BISS Puxi Adds A Levels for the First Time in Its 20-Year History

The British International School Shanghai, Puxi, known as BISS, is welcoming its first A Level cohort when the new academic year begins in August, having offered only the International Baccalaureate Diploma at sixth form for all of its two decades in the city. According to the school, six subjects will be available at launch: Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, and Chinese.

The A Level and IB Diploma tracks will run concurrently, with Year 12 students choosing between the two pathways. School leadership has framed the decision as a response to family feedback, particularly from households planning UK university applications. A Level qualifications have traditionally been viewed in the British admissions system as the more familiar entry credential, even as IB results carry strong recognition at leading UK universities. The choice between them has become a frequent topic in Shanghai's expatriate parent community as the sixth-form market has grown more competitive.

More than curriculum

The curriculum change arrives alongside the largest physical investment in the school's history. A dedicated performing arts and sports building will open during the 2026-27 academic year, joining enhanced STEAM facilities at primary level that are also completing this year. BISS is part of Nord Anglia Education's network of 90 schools worldwide, giving its students access to collaborative programmes with MIT, the Juilliard School, and IMG Academy. The 2026-27 year also marks the school's 20th anniversary, a coincidence that school leadership has used to frame the expansion as a generational milestone.

The Shanghai context

Shanghai's market for British-curriculum education operates under tighter regulatory constraints than many other Asian cities, with most international schools restricted to students holding foreign passports. Within that environment, the IB Diploma has been the dominant sixth-form qualification for years. The introduction of a rival A Level pathway at one of the city's most established British schools is likely to prompt other operators to consider their own curricular positioning, particularly as families begin planning options for cohorts currently in Year 10.

For Nord Anglia, which has been adding A Level pathways at several of its British-curriculum schools across Asia over the past two years, BISS Puxi becomes the latest flagship campus to offer the dual option. Enrolment figures for the first A Level cohort have not been disclosed. The school said it expects strong interest both from current students and from families considering BISS as a destination for secondary-age children new to Shanghai.