A line repeated often at ISJ is that the school would not feel out of place if it were lifted out of Jakarta and set down in Suffolk. This month, Year 7 and Year 8 pupils tested the idea in person, spending ten days at Ipswich High School in Suffolk as part of the annual UK residential.
Life on a British Campus
Pupils lived and studied at Ipswich High School for the duration of the trip, joining the rhythm of a British boarding school. Lessons sat alongside meals, sport, and downtime in the boarding house, giving the group an extended look at how a British independent school runs day to day.
London and Cambridge
The programme also took the group beyond the campus, with a series of excursions to London and Cambridge. Pupils visited landmarks and cultural sites in both cities, adding real-world context to what they had been learning in the classroom. The Cambridge visit gave many of them a first look at one of the university cities ISJ families often think about long before sixth form decisions are made.
What the Pupils Brought Home
The group returned to Jakarta with lasting memories, greater independence, and a closer understanding of life and learning in the UK. Spending ten days away from home, in a school several thousand miles from Jakarta, is a stretching experience at any age. For pupils who will progress through to GCSEs and A-Levels at ISJ, it is a useful early reference point.
Thanks are due to Dan Browning and Kaye Extance at Ipswich High School for their hospitality and support throughout the trip. ISJ hopes this is the start of a long partnership between the two schools.
The UK residential is part of the through-school journey ISJ is building from Early Years to A-Levels. More on the secondary programme is on the Senior School page.