A British school operator in Kodaira in western Tokyo organized a recent classroom demonstration for participants to see what a course would be like there before it opens in August.

Children listened to a range of music under Malvern College Tokyo's Learning for Life program designed for those aged 5 through 7.

A teacher asked them how they felt and participating kids said they felt “happy” and “excited.”

They then tried breathing in deeply together and jotted down their own proposed approaches to relaxation on pieces of paper.

This kind of education, called social-emotional learning, aims to help children learn to put words to how they feel so they can become more sociable and emotionally sensitive.

The method has reportedly been adopted at many academies in Europe and the United States. Malvern College Tokyo likewise stresses its significance, believing emotional stability provides a foundation for students to better concentrate on studying.

The college, among other international educational institutes opening across Japan, is gaining popularity as many parents here begin thinking more globally and wealthy expats search for an international school for their children.

BRITISH SCHOOL BREAKS NEW GROUND

On the Malvern College Tokyo's demonstration day on a Saturday in late May, 80 groups of parents and children between the ages of 5 and 13 took part in the session.

With their children engaging in the workshop, guardians heard the details of the school in another room from the school’s headmaster, Mike Spencer.

Malvern College is headquartered in Worcestershire county, western Britain, and prides itself on its more than 150-year history. Among its graduates is C.S. Lewis, the author of “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

The prestigious school’s operator has lately established educational institutions in Switzerland, Hong Kong, Egypt and elsewhere overseas. The Tokyo branch will be its 10th affiliated school.

Malvern College Tokyo will be located on the former site of Bunka Gakuen University’s Kodaira campus.

The academy on the 16,000-square-meter grounds is expected to initially accommodate first- through ninth-graders (equivalent to the eldest children in kindergartens through second-year students in junior high schools in the Japanese school system).

Up to 950 students through 13th grade (third-year students in senior high schools) are to be accepted there by 2027.

Children are to commute to Malvern College Tokyo from their homes at the time of its opening, but a dormitory will be made available within a few years to allow those who prefer boarding to live there.

Malvern College Tokyo is expected to be the first British-style school in Tokyo compatible with the International Baccalaureate (IB) system, meaning its students can gain standardized qualifications to take university entrance exams worldwide.

There will be not only classes on robotic engineering, software development and other technologies but also those to equip children with skills essential to becoming entrepreneurs and global leaders in the future.

Students there can also study at affiliated institutes the world over under a student exchange program.

Tuition fees range from 2.5 million yen ($17,000) to 2.7 million yen per year. Including equipment maintenance charges and other expenditures, total costs will come to around 3 million yen annually.

A marketing official of the school’s operator said expenses can be reduced to some extent because boarding fees would not be needed if children commute to the academy from home.

The representative emphasized the school is receiving a huge response from Japanese guardians, as Malvern College Tokyo will be open to kids of elementary school age, unlike other typical Britain-linked international schools.

INVESTING IN A CHILD'S FUTURE

What factors are attractive, in particular, for guardians?

A woman in her 30s from Mitaka in Tokyo attended the workshop with her oldest son, 6, who attends a publicly run elementary school. She has spent many years outside Japan and was looking for a new academy for him.

“I feel international schools pay more attention to children’s individual personalities,” said the mother.

She said there were previously no international schools in her neighborhood.

“This school is easier to commute to,” the mother said. “The cost is substantial but investing in your child’s education is the best form of investment.”

A woman in her 40s who came from Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward with her 7-year-old oldest son said her child goes to a public elementary school, too. She was considering transferring him to Malvern College Tokyo.

“My son wants to learn more advanced topics, but his current school emphasizes everyone studying the same content at the same speed,” the mother said. “The atmosphere is such that asking questions or expressing opinions in class is also not welcome.”

Her child studies at an after-school program at an institution affiliated with an international school operator.

“Having personal opinions is respected there,” she said. “I was astonished at how differently students are evaluated in Japan and overseas.”

The mother also feels Japan has been on the decline. 

“I fear children may not be able to survive in this world from now on unless they grow up to be adults who can prove to be successful on the global stage,” she said.

Another woman in her 30s from nearby Ibaraki Prefecture said she visited Malvern College Tokyo for details on its educational program.

“The IB and other curricula looked great to me,” she said. “But I am wondering whether it is acceptable for parents to determine their kids’ futures (from such a young age).”

BRITISH GOVERNMENT A DRIVING FORCE

A series of international schools are cropping up nationwide.

Harrow International School Appi Japan, an educational institute affiliated with a prestigious British public academy, was founded in August last year on the Appi Plateau in Hachimantai, Iwate Prefecture.

Rugby School Japan, another prestigious British-affiliated institute, will be set up in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, in September this year.

Manabu Murata, who refers to himself as an international education commentator as he offers consulting services for international schools regarding their expansion into Japan, explained a likely cause of the successive openings.

“More and more expatriates from emerging nations and elsewhere are living in Japan, leading to a shortage of international schools,” he said. “Businesses and research centers also crave high quality international schools because they are anticipated to help those establishments secure personnel with advanced skills.”

Murata pointed to a motivation unique to British operators.

“The British government is stepping up its national policy of educational program exports, which is creating a significant impact, too,” he said.

Another reason reportedly concerns Japanese parents’ growing interest in international educational courses for their children.

“Parents these days see firsthand how indispensable English is through their work and on other occasions,” Murata said.

According to his accounts, such guardians have their children attend English-based preschools and take an interest in international schools as their next step so that children of elementary school age or older can use English in their classes.

Murata insisted that boarding fees and other annual costs for that type of academy totaling 9 million yen at times are not a problem.

“Information technology firm presidents and other wealthier individuals in Japan view those educational costs as reasonable,” he said.

Murata cited the stories he heard from fathers and others who questioned the traditional education style after watching teachers instruct all students in classes at the same time online amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said many parents asked him to provide advice regarding transferring their children to international schools.

But there is one potential risk, Murata said.

If children with a solely Japanese nationality take classes at international schools that do not offer courses in line with Japan’s curriculum guidelines, parents may be accused of not providing compulsory education for their children.

Children completing programs at such international schools are not recognized as graduating from the equivalents of Japanese elementary schools and junior high schools.

“Even if international schools turn out to be unsuited for some children, some municipalities and academies may reject those who want to relocate to their Japanese counterparts” for that reason, said Murata.

Privately run school operators in Japan traditionally accept wealthy individuals’ children, and Murata stated they are alarmed by a string of the opening of international schools given Japan’s dwindling birthrate.

Murata argued they can benefit from the trend, however.

“The rising number of international schools will contribute to certain regions’ globalization,” he said. “Japanese schools will alike gain a great opportunity to experience international-level education programs.”

According to Murata, some Japanese privately run establishments have already started closely cooperating with their foreign counterparts. They, for example, are trying to attract international schools to their premises.