Kuala Lumpur's first new British school in 50 years, opened with 70 pupils in 2009

When the British International School of Kuala Lumpur opened in 2009, it was the first new British school in the Malaysian capital in over 50 years. It started with 70 students on a modest campus, offering a British curriculum to expatriate families in a city that had long had few such schools.

Origins

The school was founded by trustees John Ordovas and Darren Brown, who set out to give expatriate children in Kuala Lumpur a good British education. It opened under its current name, taking students from Pre-Nursery upwards.

Campus and Growth

Within a year, the original premises were too small. In 2010, the school moved to a purpose-built campus in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, roughly 25 minutes west of Kuala Lumpur city centre. The campus grew into a 27,000 sq m site with capacity for more than 1,800 students. In 2016, a dedicated secondary campus opened on the same site, with breakout spaces, a 3D printing room and purpose-built facilities for older students. That same year, BSKL welcomed its first A-Level cohort, completing the school's range from early years to sixth form.

In 2017, ownership and management of the school passed to Nord Anglia Education, and the handover coincided with an ISI inspection that year. The school now operates as part of Nord Anglia's global network of more than 80 schools across 35 countries.

Curriculum and Accreditation

BSKL follows the English National Curriculum from Early Years through to Year 9, before students move into the IGCSE programme in Years 10 and 11 and A Levels in the sixth form. The school is an accredited examination centre for both Cambridge International Examinations and Pearson Edexcel.

It was the first school in Malaysia to receive an 'excellent' grade in all areas of educational provision from the Independent Schools Inspectorate, the body that also inspects many of Britain's top independent schools. It was also among the first schools in Asia to receive the COBIS Patron's Accreditation from the Council of British International Schools. The school is a member of the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA) and is fully licensed by the Malaysian Ministry of Education.

Academic Results

In 2022, every A-Level student passed, with 68% earning A* or A grades. At IGCSE that year, 80% of the cohort achieved A* or A. The school has had the best A-Level results of any Nord Anglia school in Asia for three consecutive years. A BSKL Scholars Programme offers merit-based bursaries of 10 to 50 percent of tuition fees for high-achieving students entering the sixth form.

Present Day

Today BSKL has 1,510 students of more than 60 nationalities on three interconnected campuses in Petaling Jaya. Facilities include 20 music rooms, two drama and dance studios, a 600-seat auditorium, a STEAM corridor, three libraries, two swimming pools, a covered all-weather Astroturf pitch and rooftop play areas. Through Nord Anglia, students have access to Global Campus, which connects learners across 32 countries, and to partnerships with MIT, the Juilliard School and UNICEF. A student-led conservation group, BSKL for Malayan Tigers, has raised more than RM100,000 for the critically endangered species, reaching 12 countries in the process.

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