International Education in Brunei
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Interested in moving your family to Brunei? You’re not alone. This small nation on the island of Borneo, bordered by Malaysia and Indonesia, has a large and growing expat community. With its booming economy (thanks to oil reserves), tax-free income and free healthcare, it’s not difficult to see why Brunei is a popular choice for expats.
With growing numbers of expats comes growing demand for international schools, especially in countries with a high standard of living like Brunei. While it may not have the huge choice present in neighbouring countries, for such a small nation Brunei has plenty to offer when it comes to international schools.
That said, demand is high for places in Brunei’s international schools and it’s not uncommon to enroll your child long before you move. Some schools will allow you to apply on your child’s behalf up to 2 years before they will actually attend.
Many schools offer a rolling admissions policy, which means that if you move to Brunei mid-way through the school year, your child does not have to wait until the start of the next school year to attend. The majority of schools operate the same calendar as international schools in Europe, i.e., the school year starts in Autumn and finishes at the end of Spring.
One significant difference between international schools in Brunei and schools in other parts of the world is the daily schedule. Here, school starts earlier in the morning and finishes earlier in the afternoon. Expect the school day to begin by 7.30am and finish by 11.30am/midday (or later for older students).
Another difference is that school bus services are not customary in Brunei’s international schools. You will need to organise private transport for your child to get to and from school. This is normal throughout Brunei - the country has a good road network and cars are the main mode of transport everywhere.
Much of the expat community in Brunei consists of non-Islamic people from English-speaking countries such as Britain, Australia and the USA. For that reason the British curriculum is by far the most popular in Brunei’s international schools, and English is the most common language of instruction. If your child does not speak English at native level, don’t worry. Many schools offer additional language assistance to get them up to the standard they need to be at.
In an international school in Brunei it is likely that your child will be exposed to children from a variety of different nationalities. Attendance is open to children native to Brunei as well as children from international families.
Below, we have compiled the top 5 international schools in Brunei according to our users. However, there are another 5 schools to choose from in the city. You can find the best international school for your child by personalising your results. Just fill in your search criteria, and we will calculate a personal score for every international school in Brunei based on your requirements.
