Since its establishment at the top of Penang Hill in 1955, The International School of Penang (Uplands) has proven to be one of the leading international schools in Malaysia, where the promise of quality education is realized within an international teaching environment.
Uplands School is a multicultural and multinational community. With the school Motto: "Respect for self. Respect for others", Uplands upholds the core values of good conduct, care, cooperation and understanding, and that a multiracial school must exist in harmony and unity. The school aims to foster a learning environment that further nurtures rounded individuals who will make invaluable contributions to the society in which they live. At Uplands, there is always a strong system of pastoral care. Students are always encouraged to be self-disciplined in pursuing academic excellence, embracing challenges, and undertaking risks they come by in their course to future success. The student to teacher ratio of 8:1 means that more comprehensive attention can be granted to each individual student by his or her teachers. Uplands also offers students a range of stimulating sports and extra-curricular activities that cultivate teamwork, self-confidence and broaden their skills and talents beyond the classroom. Every student is recommended to take part in at least one activity per term.
Students at Uplands also get to enjoy adventurous trips overseas, to expand their horizons beyond conventional classroom-based studies. The Uplands School Student Council allows students to have a voice in the day to day running of the school, ably representing the interests of their peers. Boarding students at Uplands also enjoy the added benefits of fully integrating themselves within campus life while learning to be independent.
THE IB DIPLOMA, IGCSE AND PYP PROGRAMS
For children at Uplands who are 5 to 11 years old, Uplands offers the Primary Years Program (IB PYP) of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). In June 2006, Uplands became the first school in Malaysia to be authorized by the IBO to offer their IB PYP. At Years 7-9, the Secondary School offers a broad base of studies leading to the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). At this level, Uplands aims to prepare students for higher education and their role in the world.
Ultimately, the Uplands School curriculum is focused on providing the best preparation for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program, reserved for students between 16 to 19 years old. Uplands is an IB World School, a center for the University of Cambridge International Examinations Program, and also an EDEXCEL Approved Center. Uplands has one of the best IB Diploma Programs in Southeast Asia that is taught by experienced teachers with international qualifications. Uplands students consistently achieve examination results that are above the global average, and thus have successfully gained admission into some of the most prestigious universities worldwide, including Oxford and Cambridge Universities in the UK. Under the IB Diploma Program, students take six subjects, with three subjects at Higher Level and Standard Level respectively. There are also the compulsory core subjects which students undertake in order to be secure the full diploma: the Extended Essay (a 4,000 word dissertation), Theory of Knowledge and the CAS program (activities followed outside the class which involve Creativity, Action and Service). At IGCSE, students study a core of English Language and Literature or ESL, Mathematics, Co-ordinated Science, and PE. Modern Foreign Languages, Humanities subjects (including History, Geography and Economics), Art, Drama, Information Technology, Media Studies and Design Technology are also offered. For more information on Uplands, visit www.uplands.org
