The Rt Hon Nick Gibb praises 'The International School @ ParkCity' in Kuala Lumpur for ISQM gold-rated standards following visit alongside EDT

The International School @ ParkCity has been accredited with our International Schools Quality Mark (ISQM) for seven years. The ISQM is awarded subject to rigorous quality standards, demonstrating that a school has shown high standards of student achievement, an effective curriculum, effective use of resources, a successful leadership team, and partnerships with parents and the community. Alongside inspection, we also offer continued advice and support to ISQM-accredited schools. 

The school’s Nicholas Belcher (Principal), Andrew Dalton (Director of Education), and Nathan Phipps (Deputy Head of Primary) showed Nick, alongside our Director of Research Dr Richard Churches, our Director South East Asia Dr Louise Pagden, around the Early Years Centre and the primary and secondary campuses, and demonstrated how the school’s ethos and culture is a model of our ISQM accreditation. 

During the visit, we saw the very best practice in reading through the integration of decoding (the ability to apply letter-sound relationships to correctly pronounce written words), phonics, oracy, and linguistic comprehension, through the school’s high level of commitment to dialogue and understanding the meaning and context of words and language. 

The Rt Hon Nick Gibb’s reflections on the visit:

It was a humid and hot Kuala Lumpur day when we arrived at the leafy suburb of Desa ParkCity to visit the International School @ ParkCity. 

This is a remarkable school built and owned by the property developer who created the whole community of houses, apartments, open spaces and services – such as a major hospital and schools – from a large area of undeveloped land. 

As we toured the school as guests of the Director of Education, Andrew Dalton, the quality of the school building became apparent; a building that would be every head teacher’s dream. Indeed, the large new extension to the school was built to Andrew’s exact specifications. It has wide open corridors, spacious classrooms, well-equipped science labs, lots of communal areas and a huge swimming pool, not to mention a rooftop astro-turf pitch and al fresco dining. 

The behaviour of the children we met was exemplary, reflecting an earnest conscientiousness. It was a joy to see primary school children engrossed in books in the beautiful and comfortable library.  

As we dipped into classrooms, quiet study and attentive students were in view, and on the walls of the elevator, posters proclaiming the school’s high level of achievement in this summer’s A level exams. 

We know from EDT’s ISQM report into the school, published last year, that its GCSE results are also extremely strong, with high levels of A and A* grades and almost all pupils achieving at least a grade C.  

45% of students at the school are Malaysians with some 53 languages being spoken. 

The deputy head of the primary school, Nathan Phipps, puts a premium on his pupils’ reading, with the school using the acclaimed ‘Read Write Inc’ phonics scheme to teach children to read. 

I loved walking around the school with its leadership team, the interior cool despite the heat outside. It’s a school that serves the new but settled community of Desa ParkCity, and it’s a school that richly deserves the gold standard awarded to it under the ISQM inspection and school support system. 

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