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How a culture of happiness fuels academic success
Let kids play and explore all its possibilities — that’s how The British International School of Kuala Lumpur, a Nord Anglia Education School, leads its Early Years programme.
Here, children ages two to five learn in a safe, happy and nurturing environment – one that reflects home so they can feel at ease and able to absorb all the expertise on hand.
Most of it is play-based learning that takes place indoors and outdoor. Adults lead focus sessions, while older children lead play and facilitate games for the younger children.
These activities are no mere fun, they bring great impact. As children play, teachers work with them to hone their speaking and listening skills, as well as social know-how. They extend their knowledge and understanding by questioning and sharing their knowledge with the children.
Through all of this, the school’s youngest learners learn how to converse, discuss, question, reason, rhyme, socialise and more. It’s always full of engagement and discovery — the kind that sparks joy so that children develop a positive approach to learning. This will be critical to their success in primary school, secondary school and beyond. As a play-based school programme (instead of day care), Early Years students are more prepared for Year 1 than students who join the school in Year 1. They read better, understand numbers and have robust phonics skills. They are more confident learners who are socially acclimated to life at school.
7
areas of learning
3
year groups
30
minutes daily Modern Foreign Language classes
An exceptional Early Years Programme
Preparing for the future starts early at BSKL.
Experienced teachers and specialists do this through a flexible and bespoke curriculum. It meets the needs of an ever changing world and a multinational cohort of students — in sessions that take various forms and shapes.
Guided by specialist teachers, Early Years students here explore modern foreign languages, music, physical education, and swimming. Whether they’re in the pool or field, each class emphasises seven areas of learning: Communication and Language; Physical Development; Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Literacy; Mathematics; Understanding the World; and Expressive Arts and Design.
During the Modern Foreign Language (MFL) Programme, students are getting ready to become global citizens. Taking place for 30 minutes daily, these lessons in Mandarin or Spanish are taught by qualified first-language speakers.
If language lessons let students flex their mind muscles, twice weekly 30 minute physical education lessons let them flex their physical muscles on the field. Another 30 minutes of swimming every week complements these. At its specially designed two-level splash pool., children can touch and become water confident in one and get 1:1 support in the water with a specialised swimming coach in another.
And from Year 1, students take on interdisciplinary classes in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) — in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — and Humanities. The STEAM programme is delivered through hands-on problem-solving activities and challenges that empower children to become more creative, curious, resilient, resourceful, collaborative and confident.
My long-term goal is to become a subject matter expert in supply chain, which is the backbone of the industry. I found BGSU's Logistics Systems Engineering program is a combination of engineering and management, which helps me to enhance my knowledge and skills. I joined BGSU in January 2022 and got the opportunity to work as a Graduate Assistant on an industrial project under the guidance of Dr. Sarder.
Swati Arora, India
MS in Logistics Systems Engineering
Hear from the students
Hear from the faculty
“Young children are like sponges, with a lot of repetition on a regular basis, it does not take long for the children to understand instructions and the daily routines in their chosen foreign language. By the end of Reception, the children are able to recognise parts of the body, animals, colours and answer simple questions confidently in Spanish. Through songs, stories and games, the children thoroughly enjoy their MFL lessons and come with a smile every morning.”
Silvia Bueno,
Primary Spanish Teacher
“Our highly experienced and specialised swim coaches focus on building water confidence and safety. Most children come to us in Pre-Nursery uneasy in the water, often crying. It may be their first ever time in a swimming pool. Through gentle splashing and games in the water, we encourage them into the pool and then slowly build up to them putting their face and then head into the water. By the end of Reception the students are able to jump into and climb out of the main pool and swim with a kickboard. Some students are able to swim independently, with the beginnings of swim strokes.”
Chongteng Yang,
Swim Coach
A top achieving school
As one of the best international schools in the Malaysian capital, BSKL strives for success beyond academics and prepares children to meet the needs of the international community as they progress further into their education. Students graduate as kind, inquisitive, thoughtful, and well-rounded global citizens with a wide variety of interests.
Its success in this lies in how teachers and staff treat students. No matter how young or old they are, there is always trust and sincerity within its community – and beyond. BSKL parents work as active partners in their child’s educational journey with the school.
Driven by its principles of a positive education, the school believes the sky's the limit and adopts an approach that ensures every child gets the support they need to succeed academically, socially and personally. From Early Years to Primary School and Secondary School, they have access to many opportunities in the arts, sport and co-curricular activities that provide a well-rounded learning experience.
An enriching Early Years programme awaits at The British International School of Kuala Lumpur
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