Looking for a top class British education in central Shanghai?
Looking for international school standard facilities with a community feel and emphasis on pastoral care?
Looking for an extensive language program, an abundance of after school activities, all rounded off with academic excellence?
Then allow us to introduce Britannica International School Shanghai.
Smaller Class Sizes
A huge plus factor at Britannica is the smaller class sizes of 12-15 pupils… and often lower.
It truly allows a personalized learning approach, meeting the needs of each child, supporting their well-being, and challenging them to maximize their progress.
High quality child-adult interactions are key in supporting a student’s development and identifying their next steps in their learning journey, and the school places great importance upon these.
Britannica’s teacher retention rate also makes for a stable environment for young learners…
Impressive Teacher Retention Rate
Britannica International School Shanghai consistently boasts an impressively high teacher retention rate; this year it was 90%!
This is well above the international and local average, and has been a key factor in its continued growth and school improvement.
More than that, they have filled all of their newly available positions with highly qualified, international quality educators well ahead of the start of the 2024-25 school year.
Full International School Facilities
All this talk of smaller size and community feel could have you thinking it comes at the cost of international school standard facilities. Not the case!
Britannica International School boasts…
A big outdoor sports field with running track.
Full-sized theater and rehearsal room.
Extensive Music Department.
Not just one huge sports hall… but two!
Swimming pool.
Tennis court.
Comfortable, well stocked library.
Multi-Million RMB Campus Upgrade
Last year, Britannica International School Shanghai took advantage of the summer break to embark on a multi-million RMB campus upgrade project, including a new STEM Center (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
For more on that, click on the link below.
READ MORE: Britannica School in Multi-Million RMB Campus Upgrade
Arrange a Tour
Don’t just take our word on all of the above – go and take a look for yourself. Meet up with their super friendly admissions team, check out the awesome facilities on offer, and get a feel for the kind and caring Britannica community.
To arrange a bespoke tour of Britannica International School Shanghai click here or scan the QR below:
And read on to hear more about the academic side of life at Britannica.
Outstanding Languages Program
Mandarin
Looking for a top international school education, but not at the expense of Mandarin?
The Britannica curriculum features five compulsory Mandarin lessons a week for all students up to Year 9, with two additional lessons for native Mandarin speakers.
Students in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 now have the option of two additional Mandarin lessons, meaning up to nine Mandarin lessons weekly.
World Languages Program
At Britannica, they never forget the value of your child’s cultural identity.
In addition to the core curriculum, they support language development, offering an extensive World Languages Program to provide native language lessons throughout the school in Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Hebrew, all of which are delivered by specialist native-speaking teachers.
Britannica also have specialist teachers offering the highest quality English as an additional language (EAL) program. In addition, all teachers are trained to deliver a curriculum to both English first language and second language students in their classroom.
After School Activities
Encouraging, respecting and nurturing each student’s areas of interest outside of the curriculum plays an important role in their academic development.
At Britannica, they offer over 140 after school activities. From robotics and cooking club to yoga and drama, they ensure your child will have the opportunity to explore a wide range of co-curricular activities outside of the classroom.
One of last year’s After School Activities was focused towards a staging of Porridge, a hilarious song-filled play that left parents and fellow pupils in stitches of laughter.
Britannica Primary students that selected it as their After School Activity underwent rehearsals and hands-on stage and prop preparation, making for a fantastic performance.
Early Years
Children learn and develop more from birth to five years old than in any other time in their lives, so it is essential that children in Early Years are fully supported in developing the skills which enable them to become lifelong learners.
We’re talking about resilience, the confidence to face challenges, to think creatively and work in collaboration with others.
At Britannica, they pride themselves on combining an inspirational learning environment with a kind and caring community. One that recognizes that each child is unique and on their own learning journey, all the while delivering the best of British Education.
In fact, the benefits of a Britannica Early Years education warranted its own article – you can read that by clicking the link below.
READ MORE: The Importance of a High Quality Early Years Education
Location, Location, Location
Finally – and this can be a big factor when deciding on a school – Britannica is located on Gubei Lu, close to the downtown area, making it easily accessible, with numerous bus routes and short journey times for students.
Because who wants their kids stuck on a bus for a couple of hours every day?
Britannica International School Shanghai, 1988 Gubei Lu, by Wuzhong Lu 古北路1988号, 近吴中路
Arrange a Tour
To arrange a bespoke tour of Britannica International School Shanghai, and find out how close it is to your home, click here or scan the QR below:
Principal & Parental Testimonials
We caught up with Principal Paul Farrell and three different parents – Italian Gaia, Canadian-Chinese Paolo and Brit Ian, the latter of whom told us:
“The tone of the school is set by Mr. Farrell having his office by the main door, with parents welcome to drop in as they pass.”
So we decided to start right there, with a brief introduction from Principal Paul Farrell…
Best of British Education in an International Environment
Britannica Principal Paul Farrell
“As a parent, you want the very best for your child’s education. At Britannica International School, Shanghai, we work in partnership with our parents to achieve this.
“Located in the heart of the city, we successfully blend the highest quality, rigorous British education through the English National Curriculum, with an international learning environment that is positive, constructive and a happy place for your child to spend their day.
“Students aged 2 to 18 come to Britannica for our strong British roots and truly personalized approach to learning, which enable your child to achieve the very best that they are capable of at IGCSE and A-Level.
“Our commitment to maintaining a low teacher to student ratio, with small class sizes, means we have the time to identify, celebrate and develop excellence in every child.
“We are the only British-owned and managed school in the city, and a fully accredited school by both COBIS and CIS.
“At Britannica Shanghai, we combine high academic standards with excellent pastoral care to help nurture our students into becoming the global citizens and leaders of tomorrow.”
On the Warm Environment & Community Feel
Britannica Parent Gaia
“We arrived in Shanghai in 2015, and when we visited Britannica it was love at first sight for the warm environment, the great facilities and the welcoming teachers we met,” says parent Gaia.
“We also liked the relatively small size of the school – it helps getting to know each other and being familiar with other parents, the teachers and the leadership team. The voice of the parents at Britannica is always heard.
“With the help of Friends of Britannica – the parents association – the school also organizes events to build our sense of community.”
It is a sentiment echoed by fellow parent Paolo:
“While the teaching standards at Britannica are very high, what impresses me most is the ‘caring’ feeling I have from the teachers.
“Different principals and different schools have different styles, and the present Britannica principal has created an atmosphere and image of a ‘caring school,’ which makes you and your kid feel looked after and respected.
“My daughter is only in Year 3 and, at this age, being in a friendly and caring school campus can help build her confidence and ‘sunshine’ character, which will benefit her future life.”
For Principal Paul Farrell, home-school collaboration is essential for a school to be successful:
“The relationships between families and the school are vital to the success of our students. I encourage parents to become involved in every way possible. The collaboration and support teachers and parents are able to give each other is invaluable.”
On Teacher Quality & Retention
“In my opinion, the quality of the teachers is the strength of Britannica,” says Gaia. “They are all great professionals and we like their dedication in developing each child’s potential. My children love them!”
On the Language Program
“The Language Program is amazing because it helps to keep our mother language alive without having private tutoring at home,” says Gaia.
“Thanks to this program my children, for which English is now the first language, are maintaining an excellent level of spoken and written Italian.”
After School Activities
Says Britannica parent Ian:
“The after school activities that my daughter has done give a good idea of the range of options offered: badminton, table tennis, drama, orchestra, IT games, manga drawing, choir, film club, logic games – and there are plenty more options!”
Gaia agrees:
“In seven years my children have experienced so many After School Activities, I can’t remember them all!
“Highlights include ultimate frisbee and dodgeball for my son, and Britannica Voices, swimming and Drama Club for my daughter.
“The level is very good, and thanks to the wide variety on offer my children are able to have many different experiences and choose what they like.”
Final Thoughts
Britannica parent Ian
Says Ian:
“We can thoroughly recommend the school: Excellent teaching staff; friendly atmosphere; impressive range of language classes; students encouraged to achieve best possible results; regular, but reasonable, testing; concern for students wellbeing; good balance of nationalities; and equal number of boys and girls.”
Says Paolo:
“Britannica offers ‘deep’ knowledge education to kids from a young age, and this satisfies us parents of Asian origin who want our kids to learn more in school as well as being happy.
“Yet, I feel it is better than the Chinese school curriculum, as there is a wide range of discussion between the teacher and the pupils in class; I am happy to see my daughter has a wide range of knowledge on subjects that interest her, instead of reciting manual book knowledge as kids in Chinese school do.
“Britannica also gives us a sense of ‘being cared for,’ from the principal to the teachers of all subjects.”
Says Gaia:
“I couldn’t recommend Britannica more. In my opinion it is the best place to enjoy a very high level education in a really inclusive environment where everyone feels appreciated, encouraged and welcome.”
Arrange a Tour
Once again, to arrange a bespoke tour of Britannica International School Shanghai click here or scan the QR below:
[All images courtesy of Britannica International School Shanghai]
