Cover Gary Cairns, the head of the school and Catherine Ellis, assistant principal for teaching and learning, St Joseph’s International School Malaysia (Photo: Raisa Azzam)
Gary Cairns, the head of the school and Catherine Ellis, assistant principal for teaching and learning, St Joseph’s International School Malaysia (Photo: Raisa Azzam)
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Discover how St Joseph’s International School Malaysia, founded in 2016, has emerged as a hub of educational brilliance, fostering strong relationships, Lasallian values, and inclusive teaching practices
Since its inception in Malaysia in 2016, St Joseph’s International School Malaysia has emerged as a beacon of educational excellence, committed to fostering both academic accomplishments and the holistic development of its students. The institution consistently demonstrates a remarkable track record in academic achievements. For instance, in the 2023 IGCSE results, an impressive 70 per cent of grades attained A*/A, building upon the remarkable 75 per cent from the previous year in 2022. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) also boasts impressive statistics, with 32 per cent of students scoring over 40 points in both 2022 and 2023.
However, the school’s success extends well beyond these notable exam results. It has paved the way for its students to gain admission to esteemed institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University in the USA, and the University of Oxford, underscoring its unwavering commitment to preparing students for global success. Notable alums include former students who pursued medical careers in the UK, now esteemed doctors who continue to contribute to the school’s student body, and individuals who ascended to the presidency and vice presidency of the prestigious Oxford Malaysia Club.
Read more: SJIIM’s Gary Cairns on why values-driven education outlasts good grades
St Joseph’s International School Malaysia was established in 2016
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Beneath this exceptional success lies a deep and mutual bond between students and teachers, forming the cornerstone of St Joseph’s International School’s educational philosophy. As Gary Cairns, the head of the school, passionately asserts, “We make it clear to potential candidates that strong student-teacher relationships are essential to us, even before they join our school.”
The institution actively seeks educators who share this vision and encourages them to lead by example, ensuring that students feel valued both within and outside the classroom. Cairns further elaborates, “Obviously, it’s about curriculum experience and where you taught, but we give an equal amount of time to asking about the teacher’s character and personality. We make it very clear to candidates that the ability to connect and have strong relationships with students is just as important as having strong subject knowledge and curriculum background. We look to recruit, not only exceptional teachers, but exceptional people.”
Above Lasallian values help shape the school’s culture
Above Cairns and Ellis are proud of the school’s Lasallian values (Photo: Raisa Azzam)
Lasallian values help shape the school’s culture
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Integral to this approach are the Lasallian values that shape the school’s culture. These values provide a common language not only within St Joseph’s but also among similar institutions nationwide.
Cairns expounds, “It allows us to articulate the ethos important to us and be held accountable. These values emphasise community, respect, and care, creating a supportive and caring environment that enriches students’ lives. It’s got that long 170 plus year history (the first Lasallian school, St Xavier’s Institution opened in Penang at 1852) that allows us to identify what’s important in a community. Whatever background you come from in terms of nationality, race or faith, what unites us is that we’re Lasallians”.
See also: The most beautiful international school campuses in Malaysia
The school’s commitment to inclusive learning, deeply embedded in its heritage and name, is evident through its rigorous quality assurance program, prioritising differentiation across the curriculum. Catherine Ellis, assistant principal for teaching and learning, explains, “We promote teaching practices that benefit all students and ensure our most able are stretched and challenged through various opportunities and competitions.”
The elementary school curriculum is reviewed and adapted based on current educational thinking and the changing needs of the students
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One such practice is the inclusion of metacognition into their teaching process. “It’s a way of encouraging and teaching students to really be conscious about their thinking processes and their problem solving processes. But it has to be an external thing that is taught to students in the various contexts of their lessons,” says Ellis.
Emphasising its continued importance, she notes, “It just elevates their ability to learn and self regulate and move forward in a more motivated way. For example, there are things called exam wrappers, which would come before and after an exam or a test. They (the teachers) would take step by step approaches to what might come on the exam, what type of question it might be, what strategies a student might use to approach that question and what they might do if they get stuck.”
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Above For Cairns and Ellis, experiences are as important as academic success (Photo: Raisa Azzam)
For Cairns and Ellis, experiences are as important as academic success (Photo: Raisa Azzam)
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While academic success remains paramount, St Joseph’s International School aspires to nurture well-rounded, inquisitive, and critical thinkers. Ellis adds, “For us, we would, of course, want our students to do well in the exams, but if they just walked out of here with a piece of paper, and that was it, we wouldn’t feel like we’ve done our job properly. We want our students to be ready for the real world, to not just be ready to receive it, but to be ready to contribute to it as well,” she says.
And to enable them to do that, the school places importance on experiences, from internships to co-curricular activities and even space camps. “The co curricular activities like the pre-med program, where we’re getting external doctors to talk to our students or the World Scholars Cup, we’ve got all of these opportunities to push our students out of their comfort zone and experience something different,” muses Ellis.
She shares a transformative example of Year Seven students who took part in the World Scholars Cup, stating, “In six weeks, they’ve gone from being scared and nervous, and not really knowing how to structure an argument to getting up there (on the stage) and having such poise and presence and being able to make a really clear argument.”
Above In 2023, 70 per cent of grades for IGCSE were A*/A while 32 per cent scored over 40 points in its IBDP
Above Students are ensured to be academically successful and holistically rounded as well
In 2023, 70 per cent of grades for IGCSE were A*/A while 32 per cent scored over 40 points in its IBDP
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St Joseph’s International School Malaysia is a paragon of academic achievement, student well-being, and the cultivation of strong student-teacher relationships. By emphasising Lasallian Values, mentorship, and inclusive teaching practices, the school has not only achieved remarkable examination results but also created a nurturing and supportive environment that empowers students to excel and thrive in an ever-evolving world.
Limited places are available for specific year groups for enrolment in January 2024. Admissions for the academic year 2024/2025 are now accepting applications. To learn more and to arrange a private consultation session, please visit www.sji-international.edu.my or email enquiries@sji-international.edu.my.
Sim Wie Boon is the general manager of Tatler Malaysia. Previously the print and digital editor, Sim hails from the land of the hornbills, Sarawak. Sim is now based in Kuala Lumpur and brings more than a decade of experience in the media industry as a journalist and broadcast producer.
As a self-proclaimed geriatric millennial, he appreciates the finer things in life, from savouring a sip of single malt whisky to relishing in the deliciousness of char siew. While reminiscing about the indie-sleaze era, Sim now finds solace in the soothing tunes of ambient music, staying active through running and occasionally succumbing to the addictive world of doom scrolling.
Follow him on Instagram or Threads at @simwb
