The British International School (BIS), is a selective, independent, co-educational day school. It provides a British style education for an international student body. It is the largest international school in Vietnam with over 1,800 students from more than 50 countries. It operates from three purpose-built modern campus sites in the vibrant and exciting Ho Chi Minh City. The school provides a high quality education in first class facilities resourced to the highest level. The National Curriculum for England, International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma are taught to English speaking students from pre-school to Year 13.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is an integral part of the School and provides an excellent base from which the children progress into a more formal learning environment as they enter the Primary School. The National Curriculum for England forms the framework of the educational programme, through to the end of Key Stage 3, though this is adapted to meet the needs of the international community. In our primary schools this is achieved through the use of the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), which is a modified curriculum for schools wishing to place the National Curriculum for England into an international context.
The school is a registered centre for the UK examination boards, Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). It is also an IB World School, authorized to deliver the IB Diploma Programme and is approved by the Department for Education (DfE) in the UK as a British School Overseas. It is a member of the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA) and is fully accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS).
There are currently 161 full time teachers, the vast majority of whom are British qualified and trained with recent UK experience. All pre-school and primary teaching classes have English speaking Vietnamese teaching assistants, some of whom are qualified teachers in their own right. Class sizes only rarely exceed 20 children.
Although our students are academically able, some do not have English as their first language. Consequently, the school operates an English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme for those children who initially need extra support. Students normally make rapid progress and quickly integrate into the mainstream classroom. All the children and adults connected with the school are expected to speak English inside the school and this is also encouraged in the playground.
