Sydney Japanese School (SJS) was established in 1969 and is situated on a 5.6-hectare tranquil bushland setting adjacent to Ku-ring-gai National Park in Terrey Hills. The school’s teaching focuses on a co-educational, bilingual, co-cultural model, which aims to assist children to become confident learners in a dual-language, nurturing environment. SJS is equally for children of Australian or other nationality permanently resident in Sydney and for Japanese-born children temporarily living in Sydney. The school is structured in two academic divisions — Japanese and International — that by policy and practice interact by design throughout the school year.
Children enrolled in the Japanese division are educated in Japanese in accordance with the Japanese curriculum, and by teachers sent on contract direct from Japan. Children enrolled in the International division are educated in English in accordance with the NSW curriculum, by teachers appointed from within Australia. All students have daily lessons in both English and Japanese, the goal being to encourage bilingual skills and confidence by the time they enter high school. The Japanese division enrols at any point from Grades 1 to 9, the international division at any point from kindergarten to Year 6. Strict uniform regulations are followed by all students.
Facilities: Ample new modern air-conditioned classrooms, extensive computer access, large modern library, gymnasium, professional-standard athletics sports field equipped with expansive play areas under shade-cloth, Japanese garden, government bus stop in school grounds.
Curriculum: The school’s curriculum has been developed around the Japanese national model, and the NSW Board pf Studies Kindergarten to Year 6 model. Physical Education, Visual Arts and Music are joint classes of the Japanese and International divisions, influenced by the Japanese curriculum and managed by team-teaching between Japanese- and Australian-trained teachers. Intensive instruction is provided in both Japanese and English as mutual elements of bilingual study, fluency being the goal for all children.
Instruction in speaking, listening, reading and writing Japanese is provided daily for children of the international division, and in English for children of the Japanese division. The cultures of Japanese and English origin are taught throughout.
Sport: Athletics, basketball, Japanese athletic arts, soccer, swimming (lessons provided), table tennis, T-ball, tennis, uni-cycle.
Extracurricular activities: Annual camps, cooking, horticulture, music, pottery/art, tea ceremony.
Enrolment: 190 students.
Welfare and personal development: At the heart of the SJS education model are self-respect, social respect, mutual acceptance of cultural differences, self-discipline, discipline, working as part of a community, the welfare of the group, and also individual educational growth for opportunity in life. In the Japanese division at Years 7 to 9 levels, 30 hours are devoted to careers guidance. There is a strong emphasis on self-discipline and mutual acceptance of cultural differences and welfare of the group. Strict uniform regulations are followed.
Special features: Now in its fourth decade, SJS seeks to guide and provide for children in their academic education, make bilingual confidence possible, and encourage harmony between cultures through harmony of the individual within the group. It also teaches children to strive toward a future of international peace and goodwill. Classes are smaller than is typical in NSW, with each class being taught by a class teacher, supported by specialist, often “native-speaker”, colleagues.