Enjoy this short video snippet about Rugby School Japan from our 2024 Expo.
Transcript
Rugby School Japan
ISTimes Global: (00:00) Hello, we are here with Tony, founding headmaster of the Rugby school here in Japan. Welcome, Tony.
Rugby School Japan: (00:05) Thank you.
ISTimes Global: (00:06) Uh I’ve I’ve heard so much about uh your school. It opened not not so long ago about uh a year ago and astounding um headmaster. I would love to hear more about what kind of school you are trying to create and what and what type of school uh you have now and a little bit about uh the culture there.
Rugby School Japan: (00:26) Right. So, yeah, let me just introduce the school to you. So, um I’m Tony. I’m I’m the founding principal. I came over to Japan two years ago to set the school up. Um I was at Rugby School UK for 14 years myself. So I’ve essentially picked up rugby and all its uh legacy and and great elements about it and put it into Japan. So it is unashamedly a British boarding school, but with a day element too. So we have 50% day pupils, 50% boarding. And what it is is very much a holistic education. So our ethos is the whole person, the whole point. So, of course, the academics are very, very important to us, but then we offer lots and lots of activities and experiences outside of the classroom. And then we’ve got our boarding ethos where we really do want the children to thrive and enjoy each other’s company and and really enjoy what what we have to offer in terms of uh boarding school and socializing together and making friendships.
ISTimes Global: (01:26) Thank you for um bringing that up because I think for some Japanese families maybe they can find boarding uh a little bit intimidating. But uh maybe you can tell us more about that. Um how do you do you divide the kids up in houses or um do the kids have a role to play, you know, considering they are on campus 24/7.
Rugby School Japan: (01:47) Definitely. So we’ve got four boarding houses, two girls’ houses, two boys’ houses, and every pupil, be day pupil or a boarder is attached to one of the boarding houses. And what that means is that we’ve really set the culture where it’s a very kind, nurturing culture where the the boys and the girls interact with one another, they will socialize together. But also we’ve got the structures where we’ve got prefects and they become role models within the houses and outside of the houses. So each boarding house has pupils from year 11 all the way up to age 18. And that then um overseen of course by really important key house staff, house master, house mistress, an assistant, and also resident tutor, and then we have a house assistant also that looks after them. So there’s always adults there, but at the same time it’s about setting boundaries, setting the culture so that they really want to be there and they do, they’re very happy in that boarding environment.
ISTimes Global: (02:45) Excellent. I think that’s something that I’ve always wanted to experience uh as a child. Uh there is uh there is the name Rugby school. Um you know, people often talk about rugby is very special because you run with the ball forward instead of throw it back. Um how does that play into um the school?
Rugby School Japan: (03:06) Yeah, so, um I mean, I think the legacy of rugby school is important to us, but in terms of it it rugby school really invented character education and also boarding and and and it came up with the first boarding houses. So we’ve got that legacy to protect and nurture and that that character education and and what happened was that William Webb Ellis caught the ball 201 years ago, invented the game of rugby, but he was really brave to do that. And we want brave children. We want to really empower them to take brave decisions, to really enjoy different experiences here in Japan. And so those two things really really are what what binds the community together.
ISTimes Global: (03:48) With um one year down, couple more years that uh where do you want to see the school in five years? How do you want to see it develop here uh here in Japan? And may I also ask, how will it be unique to Japan and not just be a uh copy of the school in the UK.
Rugby School Japan: (04:11) Uh yeah, definitely. So at the moment we’ve got just under 230 pupils and we intend to grow to a maximum of around 760. So we’ve got some growth to do. We’re being quite selective with the pupils that we take on and the families because they need to understand our ethos. I think in terms of our uniqueness, one of the things that we’re doing is developing really unique, strong partnerships. So next door to us is the University of Tokyo and also University of Chiba and and we form partnerships with both universities. So University of Tokyo professors are coming in next week for instance to to look at our teaching and pedagogy and our pupils will go and visit their their PhD campus. So that’s an example of a partnership. Last week we um took a group of girls to Google and they met the worldwide chief exec of Google. It was fantastic. And again this
ISTimes Global: (05:01) Is this the one?
Rugby School Japan: (05:01) Yeah, I know. It’s fantastic experience. And that program was all about trying to get girls into tech and really pushing that. And again, a real unique partnership with outstanding world leading organizations. That’s what we’re about.
ISTimes Global: (05:15) Well, in years from now, you will have your first uh graduates.
Rugby School Japan: (05:19) Yep.
ISTimes Global: (05:20) Um what do you hope that when they leave the school uh that they keep with them? Um things that are seared in their mind as they go into the future, go off to wherever they choose to go.
Rugby School Japan: (05:32) Yeah, so um this year we will have our first graduates and they’re looking at applying to some very top universities. We know that we’re a stepping stone onto the onto the next place. So they’re looking at Oxford, they’re looking at London School of Economics, Yale, Waseda, Keio, um University of Tokyo. So some very prestigious top universities. And I think in answer to answer your question, what we’re what we’re trying to provide is a sense of giving them confidence to to that the the world is just limitless for them and that actually they should be taking all the opportunities whilst they’re with us, but also giving them the confidence to to go to the very best universities or to set up some businesses themselves and and really um know that they have the skills to do that.
ISTimes Global: (06:22) Well, Tony, thank you so much. I um look forward to visiting your school. And I think uh you probably have some very uh extraordinary kids. Uh thank you so much.
Rugby School Japan: (06:32) Thank you so much and we look forward to welcoming you to the campus.
ISTimes Global: (06:35) Thank you.
About Rugby School Japan
- British-style boarding/day school in Japan, founded 1 year ago
- 50% boarding students, 50% day students (current enrollment ~230)
- Four boarding houses (2 girls, 2 boys) with house system
- Holistic education focusing on character development
- Strong partnerships with University of Tokyo and Chiba University
- Plans to grow to 760 students with selective admissions
- First graduating class applying to top global universities (Oxford, LSE, Yale, etc.)
- Unique Japanese partnerships with companies like Google
- Based on Rugby School UK’s 450+ year heritage
- Located near University of Tokyo campus
- Focus on developing brave, confident graduates
