“We are delighted to be working with Hakko Automotive on this exciting project, bringing an outstanding international education culminating in access to the best universities around the world, to the beautiful city of Kobe.”
Providing an ambitious international education in the heart of Kansai
Nurturing the next generation of leaders
A family of top performing international schools
NLCS Kobe is the newest member of the expanding NLCS family of schools, which are based in the UK, South Korea, the UAE, and Singapore. Our school is committed to providing an exceptional academic education within a welcoming and supportive community. Focused on nurturing the next generation of leaders, our school emphasises international standards of wellbeing. We strongly believe in the potential of each individual, and our mission is to help every student discover their passion and strive to make a meaningful impact globally.
In today’s increasingly globalised world, international schools are on the rise, aiming not only to cultivate language skills and knowledge acquisition but also to empower children to find their own answers to open-ended questions. Our rigorous education programme is designed to challenge and expand our students’ horizons. With dedicated staff, passionate about guiding and inspiring others in their subjects, we encourage students to be curious, creative, and adaptable thinkers, and support them in becoming independent and self-driven learners.
NLCS Kobe will open its doors in August 2025, as the newest overseas branch of NLCS schools. Our school will be a selective co-educational day school for students from Grade 1 to 8. The School will be based in the AsiaOne building on Rokko Island, Kobe, with good access to the commercial centres of Osaka and Kobe, as well as the airport and port areas.
We believe that a happy student is a successful student, and a balance in school life is essential. We will recruit some of the best teachers from around the world; they will be highly qualified and will inspire their students to discover a love of learning that will last a lifetime. Teachers will be carefully selected for their love of subject and will spend time at NLCS (UK) to ensure they understand and share the NLCS school ethos. They will encourage students to explore beyond curriculum boundaries and discover their own passions. Our teachers will know their students well and celebrate each one as the individual they are. The school will feel busy and purposeful, with warm and respectful relationships developed between staff and students and between the students themselves. It will be a place where everyone matters.
We believe that by supporting students in every aspect of their lives, and removing all barriers to learning, they will perform to their full potential. We will address any issue that can affect a child’s learning with conviction, professionalism, and purpose. We will also ensure that our students have a balanced approach to their school years, which will include appropriate levels of sleep, exercise, social activity, and academic pursuits.
Our educational philosophy is founded on three core pillars. This approach originates from our mother school in the UK, drawing on 175 years of educational history and tailored to meet the needs of our students here in Japan.
Ambitious Education
To offer an academically ambitious education, instilling a culture of scholarship and a life-long love of learning.
Individualised Care & Support
To create a warm and vibrant atmosphere, with a genuine care for every individual, where pupils can achieve their best and flourish.
Extra Curricular Enrichment
To support a rich programme of activities outside of the classroom, where pupils can explore academic and non-academic interests.
A fundamental feature of an NLCS education is our outstanding performance in the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams and the subsequent admissions to top universities.
Founded in 1850, our mother school NLCS (UK), is one of the oldest girls’ schools in the UK. Over the past 20 years, it has consistently ranked among the top in the UK for GCSE, A-Level, and IB Diploma examinations. In 2023, it was named the number one IB school in the UK, with an IB average of 41.53. Additionally, 18% of its students were admitted to Oxford, Cambridge, and Ivy League universities in the US. More than 80% of NLCS graduates attend The Times top 100 universities worldwide. The school was also named “The Sunday Times Independent School of the Year” twice, in 1999 and 2006, and continues to be recognised by the British media for providing the highest level of education in the UK.
It is generally said that international schools find it difficult to maintain and replicate the quality of education and environment of their main campuses in their overseas branches, often resulting in lower performance compared to the main school. However, one notable feature of NLCS is that our overseas branches also achieve top-class results. NLCS Jeju boasts an average IB score of 36.1 (ranking 39th globally in the IBDP). Similarly, NLCS Dubai, has an average IB score of 37.2 (ranking 30th globally in the IBDP) and NLCS (Singapore) has an average IB score of 36.7, maintaining a high standard across our campuses. This success can be attributed to the careful adaptation of the curriculum to respect and incorporate the values and environment of each country where the overseas branch is located.
We are deeply committed to providing an outstanding educational experience for our students, with a commitment to developing positive relationships, a nurturing environment and open communications.
That we can foster the drive and determination that will enable them to make a difference to the world.
It is our responsibility to provide them with “floors, not ceilings” so that we can nurture their individual talents, confidence and self-worth and enable them to “run their own race”.
And that we should embrace, encourage, celebrate and learn from difference and diversity.
Learning is something to be prized, and that education means much more than following a prescribed examination syllabus.
and that a culture of scholarship should extend beyond the classroom and should permeate the wider life of our schools.
Intellectual curiosity and critical inquiry are central to the success of our students in their time at school and in their future lives.
We should be looking outwards, and contributing positively to society and the wider world.
and nurturing a positive spirit of collaboration in all our interactions.
Once construction is complete, our permanent senior school site will sit on the scenic Rokko Mountains. Located in the densely wooded hills overlooking the port of Kobe, our school will provide a tranquil atmosphere, giving students the opportunity to study in a unique natural setting, enhancing their educational experience.
A unique curriculum will be adopted that leverages the natural environment of Mount Rokko to further our students’ individuality, with the aim to provide a world-class education that will attract attention from abroad. The rich natural environment of Mount Rokko in Kobe will greatly contribute to the well-being and the learning environment at our school. Additionally, the natural surroundings of Mount Rokko will provide excellent access to the urban area of Kobe (Sannomiya), making it attractive for both students and faculty in terms of lifestyle. Enhancing the well-being of faculty is extremely important for attracting good teachers, which in turn will lead to high-quality education.
