A small school within a big school: how St Andrews nurtures its youngest learners

At St Andrews, safeguarding means ensuring every student feels safe, supported, and protected. Staff and students regularly take part in fire drills, evacuation exercises, and safety routines to stay confident and prepared for any situation. With certified training in first aid and emergency response, our staff are equipped to act quickly and calmly when it matters most. Students remain at the heart of every safety measure, and we’re proud to maintain a secure, well-prepared school environment—audited and supported by both local and international partners.

At St Andrews, the role of Head of Year is vital in supporting both the academic progress and personal development of every student. In Primary School, the Head of Year (or Year Leader) plays a key role in leading academic and pastoral support by ensuring consistent curriculum delivery, fostering student well-being, and creating a safe, engaging environment. While in High School, the Head of Year shifts focus to mainly pastoral care by overseeing student well-being, monitoring attendance, liaising with families, and offering early interventions to help students navigate adolescence and achieve their full potential.

The first day of school is a meaningful milestone filled with both excitement and nerves for students and parents alike. Here are some practical tips to help ease into the new school year with confidence. With a little preparation, the first day can be a smooth and uplifting experience for everyone.

Lewis, Class of 2025, shares his journey at St Andrews. Joining in Year 10 during distance learning wasn’t easy, but the warm and welcoming community made all the difference. He quickly embraced the international environment, making friends from all over the world and gaining a broader perspective. Read on to find out about his favourite memory from his time at St Andrews and exciting plans for the future.

This year, our students achieved an impressive average IBDP score of 33 points, exceeding the global average of 30.5. We’re also proud to share our highest-ever Diploma Pass Rate of 95%, well above the global average of 81%. These achievements reflect the strength of our inclusive programme and the dedication of our students, staff, and wider school community.

Summer camps are a valuable opportunity for students to continue learning and growing in new ways outside school. Children build confidence, develop new skills and interests, make new friends, and stay mentally engaged in a relaxed, supportive environment. Through hands-on activities in sports, arts, music, robotics, and more, students are encouraged to try new things, solve problems, and work together with students from different schools and communities come together.

Four senior students from St Andrews Bangkok proudly represented our school at the NAE Student Summit 2025, held at The Village School in Houston, Texas. Joined by peers from 52 Nord Anglia schools worldwide, they spent a week developing their leadership skills through workshops, hands-on activities, and expert-led sessions focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Highlights included working with UNICEF and the World’s Largest Lesson, volunteering at the Houston Food Bank to help provide over 12,000 meals, and presenting a capstone project on improving access to healthcare in Bangkok.

The Marble Run Expo at St Andrews Bangkok is a powerful example of how inter-year group collaboration enriches learning across age levels. Year 7 students, working as designers and project leaders, created personalised marble runs for their Foundation Stage ‘clients’ - an engaging challenge that fostered empathy, active listening, and creative problem-solving. Through this event, older students gained confidence, leadership skills, and the ability to adapt communication for younger audiences, while our youngest learners were empowered by seeing their ideas brought to life and felt inspired to incorporate some design elements in their own marble runs.

Year 5 students stepped out of the classroom and into the kitchen for a special Thai cooking class hosted by the talented chefs from getfresh. Under the guidance of the getfresh chefs, they learned about kitchen safety, teamwork, and, most importantly, the steps involved in cooking traditional Thai food like Tom Gai Kai and Lod Chong. The interactive session gave students the chance to discover new skills and connect with Thai culture in a fun and meaningful way.

Nine Year 11 and 12 students from St Andrews recently embarked on a service trip to Buriram in northeast Thailand to visit the Mechai Pattana Bamboo School, which has a unique model of education that blends academics with sustainability practices, entrepreneurship, and community development. St Andrews students engaged in hands-on activities and cultural exchange with local student boarders to gain first-hand experience for unique initiatives such as the ‘Agriculture for the Blind’ programme.