The British School in Tokyo - Showa Campus

The British School in Tokyo Showa Campus is located at Showa Women's University, 5th Building, 1-7-57 Taishido, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-8533. It sits in Setagaya Ward and is two train stops from Shibuya, providing easy access to central Tokyo. The campus sits on a university campus with extensive facilities and resources for secondary students.

BST operates two central Tokyo campuses. The Showa Campus serves Year 7 to Year 13, while the Azabudai Hills Campus (the Primary campus) serves Nursery to Year 6, uniting BST's primary and secondary provision on separate sites.

BST is co-educational and operates as a day school with no boarding facilities. The two campuses accommodate different age ranges: Azabudai Hills for Nursery to Year 6 and Showa Campus for Year 7 to Year 13.

BST represents students from over 65 nationalities; the school describes itself as multicultural and international. The most common nationalities are not published; BST does not provide a fixed local-to-international ratio in public materials.

BST provides Learning Support Services, including Learning Support, English as an Additional Language (EAL), counselling and medical teams, to support students across year groups. ASDAN courses offer an alternative, practical pathway for some students, with in-class and targeted support available. The school also offers a dedicated counselling team to assist wellbeing and transitions.

BST's curriculum is based on the National Curriculum for England, reflecting its United Kingdom alignment, while the school operates in Japan.

Religious affiliation is not designated; BST emphasizes a diverse, international community and does not promote a single faith as part of its core identity.

At Azabudai Hills Campus, students may bring their own lunch or have meals delivered by Kiwi Kitchen, while Showa Campus offers a canteen option for Year 10–13 via Showa Women's University. BST follows a three-term calendar with term dates published annually; some days end with midday dismissal, such as certain term days. Lunch and welfare arrangements are described in BST's School Operation details.

A school bus service is available to BST families, connecting the two campuses; many students also use public transport given the central Tokyo locations. Public transport access and the presence of a campus-side bus option are noted in BST materials and independent guides.

BST operates two campuses: Azabudai Hills Campus (Nursery to Year 6) and Showa Campus (Year 7 to Year 13), with the curriculum based on the English National Curriculum and taught in English. The Primary programme at Azabudai Hills delivers a broad, balanced, skill-based English National Curriculum with strong literacy and numeracy foundations and extensive extracurricular opportunities. In Secondary Showa (Year 7–11), core subjects include English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Science, and a Modern Foreign Language (French, Japanese, Mandarin or Spanish), plus Core PE and Learning for Life and Work, with three additional subjects drawn from Art, Business, Computer Science, Drama, Economics, Geography, History, Music and Spanish. From August 2025 BST delivers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) for Years 12–13, with the last A Level cohort completing in 2026. BST previously introduced BTEC Level 3 in Enterprise and Sport from August 2024 to broaden the senior curriculum, and ASDAN remains available as an alternative pathway. Enquiry-based learning and the BST Learner Profile underpin teaching, with the English National Curriculum enhanced by concept-based enquiry and a focus on international-mindedness.

The British School in Tokyo (BST) integrates Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into its approach to student wellbeing, treating wellbeing as both an ongoing, individual support need and a discrete area of focus. A multidisciplinary Student Support Services team delivers SEL-related support, including Social and Emotional Learning, English as an Additional Language (EAL), Counselling and Medical care, to help students thrive academically and socially. The Learning Support team provides in-class and additional targeted support across all year groups, while the Social and Emotional Support team offers individual and group interventions to develop practical social skills and executive functioning. Staff work in collaboration with families to reinforce SEL strategies and ensure consistent support across home and school. Safeguarding is embedded in the wellbeing framework, with trained staff and established procedures to promote student safety and resilience.

BST provides an inclusive learning environment with a dedicated Learning Support team that delivers specialised in-class and additional support across year groups. The school also offers ASDAN Courses as an alternative curriculum for students with special needs, and BST is currently the only school in Japan to offer ASDAN. The presence of Learning Support and ASDAN indicates provision for a range of needs within a mainstream setting, rather than a specialist SEN institution. BST does not describe itself as a specialist SEN institution on its public materials.

BST welcomes students who require English as an Additional Language (EAL) support, with EAL specialists who work with students, their teachers, and their families to develop English proficiency so students can access the full curriculum confidently. EAL provision is implemented through BST's multidisciplinary Student Support Services, indicating coordinated support across classroom and school life.

Mental wellbeing is supported through the Counselling team, social and emotional interventions, and medical care as part of BST's Student Support Services. Counselling involves one-to-one, class, and transition sessions, while the Social and Emotional Support team provides interventions to build emotional health and wellbeing alongside academic progress. BST emphasizes a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment as central to student happiness and resilience. BST Nurses and the Health & Safety structure underpin day-to-day wellbeing and safety, including health promotion and psychological care where needed.

BST is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all students, with a designated safeguarding framework and trained staff to respond to concerns. The school maintains a Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) team that coordinates safeguarding responses and provides staff with guidance on safety and child protection, with regular training aligned to international best practices and local regulations. The BST Safeguarding Policy informs trustees, staff, students, families, external providers and volunteers about responsibilities for safeguarding, and procedures are linked to Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. For Showa Campus, the Designated Safeguarding Lead is Kelly Diaz, and contact details are provided for reporting concerns.

Admissions Process (Showa Campus, Year 7–13)

1. Check Eligibility. Review BST's admissions policy and guidelines, and verify the child's age against the UK year-group system to determine the correct year group. Showa Campus serves students from Year 7 (around 11 years old) to Year 13 (up to 18 years old). The school is located at Showa Women's University, and enrollment materials specify the age-to-year alignment for ongoing intakes.

2. Complete Enquiry Form. Submit the Enquiry Form and create an account to begin the process. An admissions representative will contact you within 1–2 business days after the enquiry is received. If you already have an account, use the existing one rather than submitting a new enquiry.

3. Application Forms. Access to the Application Form is provided after the Enquiry Form is reviewed. An application fee of 40,000 JPY (non‑refundable) is payable on the Application Form. Ensure all required information is accurate before submitting the form.

4. Confirmation of Application. After submitting all checklist items and receiving a reference from the applicant's current school or teacher, the applicant is placed in the school's application pool. An interview or assessment is scheduled after documents and references are reviewed, and when space is foreseen for the applicant.

5. Interview/Assessment. If required, interviews or assessments begin in late February and continue into late June. The schedule depends on space availability and the applicant's year group. Parents should plan for possible in-person interactions as part of the decision process.

6. Admissions Decisions. Admissions decisions begin in early March and continue through the summer. For year groups that are full, openings may not be clear until May or later, so families should not expect immediate offers in all cases.

7. Enrolment and Fees. If a place is offered, enrolment steps proceed with the school's fee schedule: a non‑refundable enrolment fee of 500,000 JPY and an additional Educational Resources fee of 680,000 JPY are due as part of joining the school. Tuition is billed annually with per‑term breakdowns (Term 1, Term 2, Term 3) and is payable by bank transfer within the terms specified. Invoices are usually issued 8–14 weeks before the end of the previous term, and existing students' tuition is due within 4 weeks of the invoice date; the school does not accept cash payments.

Notes: BST shows that Showa Campus is Year 7–13 and located at Showa Women's University, with Showa address and contact details provided on the campus page. Applications for the 2026–2027 academic year are open.

Scholarships and Financial Support

Bursaries: BST offers a limited number of bursaries intended to assist eligible families who cannot meet the full fees. The bursaries cover up to 100% of the enrolment fees and up to 50% of tuition (including Capital Development Funds). The total number of bursaries is limited to about 7% of the student roll, and the availability may vary by year. Bursaries are not awarded to Nursery or Reception students and are subject to annual reassessment based on family means and progress. Eligibility requires meeting normal admissions requirements plus evidence of financial need and a demonstrable benefit of a British education; decisions are final and may not be renewed every year. The 2025–26 bursary cycle closed, with plans for the 2026–27 cycle to be published in February 2026.

Corporate Contribution Programme (CCP): BST also operates a CCP, a program that allows organizations with foreign employees to contribute to the school to fund corporate scholarships for dependents. The CCP is tax-efficient for participating companies and supports scholarships funded by corporate donations. To join, a company should contact the Development Office (or complete the form) to initiate the process; the arrangement can also be updated for existing enrollees. This program helps fund the school's scholarship offerings and facility improvements.

Waitlist / Pool (Showa Campus, Year 7–13)

BST uses an application pool system for admissions when year-group spaces are limited. After you submit the complete application and a reference is received from the current school or teacher, the applicant is placed in the application pool. Any interview or assessment is scheduled once space is foreseen for the applicant. Admissions decisions begin in early March and continue through summer; for full year groups, openings may not be clear until May or later, so applicants may remain in the pool for an extended period.