View Mothers:Schools
There are several options for Western women with children in Japan.
Japanese schools
The Japanese education system consists of public (free or with some minimum costs, depending on your income) and private (fees must be paid) schools. Both types consist of pre-school (age 3 to 6), elementary school (age 6 to 12), junior high education (age 12 to 15), and senior high education (age 15 to 18). The Japanese school year begins in April and ends in March. Children of foreign residents are eligible to enter both public and private Japanese schools. The following information pertains to public schools. For private schools, contact the schools directly.
Foreign residents need to apply at their ward office for their children to enter the public schools. For public senior high schools, a child must have completed a total of nine years of school education, in or outside Japan. Public high schools hold entrance examinations in February, in Japanese, covering Japanese, social studies, mathematics, science, and English.
The Japanese education system values academic success and social conformity. Japan has an incredible literacy rate of 99.7 percent and 37 percent of school children go on to universities or other forms of higher education at age eighteen. Learning styles focus on the memorisation and understanding of facts and information, and students are not encouraged to question ideas or to express or develop opinions.
International schools
There are many international schools throughout Japan where the students are mostly children of foreigners, although some Japanese attend. Many international schools take children from elementary through to senior high. Class sizes are small, usually around fifteen students per class, and the curriculum may be based on a number of curricula from other countries. Fees are high but the quality of education is generally thought to be very good and what you would expect from a school at home.
Alternative schools
There are some ‘alternative’ schools, such as Montessori, in Japan. Class sizes vary and each school has its own admissions policy, fee system, and ethos. Again, contact the schools directly.
Home schooling
Given the choice of a fairly regimented Japanese school system or an expensive international school, home schooling is becoming increasingly popular amongst foreign families.
Special needs
If your child has learning difficulties, there are some organisations and individuals in Japan that can provide assessment and recommendations as well as educational and emotional support. As to whether a school can accommodate your child’s specific needs, this very much depends on the school. Japanese schools usually cannot provide for children with learning difficulties.