4 reasons to join Jerudong International School

Since its founding in 1997, Jerudong International School (JIS) in Brunei, has become one of Asia’s most well-established and well-resourced co-educational schools. In 2022, it was awarded the prestigious Patron’s Accredited Member status by the Council for British International Schools (COBIS) and became the world’s first to receive Beacon Status in three standards: Student Welfare, Boarding Provision and Extracurricular, Enrichment & Engagement.

In other words, it’s more proof of what graduates, teachers, and parents have long known: this is a school committed to providing a safe, supportive, and well-rounded education to students.

Just ask Adelina Shalapinina, a Year 13 IB Diploma Programme student who moved from the Netherlands to Brunei. “When I moved to Brunei from the Netherlands, joining Jerudong International School (JIS) was both daunting and exciting,” said Adelina. “Looking back, it was overwhelming, but I decided to make the most of it and it’s been the best decision.”

Adelina Shalapinina says boarding at JIS has been beneficial for her, as she was able to adjust to her new life quickly. Source: Jerudong International School

Enriching choices for inspired futures

JIS is home to over 1,680 students from 45 countries, aged two to 18 years old. Every year, many consistently progress to the world’s leading universities, a result of JIS’s balanced academic framework that follows the British National Curriculum.

During their final two years, JIS offers three pathways that enable many students to attend their university of choice: A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme and the International BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media.

“The IB curriculum has allowed me to take subjects like Psychology and Spanish — options I never had before,” Adelina says. “It’s opened up choices I hadn’t considered and made me think about future possibilities.”

But what makes JIS stand out is its highly engaging curriculum. All year long, students take part in various academic events – there’s International Week, where students learn leadership skills from embassy ambassadors, and Book Week, when authors join classes to conduct workshops. The school’s Enrichment Week, held in the final week of the academic year, is when they go diving, sailing, and mural painting. Other leadership and academic pursuits include Model United Nations, Duke of Edinburgh International Award expeditions, and specialised clubs like the Medical Society and Law Advocates Workshop.

“At JIS, we believe in providing a transformative education that extends beyond academics. The holistic education on offer at JIS has always provided exciting opportunities for co-curricular learning,” says Nicholas Sheehan, Executive Principal. “We believe that taking part in activities outside of the classroom is as much benefit, if not more, to a student’s education.”

The school has almost 300 activities to choose from, all leading to a well-rounded portfolio. Source: Jerudong International School

Exciting co-curricular activities

At JIS, learning doesn’t stop at the end of the school day. Instead, what follows is “a tremendous range of worthwhile initiatives which directly align with the school’s educational ethos and values,” as described by their October 2022 COBIS Report.

There is never a boring day at JIS. From archery and athletics to table tennis and taekwondo, there’s a vast range of team and non-team sports for students of all athletic abilities to take part in. Internal competitions such as the Phoenix League and Phoenix Cup further promote athletic development and inclusivity. If performing arts are your child’s calling, they can nurture their inner Idina Menzel in musical productions, orchestras, and ensembles at the JIS Arts Centre. They’ll also have opportunities to collaborate with visiting professional musicians, such as the Long Tan Philharmonic Orchestra.

Future stewards of the planet can make the most of JIS’s focus on sustainability and the outdoors. JIS is part of the Global Eco-Schools Community and a recipient of the Green Flag Award. Whether it’s through a lesson in the school’s Outdoor Discovery Centre, activities focused on environmental conservation (such as Eco-JIS, beach cleanups, the Dive Club Reef Ball Programme, to mention a few), or field trips to the nearby rainforests of Temburong, there is always a way for students to learn how to conserve or protect the environment.

“As part of our Education for Sustainable Development (EFSD) and to better integrate enrichment within our school curriculum and community, we have introduced Eco Sub Themes, which emphasises our commitment to addressing the Climate Emergency,” says Justin Harris Director of Enrichment & Operations. “These themes are mapped into the curriculum and form part of the STEAM Curriculum Projects and will focus on the four student selected themes of: Biodiversity & Nature, Energy, Marine & Coast and Waste & Litter.”

As JIS also runs one of the largest Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award schemes in Asia, the school has hundreds of students participating each year. Over 350 students take part across the three Award levels of Bronze (Year 10), Silver (Year 11) and Gold (Year 12-13).

“I decided that if I was going to be in a new country, new school and new environment, I might as well make the most of it,” Adelina said. “So, I joined the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme. I’m not usually an outdoorsy person, but it made hiking and camping surprisingly enjoyable. It also helped me develop confidence and resilience.”

Adelina, like many other students, was initially overwhelmed by what JIS had to offer, but eventually learned the importance of broadening her horizons. Aside from the DoE programme, she joined the costume design CCA, working with school musical productions and even performing in one of them.

It’s safe to say that no two days are ever the same here; every new experience – even if scary at first – opens pathways to more opportunities and gives each student more insight into who they are and who they can become.

Excellent pastoral care

A distinguishing feature that is immediately apparent when a student joins JIS is their dedicated pastoral care. Here, constructive, open and trusting relationships flourish between teachers and students – everyone is assigned to one of 16 single-gendered Houses, overseen by their respective Housemaster or Housemistress. These individuals play a central role in each student’s development together with other dedicated teachers, providing individualised care, academic mentoring, organisational help, counselling, as well as university and career guidance.

“Boarding created a rhythm to my school life,” says Adelina, who is a boarder in Osprey House. “The support from tutors and peers made the transition much smoother.”

But it’s not all about just books and grades. Houses, sometimes paired brother and sister houses, often run events and activities together, even forming their own leadership teams run by a House Captain and Deputy Captain. House competitions take place weekly and include a variety of events such as sports, arts, talent shows, debates, spelling bees and quizzes, all designed to foster competition and promote camaraderie among students across a range of age groups.

Opportunities at JIS are boundless. Source: Jerudong International School

Service learning: Many meaningful ways to give back

JIS students apply classroom knowledge to the real world, gaining transferable skills while making a critical difference in the lives of others. It’s a meaningful exchange that’s dubbed “Teaspoons of Change,” small but significant ideas, attitudes and actions that have a sustainable, or positive impact on both the school and the local community.

This initiative is linked to the school’s six aims – Engagement, Leadership, Communication, Thinking, Resilience, and Integration which are strongly embedded into the school ethos. Each time a student does something special aligned to these areas, they receive a Polio Point; JIS then donates US$1 to UNICEF to help in the global fight against polio eradication. Students accumulate over 10,000 points each year! What they gain in return, however, is priceless: the appreciation of social and civic responsibility and the development of compassion for others.

“Every experience at JIS has been a chance to grow, whether through academics, performances or hiking hills I thought I couldn’t climb,” Adelina reflects. “It’s shaped who I am and given me confidence for whatever comes next.”

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