On the school opening day of 10th September 2020, Headmaster Thomas Banyard was one of the first to arrive at King’s College International School Bangkok.

He was ready in front of the turnstiles and welcomed each of the families as they arrived at the school. The Headmaster was later joined by Professor Sakorn Suksriwong, Chairman of Executive Committee, and we had a dialogue with the two of them. 

How do you start with a school? 

We started by finding King’s College School, Wimbledon, one of the world’s most academically successful institutions who wanted to adapt their education to a country and culture that shared their core values of kindness, good manners and wisdom. From there, we focused on two things: where we were going and who we wanted to go with us on this journey. 

Where are you going?

The vision for the school has always been clear: we are going to be one of the best schools in Asia, placing student wellbeing and their happiness at the centre of everything we do. We wish to teach all members of our community that success can only be achieved by being kind to ourselves and others. Exam success by itself is not good enough without developing the whole child; we are creating a culture where children can follow their interests and be the person they wish to become. Our ultimate goal is to build great hearts and not just to develop great minds. 

Who is going with you on this journey?  

We are incredibly selective in three areas: parents, students and staff. This is because the huge amount of time we spend on recruitment will help us to achieve our goals. We select parents who understand the King’s Bangkok ethos and want their children to have hobbies and interests, to be happy at school and to succeed in different ways. We select students who are curious and able to give their best in many areas. We select staff who are hardworking and talented, but most importantly, who can be role models for our children. 

As we speak, we have been open for just a few weeks and have achieved so much in this time already. The month leading up to our opening involved a long and varied induction programme where we made sure that our staff understood how our education works. Everyone understands how to be positive with our students, to get the best out of them and to help them love their school. We also put time into teambuilding to knit our team together and show to the staff coming from overseas just how beautiful Thailand and its culture are. We were also lucky enough to be able to show our parents around the school and run parent induction events to build a sense of community within the parent body. The support from parents has been a key asset in successfully opening King’s Bangkok. 

When we finally opened our doors to students, only one word could describe the emotion: joy. The parents, staff and children were so happy to be part of King’s Bangkok and understood the huge privilege it is to be part of this journey. These feelings have only increased as the children settled into their routines and came to love their teachers. This is such an important step in the journey we will take to building great hearts. We must first engage and inspire our young women and men, and through supporting and extending them, they will achieve whatever it is they set their sights upon. 

The journey towards a great heart is already underway and many parents are interested in joining us on this path. If you would like to find out more about the school or tour our beautiful campus in Ratchada-Rama 3, please contact admissions@kingsbangkok.ac.th or visit www.kingsbangkok.ac.th.

Quick facts about King’s College International School Bangkok 

• King’s College International School Bangkok (King’s Bangkok) is a King’s College School Wimbledon International School. 

• King’s College School, Wimbledon, a top boys’, or co-ed, school in London for 3 consecutive years, is one of the most academically successful schools in the world. Around 25% of all sixth form students go on to attend Oxford or Cambridge each year. In 2019, 50% of all sixth form grades were A* at A level or 7 at IB Higher Level and 83% of all GCSEs were graded A* or 9/8. 

• King’s Bangkok has genuine input from King’s College School, Wimbledon to ensure that we can mirror the success of one of the UK’s best schools. In addition to the curriculum, King’s Bangkok has welcomed teachers who formerly taught at King’s College School, Wimbledon and teachers who passed the final interview with the Senior Leadership Team at King’s College School, Wimbledon. 

• King’s Bangkok strives for academic excellence while recognising that student wellbeing is paramount through outstanding pastoral care and working hard to ensure that students are offered a wealth of additional learning experiences, including a comprehensive and exciting co-curricular programme. 

• King’s Bangkok opened its doors to students on September 10, 2020 for over 300 students from Pre-nursery to Year 6 with a student-centred and value-led curriculum for both boys and girls. Applications for boys and girls ages 2-15 (Pre-nursery to Year 10) are now welcome for the academic year 2021. “Years 11–13 will open in the subsequent academic years”