Nestled in Bangkok’s bustling central business district, St. Andrews International School, Sathorn is a world-class international school that offers the most comprehensive British Reception programme in Thailand. With its holistic and community-centred approach to education, local and expatriate families trust this learning institution to nurture their children into becoming top-achieving individuals.

Accessibly situated on Sathorn Road, St. Andrews International School, Sathorn (or St. Andrews Sathorn for short) is a short walking distance away from Silom Road’s BTS Sala Daeng station. So, apart from its top-notch curriculum, the school’s proximity to the business district, where many parents consider their place of work, makes St. Andrews Sathorn the standout choice for those seeking the best Reception in Bangkok.

St. Andrews Sathorn in Bangkok is renowned for providing a safe space for children aged 2 to 11 years to develop essential skills and positive characteristics. That translates to the physical aspect of the school as it rests enclosed in a breath-taking heritage building that promotes a secure and vibrant learning atmosphere. It’s the ideal place for children to appreciate the beauty of diverse cultures during their early years.

For learners in their second year of kindergarten, St. Andrews Sathorn offers a unique chance to grow academically and holistically with children from various cultures. While our International Reception in Bangkok follows the English national curriculum, our teachers can still take a more global approach to teaching by arranging fun activities that help cultivate cultural appreciation among young minds.

Example: one of our International Week activities involves having our Reception children form groups to learn about their assigned country’s culture and people throughout the week. Activities like these offer fun ways for children to establish a deep appreciation and respect for cultures outside their own. Ultimately, this trait will set our KG2 learners on the path to becoming thriving global citizens.

What’s more, is that our school hosts learning amenities that foster comfort and interest in developing talents. We have well-ventilated classrooms, two air-conditioned hallways, an IT suite, a 25-metre pool, a music room, and a culinary facility, to name a few.

But perhaps what really polishes our claims as the school for the best British Reception in Bangkok is the fact that we’ve attained the admirable “Gold” rating from the prestigious Education Development Trust for the fourth consecutive time.

For four successive times and collectively, a decade, our school has consistently aced the strict assessments from the global organisation’s eight-part evaluation. One report even proudly states:

“The greatest attribute of the leaders of the school, and staff at all levels is that they care desperately about every one of the students in their care. They nurture, and inspire every one of their superb children, acting as excellent role models.”

With all those in mind, it’s no wonder why most Thai and expatriate parents think of St. Andrews Sathorn first whenever they want to enrol their child in an International Reception in Bangkok.

In Thailand’s school system, this programme is designed for learners in the Anuban 2 of the more extensive Early Years and Foundation Stage (EYFS). However, since St. Andrews Sathorn implements the British curriculum, our institution calls this stage ‘Reception’. Regardless of its title, our International Reception Bangkok programme strives to leave a lasting impact on our learners’ perception of education.

To achieve this, our school organises fun-filled activities tailored for children from the KG2 age group. In line with the EYFS Development Matters curriculum, each activity is designed to stimulate children’s development and love for learning.

At our British Reception Bangkok programme, we let our children learn through the principles of free-flow play. In other words, we encourage our learners to play in our outdoor area, sandpit, and indoor spaces so they can take on age-appropriate challenges. It is our way of aiding the children to discover the world around them freely and safely. We’ve crafted these activities to cover the following facets of the British-based curriculum:

1. Communication and language
2. Physical development
3. Mathematics
4. Personal, social, and emotional development
5. Expressive arts and design
6. Literacy
7. Understanding the world

Not only that, St. Andrews Sathorn also motivates our children to engage with one another and explore the world with their security as the top priority. Our free play and guided exploration sessions are led by our dedicated teachers and trained staff who advocate for holistic development. One of the ways our team does this is by identifying each child’s passions and favourite pastimes. With their interests incorporated into the activities, the children will be more interactive as we broaden their horizons one play at a time.

By combining free play and holistic development, we’re confident that every child in our International Reception in Bangkok is equipped with enough skills to become outstanding individuals in the future.

The world offers itself to the children’s imagination, and our teachers ensure they understand their surroundings better and develop lifelong skills in the process. That’s why we firmly believe in having young learners experience education in both indoor and outdoor settings.

Aside from outdoor-based learning, our teaching philosophy also highlights developing independence early. To help the children achieve that, St. Andrews Sathorn has diligent nannies ready to assist them in developing significant milestones, such as fastening large buttons, using scissors, and accomplishing house chores. Our staff’s empowering support will serve as every child’s stepping stone towards self-reliance.

Another way we promote autonomy is through independent feeding. Our British Reception in Bangkok considers consistent mealtimes essential to children’s everyday routines. So, we use every meal as an opportunity to motivate the children to eat with less adult assistance. It is a subtle way of refining their motor skills. Moreover, our friendly staff encourages our young learners to express their preferences freely regarding their food, activities, and interactions to instil confidence in their decision-making early.

Designed for learners in the second year of kindergarten, the St. Andrews Sathorn Reception curriculum considers all aspects of the Development Matters framework as building blocks to cultivate more complex skills and excel in a globalised world.

Our British International Reception in Bangkok highlights three primary disciplines that we consider integral in stimulating a child’s love for learning. These are the following:

1. Physical Development

A child’s formative years can be characterised by the development of their fine motor skills (using utensils, flipping book pages, picking objects) and gross motor skills (running, balancing, dancing). Therefore, our school organises sense-stimulating activities, like block building and independent feeding, to enrich a child’s coordination, spatial awareness, and physical strength.

While it is natural for children to refine these skills, St. Andrews Sathorn understands the dangers of having them do so unsupervised. To maintain our learners’ safety, we ensure our teachers and staff are always present whenever a child is engaging in physical activities within the school premises. Additionally, our school has a trained safeguarding team under the guidance of a committed safeguarding lead (DSL) whom parents can trust to protect their children from any potential dangers of harm and abuse.

However, although we have a trained committee for security, we still highlight that promoting a child’s safety should always be a collective effort of every person in our school.

2. Personal, Social, and Emotional Development

Developing healthy relationships in the early stages of life is crucial for personal, social, and emotional development (PSED). To help our young learners build bridges, our International Reception Bangkok programme highlights opportunities for children to understand emotions and learn ways to deal with them healthily. Exposing children to the beauty of diversity will also instil within them the importance of inclusivity in countering the prejudice that plagues modern society.

These learnings will be the foundation for fostering higher emotional intelligence (EQ). Having a high EQ then paves the way for better stress management and relationship maintenance—research claims these factors are some of the secrets to a long, vigorous life!

3. Language and Communication

Finally, our school takes pride in having a dedicated staff who listens and incorporates children’s interests into language-enriching practices. Our teachers hold conversations with the children and politely correct their speech or expand their vocabulary whenever necessary. It’s our loving way of boosting our learners’ confidence in communicating.

During playtime, we always encourage the children to verbally express their ideas, emotions, and dislikes, especially when they’re sharing thoughts and toys with other children. Activities like role-playing are also introduced to give our young learners a fun platform to practise their communication skills.

St. Andrews Sathorn doesn’t rely solely on our world-class curriculum and amenities to ensure each child’s success. We go above and beyond to advocate for holistic growth.

Starting with meals, our British Reception Bangkok programme supplies nutritious meals to complement the growing needs of every child. Freshly prepared and served in the classrooms, each meal offers options from all five major food groups. To promote safety and inclusivity, our school openly addresses each child’s unique dietary restrictions (whether for health or religion-related reasons), offering tasty alternatives so their meals remain balanced.

Lastly, we deeply understand the importance of sleep for children’s early years of development. That’s why we’ve designated nap times in our daily school schedule to help the children recharge for the activities that await them later. For everyone’s safety, our teachers and nannies will be there to watch over our little dreamers while they sleep.

This page offers insight into what children and parents can expect from St. Andrews International School, Sathorn. If you have further enquiries about our British Reception in Bangkok, we are more than willing to discuss our programme in person!

St. Andrews International School, Sathorn, belongs to a more extensive network of learning institutes in Thailand called St. Andrews Schools. We’re also proud members of the global group Cognita, which comprises over 100 schools in 16 countries, 12 curricula, and 90,000 enrolled students. Together, our schools strive to propel the world’s education to greater heights by producing empowered graduates confident in their skills to excel!

If you’re ready to explore our school with your child, we cordially invite you to schedule a personalised tour with our ever-welcoming admissions staff today.