About this school :
The school was started by Mrs Alice Fairfield-Smith at her home in Jalan Eaton, Kuala Lumpur in 1946 at the end of the Second World War.
Providing a high quality education for expatriate children
Mrs. Fairfield-Smith, a biology graduate from Harvard University and an experienced teacher, started with one student and by the end of the week she had several children all eager to learn. She transformed her spare bedroom into a classroom. Her daughter was one of the early students and her founding ethos of wanting to provide a high quality education for expatriate families living in Kuala Lumpur is still as relevant today. She wanted to ensure that expatriate children returning to education in their home country or moving to a school in another country could do so as seamlessly as possible.
The Alice Smith Schools Association
When she left Malaya for Australia in 1950, the parents of the children attending the school formally incorporated the Alice Smith Schools Association. In this remarkable not-for-profit educational foundation, the student body comprised the founder nations of Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia and later children of all nationalities. The Alice Smith Schools Association remains as steadfast in its principles and governance today, focusing on high academic standards, essential life skills and a sense of responsibility to the community.
Two stunning campuses
In 1952, the school moved to its current premises in Jalan Bellamy to accommodate the increasing number of students. The school grew steadily over the years and HRH Prince Edward opened the Secondary Campus at Equine Park in 1997, educating students aged 11 to 18.
Leading the way in campus development
The Primary Campus catering for children from the age of 3 to 11 has undergone many refurbishments over the decades, including a new building for Year 5 and 6 students, opened by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah in 2002, a new classroom block for Year 3 and 4 students next to the swimming pool, which also comprises a performing arts centre and an art studio. In 2010, the multi-million two storey sports centre, The Smurthwaite Gym was opened. 2013-2014 is another exciting phase in the development of the Primary Campus with the addition of a student canteen, one-stop parent centre and a newly laid astro-turf for the sports field.
At Equine Park, a new purpose built split-level library, lecture hall and classrooms opened in September 2003 to complete the original building plan and enhance the provision for the Sixth Form. Further developments in 2008 have included a new performing arts suite and enhancements to a variety of curriculum areas. 2011 saw the opening of the Steve Warry Centre, a state-of-the-art building providing a variety of flexible teaching areas that are in line with the best of modern teaching practices, a Media Studies Suite, an ICT Support Centre and a Careers and University Guidance office. 2013-2014 will also see major changes and improvements at Equine Park, starting with the extensive renovation of the main classroom block providing modern, light and flexible teaching spaces.
A sense of belonging to something special
With over 60 years of history, the Alice Smith School has a rich web of alumni stretched across the globe opening up a wealth of networking and social opportunities. Today, each one of our 1,500 students is educated with the same level of personal dedication, inspiration and student-focused learning as Mrs Smith had for her first class in 1946.
– See more at: http://www.alice-smith.edu.my/367/about-us/history#sthash.xwmgJHDK.dpuf
