It seems like a strange thing to say, but our first impression was to notice the absence of that ‘school smell’. You know that reminder of your own school days; a combination of perspiration, dirty laundry and disinfectant with a hint of freshly sharpened pencils. It is a smell like no other, but not at Beaconhouse Yamsaard School (BYS).
We asked International Principal Matthew Allen why this was so. He immediately understood what we meant by a ‘school smell’ and said a team of cleaners were constantly on the job, deodorising and replacing that unfortunate smell with something far more pleasant. His own take on school life is the slogan – “where friendships begin and long memories are made”; but no bad memories of that school smell here!
As well the International Principal, there is also a Thai Principal, Ms Pilaporn Chamchoy.
That’s typical of how the BYS operates, including duality in teaching staff with one Thai and one foreign teacher to each class. Apart from their English language proficiency, teachers also have a tertiary qualification in their chosen subject whether that is Science, Mathematics or any other subject.
International Principal Matthew and some happy school children Apart from being student friendly with lots of smiling faces in the schoolyard, another feature of the BYS is being parent-friendly.
Principal Matthew wants to welcome parents and always be on hand. He’s an Australian native from the Gold Coast of Queensland who has been in Thailand for some 16 years. He’s been at the BYS for eight of those years and principal for the last two years. That means Matthew has seen the school grow and prosper. The next step is to open year 11 in May of this Year and then to Year 12 in May 2018. He’s also very proud of the results of achievements in competitive environments, both in an academic and sporting context. In January of this year 42 students competed against four other nations at a Beaconhouse International Student Convention in Kuala Lumphur.
One proud achiever was Natdranai Jarutikorn who won the quiz competition. The Beaconhouse part of the BYS name is due to an Educational Partnership Agreement which commenced in 2015.
The Beaconhouse School System is the largest networking school system in the world which includes 274,000 students in eight countries. Another component of the BYS model is the use of Cambridge International Examinations as the first Cambridge English Program certified school in Prachuap Khiri Khan. The Yamsaad part of the name is a family name with Yamsaard School was founded in 1984 by Khun Thamrong and Khun Prapai Yamsaard. The original Yamsaard School was built in Lad Prao, Bangkok. The Yamsaard family continues to provide leadership and knowledge with the principles of ‘quality education of an international standard’, but also to imbue the family friendly nature of the school environment.
Contact: Phone: 032 – 652526
Address: 35/5 Soi 94 Hua Hin