Enjoy this short video snippet about Dalton Tokyo from our 2025 Tokyo Expo.
Transcript
We spoke with Kevin Churchley (House Advisor / Teacher of English).
ISTimes Global: (00:00) Hello. I’m here with Kevin at Dalton Tokyo. Kevin, how was the expo today?
Dalton Tokyo (Kevin): (00:04) Oh, it was fantastic. We’ve been so busy. Uh we’ve been uh people have been talking to us all day from morning till now, 5:00. And in fact, we’ve run out of pamphlets. It’s great that so many people have joined us and it’s nice that uh so many people have uh taken all our pamphlets.
School History
ISTimes Global: (00:23) It’s awesome. Can you tell us a little bit about the background and history of Dalton?
Dalton Tokyo (Kevin): (00:27) Well, the Dalton plan is a very old plan developed by Helen Parkhurst in America 100 years ago. Our school, Dalton Tokyo is only six years old. In fact, this year, we celebrated our first graduates. It was very exciting for all of us, teachers, parents, and students. We’re all invested in the same, which is the good futures for our students.
Academic Life
ISTimes Global: (00:51) Great. Can you tell us a little more about academics at Dalton? What is learning like at the school?
Dalton Tokyo (Kevin): (00:56) Learning is at our school, our school is actually more like a college. Uh the students are responsible for their own learning. Uh we are uh partners in the project and uh the students pursue very much their own interests with our guidance and support. In English, we split our learners into three groups depending on their ability. That’s a standard, advanced and academic. The academic students are many of them have lived abroad. So their first language is almost English. So when they come back to Japan, we’re a great home for them. Our uh standard students are students without any experience of English. And if students are interested in English and they work hard, they do uh go up, they can increase their grade from advanced through to academic by the end of their studies.
Extracurricular Activities
ISTimes Global: (01:49) Great. How about extracurricular activities?
Dalton Tokyo (Kevin): (01:52) We have Oh yeah, we have lots of extracurricular activities. I’m an English teacher, but I’m also involved with the art club because I have a background in the arts. And we’re also able to when we do um dance, for example, in in other schools, the teachers cover the instruction, but for dance and for tennis and for soccer, we can bring in actual coaches. Our soccer coach is uh ex-professional player, Japanese uh player but uh played in Italy for an Italy Italian team. Our tennis coach is a ex-professional tennis coach. So we’re able to bring in bespoke special teachers for whatever courses we run.
A Day in the Life at Dalton Tokyo
ISTimes Global: (02:35) Awesome. How about a day in the life of a student at the school? What’s that like?
Dalton Tokyo (Kevin): (02:40) Well, I wish I could be uh teenager again because I have the choice, I would choose to study at Dalton. Students come in the morning, uh they they check in with their card, they meet in a group of friends. We take register. Senior high school students don’t have to attend for a whole day. They come and attend like a college for the lessons that they have on their timetable. Other students, it’s a joyous place. And unlike other schools, students have to be asked to leave. I remember when I was at school a long time ago, I couldn’t wait to go home. And actually my previous school before I learned at before I worked at Dalton, when the bell rang, the students were out of the door. Our students stay and we have to beg them to leave at 6:00 so that we can go home because it’s a fun place to be. Everybody wants to be there.
ISTimes Global: (03:31) Sounds like a wonderful school. Thank you so much.
Dalton Tokyo (Kevin): (03:33) It is genuinely, it’s a wonderful school. And it’s been a wonderful day. Thank you for having us. Thank you for this interview. Please come and visit us. See you next time.
About Dalton Tokyo
- Follows the Dalton Plan educational approach (100+ years old)
- School established 6 years ago (first graduating class in 2025)
- Student-centered learning model (college-style)
- English program with 3 ability levels (Standard, Advanced, Academic)
- Strong extracurriculars with professional coaches
- Flexible schedule for senior high students
- Vibrant school community (students stay until 6 pm)
- Focus on student responsibility and independence
- Prepares students for global opportunities
- Located in Tokyo with an international outlook
