From a riverside plot to two campuses in two decades

Shrewsbury International School Bangkok opened in September 2003 on a purpose-built campus along Charoen Krung Road in the Bang Kho Laem district, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. It was founded as a sister institution to Shrewsbury School in Shropshire, England, which itself was established in 1552 by royal charter. From day one it diverged sharply from its UK counterpart: it operated as a co-educational day school for students aged 3 to 18, rejecting the historic boys-only boarding model.

The school was founded in partnership with its UK sister school and is governed by a Board of Governors representing both British and Thai interests. On the Thai side, ownership rests with the Sophonpanich family, who have backed every major capital project since the school's founding. Dr Jirayuth Mahattanakul has served as School Manager since 2003, holding a degree from Imperial College London.

Early leadership

The founding headmaster was Stuart Morris, who served from 2003 to 2005 and focused on the initial setup of the school upon its establishment in Bangkok. Morris, previously headmaster at Harrow International School in Bangkok, oversaw the recruitment of staff, curriculum implementation, and enrolment growth during the inaugural phase, attracting over 700 applications in the first year.

Stephen Holroyd succeeded Morris as principal from 2005 to 2017, a twelve-year tenure during which he aligned the school's offerings with UK standards and established it as a leading international institution in Thailand. Holroyd came with deep Salopian roots: he had previously worked at Shrewsbury School in the UK for almost twenty years, serving as a teacher of English, Cricket Master, House Master, and finally as Second Master (deputy headmaster). Under his leadership, the school achieved key accreditations, including from the Council of International Schools (CIS), and expanded its academic reputation through consistent high performance in Cambridge examinations. When Holroyd retired, the school named part of its new senior building in his honour.

Christopher Seal served as principal of the Riverside Campus from 2017 to 2022. It was Seal who presided over the school's most ambitious construction programme and the opening of a second campus.

A second campus

By the mid-2010s, demand for places, particularly at primary level, was outpacing what Riverside could absorb. In 2016, the plan was hatched to grow capacity from 1,600 students to 2,300 at the 16-acre Riverside campus, but a second site was also needed. In response to growing pressure for places particularly among primary school-aged children, in August 2018 a second campus was opened in Bangkok on a six-acre site in the centre of the city for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. Located near Sukhumvit, Rama 9 and Petchaburi roads, the City Campus combines easy accessibility with modern facilities spread over 17 rai, including indoor pools, a sports hall and running track, creative studios, a library, media and technology labs, and a 655-seat auditorium.

Amanda Dennison became the founding principal of City Campus, having previously spent seven years as Head of Junior School at Shrewsbury Bangkok Riverside. The campus grew quickly. Enrolment rose from around 160 students in the 2018-19 academic year to over 540 in the 2024-25 academic year. In November 2024, the school opened a new Early Years extension building to meet continuing demand, targeting 232 Early Years students per year, a 33 per cent increase from the original plan.

Students who complete their primary education at City Campus are guaranteed a place at the Riverside Campus for their secondary education.

Project 2021: rebuilding Riverside

While City Campus was taking shape, Riverside was undergoing the largest capital investment in the school's history. As reported by the Bangkok Post, Shrewsbury International School Bangkok Riverside set a new benchmark with its ambitious 1.1 billion Thai baht senior school, the culmination of Project 2021, which dramatically increased provision for science, mathematics, computing, innovation, robotics, sixth form, higher education counselling, dining, and sport.

The resulting Sir David Lees Innovation Centre incorporates the Stephen Holroyd Sixth Form Commons and the Sports Performance Complex. The Innovation Centre is named after the respected Chairman of the Board of Governors and UK businessman Sir David Lees. To support the already strong achievements in mathematics and science, the design included sixteen new mathematics classrooms and eighteen university-standard laboratories. Construction had begun on Christmas Day 2017, when the school started the onerous task of breaking up existing roads to build a three-storey underground car park.

Curriculum and identity

The school follows the National Curriculum of England. The curriculum provides structured learning from the age of 2 to 18 years, with the Early Years Foundation Stage followed by a sequence of five key stages, culminating in the advanced A-level programme for ages 16 to 18. In Years 10 and 11, students sit Cambridge IGCSE examinations. The school holds membership of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) and the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA), which it joined in 2008. The school is accredited by the Council of International Schools and ONESQA.

The affiliation with the UK school includes the adoption of Shrewsbury School's crest and its Latin motto, Intus si recte, ne labora, meaning "If right within, trouble not." Over the years, Shrewsbury School graduates have come to Bangkok for gap-year placements, working across the Junior and Senior schools, most notably in the kindergarten and the English, music, drama, and PE departments.

The Hanqing Bilingual Pathway, introduced at City Campus, represents a significant recent addition, offering equal emphasis on Mandarin and English while following the British curriculum; it is designed for non-native Mandarin learners and aims to develop bilingual confidence and cultural understanding from an early age.

Present day

Enrolment at Riverside stands at almost 1,900 students aged 3 to 18 from 40 nationalities. The current principal at Riverside is Robert Millar, who served as Assistant Principal under Chris Seal before taking the top role. City Campus, under Amanda Dennison, enrols around 600 students. Across both sites the school employs approximately 450 staff. In 2021, Riverside was among the world's highest achieving schools, with 88 per cent of IGCSE exams awarded either A* or A grade and 86 per cent of A-level exams achieving A* or A. Each year, graduating students secure places at universities in the UK, Australia, and North America.

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