Social and Emotional Development in the First Five Years

In the first five years, a child’s brain develops rapidly from a quarter size of an adult brain at birth to around 80% of an adult brain by the age of 3, and then almost 90% of an adult brain by the age of 5. Brain connections start to develop from birth through their experience and interactions and by using their senses to learn about the world around them.

Despite the fact..

Support Environmental Sustainability with Upcycling of Plastic

Our school has embarked on an environmental sustainability journey since last year with various exciting developments happening at both campuses as shared in this article here. 

In order to further support the great work done by our students, The Alice Smith School Foundation purchased a plastic upcycling machine last March, working in partnership with The Sea Monkey Project ..

Cool Things to Do With Kids in Kuala Lumpur

The stunning capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, is well known for its iconic landmarks, rich history and friendly people. It is also an amazing place to raise your family. But if you’re new to the city or just haven’t had the time to go exploring, we have a selection of excellent places to go and activities to do with children.

Some are adventurous, some are educational and..

Top Fun Facts About Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is Malaysia’s capital city that combines the heady mix of famous landmarks, iconic skyscrapers, tourist attractions, locals’ favourites and historical sights. The largest city of this fascinating country – home to around 2 million people – is known for its fascinating and colourful culture as well as being rich in its natural reserves. 

Image source:..

Everything You Need to Know About International Schools

The number of international schools offering education to students of all ages around the world, like the Alice Smith School in Malaysia, is constantly growing. They are an important part of an expat community and families in many countries.

But if you’ve not heard of international schools and you don’t know how they work, here is our beginner’s guide to international..

Starting school confidently

Starting school is an exciting time for young children and their parents. It can be a daunting time, too. Chat with your child about starting school. What do they think it will be like? What are they most looking forward to? Is there anything they’re unsure or worried about? Be sure to listen to their concerns and help them to overcome them.

Here are a few ways parents can..

Playing at The King’s Birthday Party 🎂

Our musicians were delighted to be invited to play at 'The King’s Birthday Party' - the British High Commission's biggest event for decades! For our String ensemble, Brass group and Flute ensemble it was their final external engagement of the year. One of our performing students, Scott (Y13), who is this year's recipient of the BMCC Prize for Music and will be attending the..

Learning in the Garden: Cultivating Young Minds in an Early Years Setting

In today's fast-paced world, where technology often dominates our lives, it is essential to create spaces where young children can reconnect with nature and learn through hands-on experiences. At the Alice Smith School, our commitment to holistic education encourages learning both indoors and outdoors in our Reception Early Years setting. In this blog post, we will explore the..

We are back with all things Eco at JB and EP!

We are thrilled to share the exciting developments happening at our JB campus, where waste reduction has become the key focus following our environmental review. Led by our passionate Eco-warriors, we launched a ‘reduce waste with polished plates’ campaign, aiming to significantly decrease the amount of food waste left behind at lunch and break time in the deli. 

Writing the Next Chapter of Alice Smith for Student Agency: Reaffirming Our Purpose Part II

In this week's blog our Head of School Ms. Sian May shares some more about why she feels the new Purpose statementis important to our school's future.

Why purpose? 

"The world is changing"

"What is not debatable is that we are experiencing the rapid growth and influence of new technologies on all our communities offering new and creative solutions to existing challenges and..

Writing the Next Chapter of Alice Smith for Student Agency: Reaffirming Our Purpose Part I

Over the last few weeks our Head of School, Sian May, has been introducing the KLASS Community to our new school Purpose statement. In this week's blog Ms. May answers some of the questions we have about why we should have a purpose statement and what it means for the school going forwards. 

What do you think of Alice Smith’s history and standing in the region? 

"Alice Smith..

Rejection Can Often Lead to Redirection & New Opportunities

We are delighted to see the university and college offers #KLASSof2023 are receiving. In this blog post, Asif tells us more about his college application journey.

I am thrilled to share my college application journey with all of you, and it has been such a wild ride! As a high school senior, I had my heart set on Upenn and applied ED, only to receive a rejection letter. It..

Celebrating our Diversity - The Netherlands

King’s Day is when the Dutch celebrate the birthday of their King 👑. Originally Princess’ Day, it was celebrated on Princess Wilhelmina’s birthday on 31st August. The feast involved many children's games and decorated streets. After the death of Wilhelmina’s father, it was changed to Queen’s Day.

What are A Levels in the UK?

A Levels or Advanced Levels are the passport to university entry in the UK and are also widely accepted by universities and colleges around the world. They follow GCSE qualifications and offer a higher standard in their examinations, with fewer subjects chosen for these qualifications. Students select their subjects in year 12 and go on to take the exams in year 13; these two..

What Are GCSEs in the UK?

The General Certificate of Secondary Education, more commonly known as GCSEs, are taken by students in the UK aged 14-16 years. GCSEs are taken at the end of year 11, although studies for these exams begin in year 10 (or sometimes earlier in year 9). The work is mainly a theory-based study of a subject mixed together with practical work, depending on the nature of the subject.

Why An International School Is Good For Your Child’s Education

If you want your child to graduate from their school as a confident, curious, and well-rounded human being, then an international school may be the answer.

A broader education

Even though your child will still attain certain academic standards and pass their all-important graduation exams in preparation for university, they’ll also have learned many other life lessons that..

What is an International School?

An international school offers a diverse education to children and usually educates its students outside of the national curriculum of its location. For example, the Alice Smith offers a UK curriculum even though the school is based in Kuala Lumpur.

Image source: Unsplash

International schools are often multinational and, as well as the more formal courses on offer, the..

Inspiring Must-Read Books for Expatriates

As you know, moving abroad is both an exciting and daunting experience. 

It's exhilarating exploring a new place with your family, but it can also create quite a few questions in the mind of an expatriate. 

How can I help make the transition easier for our family? What is it like being a parent as well as an expatriate? How will living as an expatriate affect me and my..

How Does Alice Smith School Encourage Community Spirit?

As the first and the oldest British international school in Malaysia, the Alice Smith School has a long history of community service. For over 70 years, our efforts to help others has helped shape and sustain the future of Alice Smith as a very successful, not-for-profit educational institution since its humble beginnings in 1946. As a result, community service and helping..

Guiding young people through the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Part II)

The conversation continues with Dr. Shanton Chang, Professor of Information Behaviour and Information Systems at the School of Computing and Information Systems, and Associate Dean at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, from the University of Melbourne. Dr. Shanton has extensive experience in international education having been involved in recruitment,..

Guiding young people through the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Part I)

We had the pleasure of having a conversation with Dr. Shanton Chang, Professor of Information Behaviour and Information Systems at the School of Computing and Information Systems, and Associate Dean at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, from the University of Melbourne. Dr. Shanton has extensive experience in international education having been involved in..

How Service Learning Can Benefit Your Child

Some would argue that examination results are the most important outcome of a child’s schooling, giving them the best possible opportunity to get into university. In many ways this is true, but we believe that learning goes way beyond subjects and grades.

Service learning can be a great tool to provide a strong foundation for children’s development and life beyond school.

What's the Difference between Selective and Non-Selective Schools?

For many parents, selecting a school for their child can be a minefield – international or not? Academically-led, or vocational? Boarding or day school? One of these choices is selective versus non-selective schools. But what is the difference, and which one is better for your child? 

What is a selective school?

Selective schools are schools that offer their places based on a..

Alice Smith School Wins International Marketing Award

We are delighted to announce that Alice Smith School won a Bronze at the InspirED School Marketers Brilliance Award for our Inbound Marketing Social Media campaign entry.

The Brilliance Awards is the only international competition that recognises excellence in private and independent school marketing and communications. The Awards are sponsored by InspirED School Marketers,..

6 ways to help your child develop early reading skills

The World Literacy Foundation suggests that 'Parents should encourage early reading habits in their children because a learned child can have a bright future and make an impact on society as they grow.' They cite 7 benefits of early reading:

1. Brain development
2. Early vocabulary development
3. Improved reading 
4. Better writing
5. Better communication
6. Creating a hobby
7. Professional..

Simple Malay for Expats: Learning the Local Language in Kuala Lumpur

As a first-time expat in Malaysia, it’s important to learn basic phrases in the local language to feel closer to the community and have the opportunity to interact with those around you in a respectful way. 

Learning the local language can help you broaden your knowledge, learn something new and better understand the culture. 

Below you’ll discover 10 basic Malay phrases to..

Eight Ways To Help Your Child Revise

Exam season can be stressful and nerve-wracking for children and for their parents. You might find yourself struggling to help your child through their exams, or feel like you could be doing more to help. Here are some tips on how you can better support your child through their exams and help them with their revision.

1. Give them a dedicated study space at home A dedicated..

Parent Workshop with Early Years Expert, Jan Dubiel

Our parent workshops are designed to help support your role at home as well as our role at school and we are delighted to share with you our next exciting Parent Workshop with Early Years Expert, Jan Dubiel.

Guest: Jan DubielTheme: Learning in the Early Years

Date: Wednesday, 11th January 2023Time: 8am - 9amVenue: Primary Campus School Hall, Jalan Bellamy

Save the date and..

Early Years: Alice & Smith - Benefits of Learning Music

Did you know that music is one of the few activities that uses both the logical and creative sides of the brain? Music has the ability to strengthen the connection between the body and brain to work together as a team.

Music and movement comes naturally to children of all ages. Even infants will bounce, sway, smile or wave their hands along to their favourite tunes. It is..

A Conversation with ... David Bott

The latest guest in our “A Conversation with” series will be David Bott, an author and expert in applied wellbeing science. Our Head of School, Sian May, will be talking with David on Tuesday 6th December and we invite you to join in the conversation. This session will focus on the 5 psychological needs of our children and how we can meet these needs to have the greatest..

A Conversation with... Prakash Ravindran, Clinical Psychologist

Following our first event when we hosted Dr Gerard Calnin, we have invited Prakash Ravindran, a Clinical Psychologist from Kuala Lumpur to join our next parent conversation. Prakash leads Oasis Place’s Social Thinking and Malaysia Day Camp and also plans and facilitates social communication sessions across age groups. Prakash is registered with the Malaysia Society of Clinical..

Early Years: Alice & Smith Develop Skills Through Juicing

Who doesn’t love a freshly squeezed glass of juice to cool down? This is a great activity to do with your child who will get so much more from it than a healthy refreshing juice.

When you get the fruit and juicer out, ask your child 'What do you think we are going to do?' and 'What could we do?'. This questioning will develop your child’s communication and language skills...

Early Years: Alice & Smith Early Years PE Lessons

The Physical Education (PE) department is passionate and dedicated to our provision for Early Years children and feel that your child’s experiences in their PE lessons build the foundations for happy, healthy and active lives. We deliver a programme which has been carefully considered for our Alice Smith students using Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS).

Your child will..

Inspiring Day With Swimming Sensation, Ben Proud

What a privilege to host alumnus Ben Proud on campus! Ben was a student from Reception to Year 11 when he left to pursue a career in elite swimming. Since then, Ben has gone on to win 3 x World gold medals, 5 x European gold medals and recently 5 x Commonwealth gold medals. Here's a recap of our amazing day at both campuses.

Celebrating our diversity! Brazil

The celebration of our very international student body continues today the 7th September, with our recognition of the Independence Day of Brazil.On the 7th September 1822, a declaration of independence from Portugal was made by Pedro di Alcantara, the son of the Portuguese King. The day is also referred to as ‘Sete de Setembro’, 'Dia da Independência' or 'Dia da Pátria'.Brazil..

Early Years: Alice & Smith wash the windows!

Our students love playing with water and they like doing things that grown ups do too. So when our Reception Classes washed the windows it was tremendous fun!

They experimented with how hard they needed to squeeze..

Why Parents Should Care About Professional Development for Teachers

“Highly effective teachers are able to produce much greater gains in student achievement than their less effective counterparts.”

Pamela D. Tucker and James H. Stronge, Linking Teacher Evaluation and Student Learning

Simply put, the better the teacher, the more likely students are to succeed. The studies quoted in the book above illustrate not only that quality teachers..

Part 3: Questions to ask when choosing an international school

Here is our final instalment of questions to ask when choosing an international school for your child. You can read the first instalment of this series here, and the second instalment here.

1. What is their staff turnover?

High staff turnover is a key issue for any business in any industry - including education. According to research, the average tenure of an international..

Part 2: Questions to ask when choosing an international school

Here are the next sets of important questions to ask when choosing an international school for your child. You can read the first instalment of this series here.  

1. What extra-curriculars do they offer?

Most schools offer extra-curricular activities alongside their traditional core subjects – whether they are international schools or normal schools. Extra-curricular..

Part 1: Questions to ask when choosing an international school

As a parent searching for schooling, considering an international school for your child is a good idea. With rising demand for international schooling, particularly in East and South-East Asia, according to ISC Research, forecasts suggest that international schools will host almost 7m pupils by 2023. This can make your job of picking a school difficult and you may not know..

Why should I pay for my child to play?

The play based approach is core to our Early Years philosophy here at Alice Smith. Our teachers provide support and challenge as our children learn through play. This creates a highly personalised and tailored environment, which is appropriately challenging for each individual child.

Our aim is to ensure high levels of emotional wellbeing and involvement. This is..

Celebrating our Diversity! USA

The final celebration of the diversity of our student body for this academic year is the Independence Day of the United States on 4th July. 

Fourth of July is a federal holiday, commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the US on 4th July 1776.The Second Continental Congress declared that the 13 American colonies were no longer subject to King George III of the Kingdom..

Early Years: Alice & Smith make their own perfume

Our students had a wonderful time making perfume and, although they didn’t realise it, they were working on their core skills for maths and literacy, developing their fine motor skills and using their imaginations at the same time! 

Like all good projects, let's start with an..

5 tips to help you in raising global citizens

The importance of raising your children as global citizens cannot be emphasized enough, but what are some ways to actually do so? Even when your children are young and you make the decision to help them become globally aware, how do you achieve this goal?

Below we outline five tips to help you in raising global citizens. 

1. Read, and Then Read Some More

Reading provides..

Model United Nations: Beyond Debating

In this week’s Secondary Blog, I am delighted that our Year 8 student, Sachdev, has prepared a thoughtful and impassioned account of his thoughts and experience on participating in Model United Nations (MUN), including the recent MUN SEASAC Conference. Not sure what MUN is? Well, keep reading…  

"I first started participating in the Model United Nations Extra Curricular..

How an International School Education Creates Global Citizens

It is widely argued that to become a successful leader in their future career, students must possess a strong sense of global awareness. Global citizens are those who look for ways they can help, work with others, and stand up and use their voice for the betterment of the world. Those who fight for universal equality and sustainability. 

At Alice Smith School, we strive to..

Celebrating our diversity! Indonesia

Continuing with the celebration of our diverse and international community, on 1st June we celebrate the birthday of Pancasila, the state ideology of Indonesia. The ideology was introduced during a speech by Indonesia’s founding father and first president Sukarno on 1st June 1945, prior to Indonesia gaining its independence.

Learn Something New Everyday: PE Teachers CPD

In PE we love to learn new things and over recent weeks our PE & Sport Department have been busy developing our knowledge across a range of activity areas.

During the Easter break our dedicated team of swim coaches spent two exhausting days upskilling their Lifeguarding skills by taking the ‘National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches’ (NRASTC) qualification. 

The..

We ❤️Alice & Smith!

If you have been to the Primary School you have probably already met Alice and Smith - they are our friendly teddy bears who can often be found sat in Reception. They make regular appearances at our school assemblies and on our social media feeds. They are a fun loving pair who enjoy school and seeing what our children get up to every day! So we thought why not let them join..

Retrieval Practice - Making Learning Stick at Alice Smith

In this week's Primary blog post our Year 5 Leader, Marym Elagha, talks to us about the work she has been doing this year with the Key Stage 2 (Years 3 to 6) teachers on applying retrieval practice into their classrooms.

"Over the past 12-months, I have worked with the KS2 teachers at our primary campus on applying retrieval practice into their classrooms. This..