Jakarta · History
The Independent School of Jakarta: a British school built from scratch
Opened in Pondok Indah in September 2021, ISJ is the youngest serious contender in Jakarta's British school market, backed by a UK charity with two decades of international school-founding behind it.
The Independent School of Jakarta opened its doors in September 2021, taking its first cohort of children from Nursery through to Year 4. The plan was deliberate: start small, grow one year group at a time, and replicate the structure of a 2-to-18 British independent school without shortcutting the early foundations.
Behind the school is The Schools Trust, a UK-registered charity (No. 1176052). The Trust has been founding and governing British international schools since 2004, and counts 16 schools across 11 countries in its network. Its trustee, Darren Brown, is named as the school's founder. Emma Webb, ISJ's founding head, came from Queen's College London.
Campus and Setting
ISJ occupies a purpose-built campus in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, a leafy residential district roughly 20 minutes from the city centre. The site includes a 25-metre swimming pool, a full-size football pitch, a theatre, dedicated creative arts spaces, and a science laboratory. Class sizes are capped at 15 in Early Years and 20 from Year 1 upward, with a staff-to-pupil ratio of 1:9.
Curriculum and Identity
The school follows the English National Curriculum from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to GCSEs and A Levels, structured as EYFS, Pre-Prep, Prep, Senior School, and Sixth Form. Every teacher holds UK Qualified Teacher Status, recruited from leading British independent schools. Cambridge IGCSE and A Level sit at the top of the academic pathway.
The school does not treat its location as incidental. Bahasa Indonesia is taught at every stage, and Indonesian language, history, and culture are woven into the programme throughout. Mandarin, Spanish, and French feature as additional languages at various points across the school.
ISJ follows the British Schools Overseas (BSO) framework and is progressing toward full BSO accreditation, with periodic inspection by UK-qualified inspectors from ISI or Penta International. The Schools Trust also requires its schools to hold Council of International Schools (CIS) accreditation. The Trust's existing schools have each been rated "Excellent" across all categories in their ISI inspections, and Trust schools rank first and second across a network of more than 200 British schools internationally for A Level and GCSE results.
Results and Rankings
In independent GL Assessment standardised tests, ISJ pupils score in the top 10 percent of international schools worldwide, sitting 17 points above the international average in English and 18 points above in Mathematics. In May 2026, ISJ was ranked the number-one British curriculum school in Jakarta and 22nd across Asia in the British Schools Asia independent index.
Expansion
A senior campus is planned to open in 2028, 300 metres from the existing junior site in Pondok Indah. It will house science laboratories, technology labs, art and music studios, a theatre, a secondary library, and a football pitch, creating a dedicated facility for GCSE and A Level study. The school also runs the Ki Hajar Dewantara Scholarship, open to exceptional Indonesian pupils who require financial support.
Present Day
As of 2026, ISJ has a roll of around 180 pupils. As reported by EIN Presswire, the school is actively expanding its senior provision with a new campus, completing the journey from Pre-Nursery to A Level within a single institution. The co-curricular programme runs more than 30 clubs per term, organised across four strands: Active, Creative, STEM and Strategy, and Communication and Culture.