Nurturing Global Citizens
Bringing more than 160 years of UK educational history to western Tokyo, Malvern College’s Kodaira campus offers an international learning environment with small classes, outstanding facilities, and and strong support.
Malvern College Tokyo prepares young people for a vibrant future.
Bringing more than 160 years of UK educational history to western Tokyo, Malvern College’s Kodaira campus offers an international learning environment with small classes and strong support.
Part of the Malvern College family, the school focuses on inquiry-based learning, nurturing independence and problem-solving skills while instilling a love of discovery in its students. Incorporating a British approach to teaching, it offers an excellent standard of education, covering not only traditional academic subjects but also entrepreneurship, financial literacy, design, and social and emotional learning, as well as science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) disciplines to give students a well-rounded foundation that prepares them for the road ahead.
As an accredited IB World School, Malvern College Tokyo currently offers the Primary Years Programme and the Middle Years Programme, and is working towards offering the Diploma Programme, providing students a complete pathway from age four to 18.
The school engages in a global exchange program with Malvern College UK as well as shorter exchanges with other Malvern schools, exposing students to new environments and broadening their horizons.
Its approach is supported by outstanding facilities, including science labs, a STEAM and design room for science and engineering, a two-story gymnasium and all-weather pitch for sports and fitness, a library, and expressive and visual arts studios to foster imagination and promote creativity. A cafeteria, the signature Sakura Garden, and both indoor and outdoor play spaces nurture students’ overall wellbeing and engagement. These facilities accommodate a variety of opportunities for students in performing arts, sports, and enrichment activities, allowing them to develop talents and interests beyond the standard curriculum.
Malvern places a strong emphasis on pastoral care, keeping class sizes small and providing dedicated tutor time to ensure each individual is acknowledged and supported. Students’ bonds with each other are nurtured through a traditional British House system, which places students in houses to foster team spirit, enhance belonging, and enrich school life. This extends into the local community, as the parent group, Friends of Malvern, works to strengthen the partnership between families and the school.
For families interested in learning more about what Malvern College Tokyo has to offer, the school operates the 360° Malvern Experience, which includes tours and workshops that allow parents to experience firsthand what it’s like to be a Malvern student. The first step in the program is an information session called Malvern Meet, which will take place on January 28. This will be followed by weekly tours available in both English and Japanese.
To find out more: malverncollegetokyo.jp
In a Class of Its Own
In the nearly 160 years since it was founded in the English county of Worcestershire, Malvern College has become synonymous with the very highest levels of education and renowned for producing prime ministers, Nobel laureates, noted authors, and even an Olympic gold medalist. Now, to complement its international campuses in Egypt, Switzerland, and China, the college is to open a state-of-the-art Tokyo school in September 2023.
Malvern College Tokyo plans to offer a richly diverse learning environment
Presented in partnership with Malvern College Tokyo
The Malvern College Tokyo campus
In the nearly 160 years since it was founded in the English county of Worcestershire, Malvern College has become synonymous with the very highest levels of education and renowned for producing prime ministers, Nobel laureates, noted authors, and even an Olympic gold medalist.
Now, to complement its international campuses in Egypt, Switzerland, and China, the college is to open a state-of-the-art Tokyo school in September 2023.
Malvern College Tokyo (MCT) aims to offer the globally acclaimed International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, with particular emphasis on technology and entrepreneurship.
Forward Thinking
The school also has a deep commitment to the future of the planet and will provide its students with an enriching Forest School Program, in which they spend time learning in the great outdoors. In addition to giving children the opportunity to learn a variety of skills, the program is designed to foster awareness from a very young age of the importance of our natural environment.
Another key element of a Malvern College education will be a fusion of the school’s British heritage with the values and traditions of Japan. Japanese language classes will be mandatory, while the culture, cuisine, and other key elements of the host nation will be reflected in the learning experience.
By being exposed to the very best of both worlds, MCT graduates will be uniquely equipped to thrive in international settings, believes Mike Spencer, the founding headmaster.
“At the heart of any IB school is a commitment to learning, which is challenging, relevant, and active,” said Spencer. “As we expand Malvern College Tokyo, we aim to develop a curriculum that builds intercultural understanding and tackles issues of global significance.
“We will strive to prepare our students for the best universities but, more importantly, we aspire to equip them with the personal qualities that will serve them and their communities well beyond their school years,” he added.
Spencer arrives in Tokyo after more than 20 years leading schools in India, China, and, most recently, Mozambique. The world has changed greatly in those two decades, he admits, and transformation continues at a rapid pace. “We are aware that we are preparing our students for a world that we can only imagine,” he explained. “This requires us to ensure that today’s students have the skills necessary to be adaptable, resourceful, creative, and confident.”
Creativity and Confidence
A critical part of that is the notion of entrepreneurship.
“Entrepreneurs see opportunities and they take calculated and thoughtful risks to resolve challenges,” Spencer said. “They seek creative solutions and have the confidence to see failure as a learning opportunity. At its heart, entrepreneurship is about adding value, and we would like our pupils to embrace the skills that enable them to add value in all areas of their lives, and in the lives of others.
“We know, too, that technology holds the key to so much of what lies ahead for us all. Our intention is to ensure that each student has access to, and can use, the technological tools that will shape our futures,” he added. “Being open-minded and adaptable to new technologies will be a prerequisite for success.”
In parallel, the importance of sustainability and responsible citizenship “will lie at the heart of a Malvern College education,” he added.
In the short time he has been in Japan, Spencer has been impressed by the “deep sense of identity that Japanese share,” as well as the systems, structures, and traditions that are the bedrock of daily life here. He intends to make sure that the courtesy, kindness, and respect that he has experienced so far are qualities that are also reflected in the MCT experience.
“I do hope that our stakeholders will see and feel that Malvern College is a school that puts its students first, and that cares deeply about the progress, hopes, aspirations, and well-being of each and every one of them,” he stressed. “It will be important to uphold the strong academic traditions of Malvern, so that our students have access to some of the best universities around the world.”
