Jerudong International School

Jerudong International School
Motto "Achieving Excellence"
Established 1997
Type International school
Headmaster Barnaby Sandow, Principal
Founder HRH Prince Jefri Bolkiah
Location Jalan Jerudong
Bandar Seri Begawan
BS8672
Brunei Darussalam
Staff 150 full-time
Students 1,380
Gender Co-educational
Ages 2–18
Colours Maroon, navy and gold
Affiliations FOBISSEA, HMC, IAPS
Website jis.edu.bn

Jerudong International School (JIS), established in 1997, is a boarding and day school in Brunei. The school sits on a single campus in Jerudong that occupies almost 300 acres (1.2 km2). The school was founded by HRH Prince Jefri Bolkiah as a co-educational institution for pupils, aged 3 and 18 years, awarding A-level, GCSE and International Baccalaureate (IB) qualifications. It is governed by a board of directors whose members include representatives from the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) and the Bruneian Ministry of Education. The school is a member of the HMC (Headmasters and Headmistresses conference), Federation of British International Schools in South East Asia (FOBISSEA), the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS) and BSA (Boarding Schools Association).

Art centre

Jerudong International School (JIS) officially opened its own multi-million-dollar Art Centre on 17 October after a year of building construction. The $26-million building is the largest of its kind in Brunei. The centre consists of a theatre, an auditorium with a capacity of 725 people, an exhibition gallery, a large dance studio, a music rehearsal studio, as well as other smaller music, drama and dance studios.

School day

The schedule for the school days in Jerudong International School has changed numerous times over its years.

A school day is divided into 6 periods that typically last for 55 minutes that do not include lunch and mid-morning breaks. Co-curricular Activities (CCAs) are observed everyday before school, during lunchtimes or after school so a typical student would leave school at around 4.45 pm.

Accreditation and subjects

Jerudong International School is accredited by AQA, Edexcel, CIE and OCR to award its students GCSE and A-Level examination. The IBO has accredited the School for the IB Diploma.

Students undertaking the GCSE examinations are offered a choice of Accounting, Art, Business Studies, Design and Technology, Drama, Economics, English Literature, Food Technology, Geography, ICT, Music and Statistics, in addition to the mandatory subjects of Mathematics, English and the Sciences which are offered as a triple award. Students take a minimum of 10 subjects in GCSEs.

A-Level students are offered Media Studies, Further Mathematics, Music Technology and Psychology in addition to the subjects offered at GCSE. Students are also given a choice of Biology, Chemistry and Physics as singular subjects. A-Level students undertake 4 subjects at the start of their A-Level as well as doing the IELTS or English Language to AS-Level.

Since August 2011, JIS has offered the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme. The first graduates gained their Diplomas in July 2013 with 100% pass rate including students gaining 45 points, 44 points and 40 points. Average point score for the first cohort was 35 points approximately.

Language courses, for either A-Level and GCSE, can be taken up by students at the start of the academic year include Bahasa Melayu (O-Level and Foreign Language), French, Spanish, Mandarin and Urdu as well as Ugama classes for Muslim students. Enrollment in the accredited language courses usually depend on the level of proficiency exhibited by the students although classes for complete beginners are also available.

Co-curricular activities

Co-Curricular Activities(CCAs), which are observed everyday before, during and after school, play an important role in the JIS education system. JIS offers sport, music, leisure and academic. JIS offers the Duke of Edinburgh's Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.

Academic

Leisure

Sport

Music

Jis orchestra

The JIS orchestra is one of the few orchestras in Brunei and has performed for international dignitaries such as HRH Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, Prince Charles of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. As an expression of appreciation after a private concert, HRH Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah gave the JIS Orchestra the Brunei model of the Fazioli concert grand piano was produced with inlays of precious stones, mother of pearl and exotic woods.

Higher education policy

One of the foremost priorities of the school is its aim to establish itself as a pre-university powerhouse. JIS prides itself on the high calibre of its students that mostly go on to top UK universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, UCL, St Andrew's, Imperial and Durham.

Notable alumni

References