competition - Internal photography competition of Sakura (cherry blossom) for all Key Stages and staff.

COBIS Competition - External art competition for all Key Stages

(I)GCSE Exhibition / A level Exhibition - Art exhibitions for (I)GCSE and A level students at Temple University Gallery

MOT Trips - Exam group trips to Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

Print Workshop - Year 9 lino prints workshop, exhibited at BST reception

Music

The 2021-22 academic year saw the Music Department burst into life. Term 1 saw the reintroduction of our music extra curricular clubs, and the return of in-person performances. The Christmas Concert took place at the National Olympic Memorial Youth Centre in Yoyogi while renovations to Hitomi Hall took place and the Year 6 students took centre stage for their Winter Show.

Opportunities for performers and composers in Term 1 were plentiful, including a collaboration with the Art and Drama departments where our Year 9 composers composed music that was used in a short film. At the end of the term we waved goodbye to Ms Presdee-Rudd, and welcomed Mr Drew, remotely at first, as her replacement.

In Term 2, the Music and Drama departments collaborated on our first major musical theatre production in many years with The Sound of Musicals, using scenes from a variety of different shows. We also continued to offer the regular cabaret events and Advanced Musicians’ Recitals in Term 2.

Mr Drew was able to join us in person in Term 3, and we saw the return of our whole school Summer Concert at Hitomi Hall. Groups from Year 1 to Year 13 were able to perform in a professional environment. One highlight of the concert was Shannon Groth’s stunning performance of the Bruch Violin Concerto, an opportunity provided by her victory in the Concerto Competition back in Term 1.

The final big event of the year was the return of the House Singing Competition. Each House sang songs by famous British artists, and it was Tsukiyomi who took the coveted trophy with their rendition of Don’t Look Back In Anger.

21

MUSIC EXTRA CURRICULAR CLUBS OFFERED ACROSS THE SCHOOL

400+ 200+

STUDENTS PLAY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT STUDENTS TOOK PART IN THE SUMMER CONCERT

Key Music Events in 2021-22:Key Music Events in 2021-22:

Concerto Competition

Advanced Musicians Recital 1 (Concerto Performers)

Friday 15th October

Wednesday 3rd November

Cabaret 1 Monday 15th November

Cosmos Festival - featuring BST Year 9 Composers

Year 6 Winter Show ( x 2 Performances)

13/14 November

Tuesday 30th Nov

Year 4 Carol Service Tuesday 7th December

Year 5 Carol Service Tuesday 7th December

Annual Fund Launch Event Thursday 9th December

Secondary Christmas Concert Monday 13th December

Advanced Musicians’ Recital 2 Tuesday 8th February

Primary Instrumentalists Concert Tuesday 8th March

Cabaret 2 Tuesday 1st March

Sound of Musicals Monday 14th March

Cabaret 3 Friday 13th May

Advanced Musicians’ Recital 3 Thursday 2nd June

Year 13 Leavers Assembly Friday 13th May

Cello Ensemble Recital Saturday 11th June

Summer Concert Thursday 23rd June

House Singing Competition Tuesday 28th June

Drama

The ‘buzz’ of Drama returned once again to BST, and after a turbulent couple of years for theatre makers across the world, BST students have managed to bring back the magic of theatre to BST’s community.

The year started with a cross-curricular, bi-lingual film project, where students collaborated with the Art Department to produce a truly immersive experience for the Cosmos Festival. The film, directed and produced by Senior School students: Emma, Kiana and Corin, was the first of its kind for BST, showcasing both spoken English and Japanese and connecting cultures.

Later on in the year, Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)) students were invited to perform in their own version of the Nativity Play. The KS3 students performed the roles of children in a reception class who were performing the Christmas Story - their characterisations were conveyed with good natured humour and high energy. Students thoroughly enjoyed performing their work to Upper Primary School students; who were a truly fantastic audience.

The new year, saw the return of the Secondary Musical. Students from across the Secondary School dedicated their extra-curricular time to the process of ‘rehearse, eat, sleep, repeat’ making new friendships along the way. The performers demonstrated their immense grit, determination and commitment to produce a show with such creativity, confidence and energy. The evening performances were a wonderful culmination of their hard work and dedication.

BST Outdoors

As a hallmark of BST’s holistic approach to education, BST Outdoors is the school’s bespoke approach to education outside of the curriculum. Throughout the year students benefited from challenging themselves, discovering new ways of learning and from gaining a greater understanding of themselves through outdoor education opportunities.

A core part of the BST Outdoors programme are the annual residential trips that take place. Students of all ages from Year 4 through to Year 13 took part in overnight residential trips. From river rafting to canyoning, mountain biking, hiking and camping students were able to discover new interests and learn about their own abilities.

TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS ATTENDING TRIPS

NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL TRIPS10

List of Residentials:

Key Music Events in 2021-22:

Year 4 Tateyama, Chiba 17-18 & 19-20 May, 2022

Year 5 Kidzania, Tokyo 10 June, 2022

Year 6 Hodaigi Campsite, Minakami, Gunma 7-10 June, 2022

Year 7 Morito Mizuumi no Rakuen, Yamanashi 13-15 June, 2022

Year 8 Tsugaike, Hakuba, Nagano 14-17 June, 2022

Year 9 Morito Mizuumi no Rakuen, Yamanashi 15-17 June, 2022

Year 10 Laboland, Hakuba, Nagano 14-17 June, 2022

Year 10 (DofE) Minakami (Canyons) Oze, Gunma 14-17 June, 2022

Year 12 Minakami & Shinano River, Gunma 14-17 June, 2022

Year 13 Canyons Outdoors Center Minakami, Gunma 26-28 June, 2022

University Destinations

BST graduates once again headed to many of the top universities around the world in 2021-2022. Almost all of the students, that applied to university, secured their first or second choice destinations. A number of the students are spending a valuable year away from education before applying and attending university after this experience. The outstanding academic results BST students have achieved will enable them to build on their successes in this next exciting phase of their education.

University Acceptances 2022

California College of the Arts Columbia University

Durham University

Imperial College London x4

King’s College London Kingston University London x2

Kyushu University

Leiden University

Liverpool Hope University London School of Economics x4

Maastricht University

Michigan State University Nottingham Trent University Ritsumeikan University

Smith College

The University of British Columbia x2

The University of Sheffield University College London x2

United International Business Schools, Amsterdam University of Birmingham University of Oxford University of Southampton University of the Arts London University of Toronto University of Toronto Scarborough University of Waterloo University of Westminster Utrecht University

Campus Partnerships & External Activities

Through a wide range of exchanges, events and projects with our partners at Showa Women’s University (SWU) campus, throughout the year we have been able to enrich and enhance the educational experience of students across our schools. This year has seen a growing number of students engaging with these activities.

Programme Strands:

Cultural Exchange

Tea Ceremony

Ikebana Workshops

Zumba Dance Classes

Language Exchange

Japanese Book Club

‘Shine’ Volunteer Club

Annual Language Exchange Programmes with Showa High School

Academic Programmes

Twentieth Century British Culture and Society Course (At SWU taught by BST Faculty)

Dual Enrollment Programmes with Temple University Japan

Community Action

Onigiri Action

Annual International Symposium

Operation Green - Sustainability Project

Our joint academic programmes enhance and extend the learning opportunities for students across the Showa campus. Additionally, the range of events that have taken place have enabled students to explore issues, take action together and make a positive contribution to the community, both here at the Showa Women’s University campus and further afield.

“Throughout the year we have been able to enrich and enhance the educational experience of students across our schools.”

Parent Teacher Association (PTA)

This year we are reaping the fruits of the last three years of creativity and hard work in pursuit of our mission to build, maintain and strengthen our community. We care deeply about our community, working to engage students at school and involve them in helping others, especially children in need in and beyond Tokyo.

Charities Supported:

• Sekoryo Children’s Home;

• United World Schools;

• UNICEF, Salvation Army; and

• Save the Children Japan.

Initiatives and Programmes organized by the PTA:

• yoga classes;

• coffee mornings;

• second hand uniform sales;

• book sales;

• Annual Fund Celebratory Evening;

• The Jubilee Celebration;

• candy-floss and ice-cream sales;

• all-school picnics; and

• Term 3 fundraising initiative to support the charity Save the Children.

This has been a year of change and growth. We will keep building and strengthening the PTA within the community through new and improved programmes which will further engage the existing families and support the integration of new families arriving at the school. Our new, diverse team reflects the

4 million+ JPY revenue

550,000 JPY

DONATION TO THE ANNUAL FUND

million JPY WAS DONATED TO SAVE THE CHILDREN JAPAN

million JPY IN THE PTA ACCOUNT

demographics of the school. I have passed the baton to Mrs Naomi Iwase, the new PTA Chair, and I look forward to the coming year and to serving as a Vice-Chair, hoping to have more time to socialize and enjoy.

After all, I have found involvement with the PTA to be the most appropriate and fulfilling way to be a BST parent.

Gabriela Mandrea Chair of PTA, 2021-22

Key Music Events in 2021-22:Position Name

Chair Gabriela Mandrea

Secretary

Trinh Nguyen

Treasurer Cindy Roertveit

Vice Treasurer Izumi Matsuo

Fundraising Lead

PTA Webmaster

Cecile Eijsink-Bonnier

Neha Shrivastava

Carmen Monksmith Communications Isabel Palmer

Annual Fund Co-Ordinator

Sales Lead (Uniform, Books, Bake)

Welcome Committee (Lead)

Welcome Committee (Buddies)

Head Prefects

Hannah Reilly

Carmen Monksmith

Yoko Renner

Oscar Raudkepp & Minami Street

Annual Fund

The various projects which were realised thanks to the Annual Fund have made a huge impact, right across the school. Children have been able to enjoy the following exceptional opportunities thanks to the generosity of the community.

Primary School Diversity Library

This enabled wider reading to better reflect British values of equity and inclusivity and the hundreds of new titles purchased through the Japanese Reading for Pleasure initiative have re-ignited the desire to read in many of our youngest bilingual readers.

Science, Technology and Mathematics Week

This forthcoming event will focus on engineering potential solutions for sustainability, like urban farming. Students from the Primary School through to the Secondary School will devise and create innovative solutions to growing plant crops at the school.

The Literary Festival

Our budding writers and journalists were able to join workshops with award-winning journalists from The Times, for example, and meet and work with authors and poets.

Skatepark at Nagasawa

Students were able to design and build the new skatepark at Nagasawa. New friendships across all ages were forged there during the weekend and holiday programme.

Sports Camera Livelink

The sports camera live-link will enable families and athletes to watch and support more of our competitive sports. Our staff and students will use the analysis tools to improve performance too.

Artist in Residence Programme

This opportunity has given our artists the opportunity to collaborate with a leading practitioner, and the work they make will be given pride of place in our fantastic new school.

"I'm thrilled to be actually working with such a famous artist, Aoyama has already influenced my own portfolio."

Mia, Year 12

"I made so many new friends at the skatepark, and I learned so many new tricks: it's been really good fun."

Camillo, Year 8

"Writing poetry with an award-winning poet was so exciting, and he was so encouraging and kind: it's made me write more and more."

Ringo, Year 11

Financial Outcomes

In the 2020-21 academic year, the British School in Tokyo achieved JPY 2.7 billion total income before Corporate Contribution Programme (CCP) donations. Tuition related fees including enrolment fees comprised 98% of total income. Other fees and donations including subsidies from Tokyo Metropolitan Government contributed to the remaining 2%.

As a non-profit organisation, the School retains all of its income within the School for the purposes of education. Recognising that human resources have the single biggest impact on providing high-quality education, 74% of expenses were allocated to salaries and benefits. This investment in quality has allowed us to attract and retain the best teaching and support staff.

Toranomon Azabudai Primary School Campus

One of the most significant moves for BST will take place in less than a year. At the start of the academic year 2023-24, BST will open its new Primary School campus in one of the city’s most exciting new urban developments. As such, the school’s preparations for the relocation have been progressing rapidly.

The work with Mori Building Company Ltd has been extensive: meeting construction deadlines; working with their operations departments to agree daily, termly and yearly logistics; designing learning spaces and preparing tender proposals for the fit out and relocation, to name but a few.

The new Primary School campus will serve students who range in age from Nursery (3 years old) to Year 6 (11 years old) and the campus will have a distinct look and feel in keeping with its impressive surroundings. Designed by the renowned architects Thomas Heatherwick Studios, the 15,000-squaremetre campus is spread over seven floors above the ground, including a roof garden, and one subterranean floor. The campus will contain outstanding and extensive facilities unmatched in central Tokyo.