Southbank International School is a selective, mixed independent school located in the City of Westminster, Kensington and Hampstead, London, England. It is an international school for 3 to 18 year olds, from Early childhood to Key Stage 5. It has three campuses serving the educational needs of the international community in central London and surrounding areas.
It is an International Baccalaureate World School, authorised to deliver all three of the IB Programmes.
Southbank Hampstead and Southbank Kensington are both International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (“IB PYP”, from Early Childhood to grade 5) schools. Southbank Westminster offers the IB Middle Years Programme (grade 6 to 10) and the IB Diploma Programme (grades 11 and 12). One of the peculiarities of the Primary Years Programme at Southbank International School is that the pupils are taught to play violin or cello using an adapted “Suzuki Music Programme” from age five.
The Southbank Westminster campus occupies two sites at Portland Place and Conway Street (by Fitzroy Square).
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Southbank International School was founded on September 12th 1979 as the American International School. It opened in September 1980 in a disused primary school on the south bank of the River Thames near Waterloo station with 80 upper school students. In line with its founding principles, the school's name was changed to Southbank American International School, following staff and pupil suggestions.
In 1982 the school moved to Eccleston Square near Victoria Station and by 1985 a secondary section was added, and the IB Diploma Programme was eventually adopted. In 1987 the School's name changed again to Southbank International School.
In January 1989 the School moved to the present Kensington campus, and with an ever-growing demand for places the Hampstead campus opened in September 1996. In June 1996 MYP authorisation was achieved and this was followed in June 2000 by PYP authorisation. Southbank International School then became the first school in the UK, and one of the first twenty schools in the world, to be authorised to offer all three IB programmes.
Demand for places continued to grow, and in September 2003 the Westminster campus opened. In December 2006 the Milton Keynes based private company Cognita became the major shareholders and Southbank International School became the first in Cognita's international division. Cognita has run into serious criticism of its management of Southbank International School with a parent group claiming it has "no serious interest in maximising the educational experience of... children if it impacts on their bottom line". Cognita denied the allegations, claiming that its profits were in line with others in the sector. Discussions with the parent group are ongoing.[1]
In August 2007 grade 6, 7 and 8 were amalgamated at the Westminster campus and to cope with the extra numbers the Conway Street annexe of the Westminster campus was opened as an IB Diploma Programme centre for grades 11 and 12.