One of Britain’s top schools whose star-studded alumni includes Winston Churchill and Benedict Cumberbatch is set to open a campus in Japan.
Harrow School plans to open its first Japanese branch on the north-eastern coast of Honshu, the country’s main island, in August next year.
The Harrow International School Appi Japan (Harrow Appi) will host up to 912 boarders aged 11 to 18 at the base of Mount Ryugamori in Appi Kogen, Iwate Prefecture.
Boys and girls attending the school will follow a ‘British model’, studying for IGCSE and A Level examinations in what the school describes as a ‘stunning natural setting’.
Harrow alumni, known as Old Harrovians, include seven former British prime ministers – including Winston Churchill and Robert Peel, and the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Harrow School plans to open its first Japanese branch on the north-eastern coast of Honshu, the country’s main island, in August next year, where up to 912 boarders aged 11 to 18 at the base of Mount Ryugamori in Appi Kogen, Iwate Prefecture
Twenty Old Harrovians have been awarded the Victoria Cross and one the George Cross.
Thanks to its prime location, Appi-pupils will enjoy ‘green and white seasons’, with access to one of the largest ski resorts in Japan, a 36-hole golf course and mountain bike trails.
The prestigious independent school, founded in 1572, costs £13,925 a term or £41,775 a year.
It boasts an impressive ‘alumni cabinet’, including Lord Byron, Winston Churchill and Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as more recently Benedict Cumberbatch and James Blunt.
Classes at the new school will usually be limited to between 12 and 18 students depending on the year.
Some lessons will take place outdoors, with geography students able to study local mountains and rivers.
Others, who are taking economics, will learn what makes the world famous Appi ski resort such a successful business.
Drama and music students will also take inspiration from the area’s natural beauty, while budding biologists can conduct ‘fascinating experiments’ in the school’s lake.
For those who prefer sports, Harrow Appi is equipped with an indoor swimming pool and 18 tennis courts.
Harrow alumni, known as Old Harrovians, include seven former British prime ministers – including Winston Churchill and Robert Peel, and the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru as well as Benedict Cumberbatch and James Blunt (pictured: Harrow School London)
Harrow International Schools, which are operated by Asian International Schools Limited, will provide K-12 ‘high quality’ British education.
It is not the first time Harrow has ventured to Asia, having opened a school in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok.
But it is also not the only school in the UK eyeing up a move to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Rugby School in Warwickshire, once attended by Neville Chamberlain, also plans on setting up a campus across the Pacific.
Matthew Knowles, Director of the British Council in Japan, said: ‘Harrow students are well-rounded and confident, active and engaged in the classroom and beyond.
‘The extensive co-curricular programme broadens horizons, instils a sense of adventure, and fosters leadership, teamwork and resilience.
‘Harrow School in the UK has a reputation for high academic standards, with a breadth of curriculum to enrich and challenge its students.
‘To have such educational provision in the secure and beautiful setting of Appi Kogen will be unique among international schools.’
For interested parents, Harrow Appi is offering monthly information seminars, the next of which is on Saturday, June 12, 2021, when the Founding Head will also be announced.