Enjoy this short video snippet about Malvern College Tokyo from our 2025 Tokyo Expo.
Transcript
We spoke with Bethany Manning (Admissions & Marketing Officer).
ISTimes Global: (00:00) Hello, I’m here with Bethany from Malvern College Tokyo. Bethany, welcome to the Expo.
Malvern College Tokyo (Bethany): (00:06) Oh, thank you.
School History
ISTimes Global: (00:07) Can you tell us a little bit about your school’s history and background?
Malvern College Tokyo (Bethany): (00:11) Of course. So, Malvern College Tokyo is a fairly new school. We’re only in our second year. Um, however, the name and the history and the logo is much older than that. Um, the original school opened in 1865 in the UK. Um, very small school with only 20 boys. Um, but it’s grown since then having schools all over the world, um, in China and Hong Kong and even in Cairo, Egypt and now us here in Tokyo. So, even though we’re a newer school, there’s a lot of rich history behind our school name.
Academic Life
ISTimes Global: (00:40) Sounds great. Can you tell me a bit about learning at your school? Are there any kind of special programs that your school has?
Malvern College Tokyo (Bethany): (00:47) Of course. So, within the IB, there may be a few other IB schools, um, but some fun things that are really specific to our school would be a lot of them like outdoor learning that the kids do. Um, we don’t want them just in the classroom all the time. Um, there’s a park right behind our campus. Um, because we’re in the Tama area out in Kodaira, there’s a lot of uh greenery around us. So we want them to experience that. Almost every classroom has a garden outside their classroom. Um, some of them are growing flowers, some of them are growing vegetables because they want to make salads for lunch and things like that. Um, another great thing is the STEM lab that we have. Um, so students will look at uh 3D printing, laser cutting, they’ll do some woodworking and sewing, anything from like doing the technology on the computer or working things with their hands. So it’s uh quite a wide range of things that they’re going to be trying out if they come to the school, so.
Extracurricular Activities
ISTimes Global: (01:37) Great. How about extracurricular things? How are some of the ways that the children get involved in the community outside of the classroom?
Malvern College Tokyo (Bethany): (01:45) So, outside of the classroom, so we have a lot of co-curricular activities or CCAs. Um, we have ones that are run by our teachers, but then also we have some outside vendors who come in. Um, for the ones run by our teachers, there’s like sports, academics, but then of course like uh more creative enrichment, um like a podcast club, a school magazine, things like that. But then of course sports, we have uh soccer, rugby, cricket, badminton, things like that. Um, we have like a manga and creative art writing or creative writing uh club as well. Um, there’s board game club and things like that. Um, from the outsiders, the outsiders that come into the school, um, we have like judo and aikido, we have dance for the students. Um, we also have gymnastics and then we have STEM and robotics club as well. Um, outside of those, um, the students will go, it’s more connected to class, but the students may go out into the community and um, even though our high school isn’t open quite yet, we’re starting to think about those internships and the volunteer work that the students could do in the high school. So, kind of looking at if they can go to like elderly homes or local preschools and work together with those to help out with some of the activities that they do there. Um, there’s a lot of opportunities and they’re continuing to grow, um, even though we’re only in the second year, but we hope to have a lot more opportunities for the kids.
A Day in the Life at Malvern College Tokyo
ISTimes Global: (02:59) Nice. Can you give me an idea of what a day in the life of a student at Malvern is like?
Malvern College Tokyo (Bethany): (03:05) Of course. So, our students start their school day at 8:20. So, they’ll, some most of them will arrive around 8:00 a.m. or so. A lot of them will come through, they’ll be greeted by one of us staff members. Um, a lot of them will kind of like hang out in their common areas and then when it’s time for class, they’ll move on. Um, throughout their day, they may be, maybe going to STEM class or art class, maybe they’re having math class or English. Um, their classrooms will actually look a little bit different in the elementary and the junior high school. The elementary school is a lot more fun. There’s uh a lot more like activities and things like that inside the classroom, whereas the junior high school students are kind of moving towards the activities. Um, they’re kind of up and about a lot more. Um, we do know, I because of the way I do my work, the students during their morning break time, they have a really fun time just in their common areas. Um, even if it’s raining outside, uh, they have some lounging areas. The kids really love the Yogibo on our campus. Um, they can hang out in the library. If a teacher’s available, they can go to the dance room and practice their upcoming competitions, things like that. Um, lunchtime is also really fun for them because it’s not them eating in their classes, they’re eating in their houses. So, kind of like Harry Potter, we have those houses. So, we have a lot of like our older kids are working together with our younger kids. They’re really great role models, playing together with them, all of those kinds of things. And then as their school day comes to an end, um, a lot of them will stay on campus until about 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. uh, doing some after school activities, working together with teachers, doing all kinds of stuff. Um, a lot of them also just love to just hang out at school and have fun until it’s time for them to go home.
ISTimes Global: (04:40) Okay, sounds great. Thank you so much for talking with me, Bethany.
Malvern College Tokyo (Bethany): (04:43) Yeah, thank you so much for interviewing me.
About Malvern College Tokyo
- Part of the prestigious Malvern College network, founded in the UK (1865)
- Tokyo campus was established 2 years ago
- Located in the Tama area of Kodaira
- IB curriculum with a strong outdoor learning focus
- State-of-the-art STEM lab (3D printing, laser cutting, woodworking)
- House system fostering community across age groups
- Extensive extracurricular programs: sports, arts, robotics, community service
- Unique features: classroom gardens, Yogibo lounges, common areas
- Strong emphasis on student wellbeing and mentorship
- Growing campus with plans for high school expansion
- International community with a global perspective
