Rugby School Japan

Opened in September 2023, Rugby School Japan (RSJ) is in Kashiwanoha, a designated education, innovation and entrepreneurial hub within the greater Tokyo district, Japan - just 40 minutes from central Tokyo.

It is the second international school founded by the prestigious UK Rugby School group. The school is a co-educational, day and boarding school for pupils ages 11-18 years. Rugby School Japan offers an authentic British School experience whilst embracing the advantages of being based in Japan. The Founding Principal, Tony Darby, was a Housemaster and Head of Economics at Rugby School in the UK and brings 14 years of experience at Rugby to this new school. 

The Rugby Learner Profile is a set of guidelines for our pupils. We encourage them to be Enquiring, Communicative & Collaborative, Globally Minded, Versatile, Reflective and Resilient. A Rugbeian student is encouraged to be kind and inclusive, grounded and authentic, courageous and not afraid of failure, curious and ready to ask, ‘What next?’. Our ethos is ‘The Whole Person, The Whole Point’.

Academic Excellence

RSJ is an academically selective school with pupils from 15 countries. We offer the British curriculum preparing students for I/GCSEs, AS and A levels. Pupils are taught in English as the medium of instruction, so all pupils are expected to have a level of English which allows them to access the curriculum. We pride ourselves on providing an education that is not only academically challenging but also seeks to develop the whole student. As an Apple School, our pupils use iPads until Year 10 and then they may use laptops from Years 11-13.

RSJ first IGCSE examination results will be published in August 2024.  Our first A-level results will be published in August 2025. Our graduating students are supported by an experienced University Counselling team.

RSJ is presently completing accreditation for COBIS and FOBISIA.  We are members of the BSA and ABSA. RSJ has almost 40 highly qualified teachers primarily from the UK. Our experienced language teachers include native language speakers from Japan and France. 

The school is divided into Lower Years for pupils in Years 7-9 (ages 11-14), the Middle Years for pupils in Years 10-11 (ages 14-16) who follow the British IGCSE programme. Pupils in the final two years - Years 12-13 (‘Sixth Form’), aged 16-18, follow the British A Level programme.

Boarding facilities

The school opened with two boarding houses (School House and Rupert Brooke House). In September 2024, two more boarding houses (Tudor House and Sheriff House) will open and a further two houses in September 2025. The Boarding facilities are purpose designed and built for the community of boarders. Almost 55% of the school are presently weekly and full boarders cared for by experienced staff. The Boarding House Masters and House Mistresses and their Deputies are all experienced teachers in the school. They are supported by non-residential teachers within the boarding houses.  Boarders can also use the school facilities and a programme of weekend activities is arranged for the boarders to fully embrace the wonderful environment of Japan. A special partnership exists between the boarding staff and a student’s family with mutual trust at the heart of the relationship between home and school. 

Pastoral Care

All pupils and teachers in the school are members of a House (a community of about 70 day and boarding students) which plays a vital role in establishing and maintaining a strong school spirit and enabling leadership opportunities. The Houses are named after Houses in Rugby School UK and provide leadership, mentoring and teamwork opportunities. Weekly House sports and other House events including House Music are arranged as part of a busy programme. 

Co-curricular programme

A strong co-curricular programme exists with over 55 activities on offer including a wide range of sports and arts activities. This also includes a Model United Nations club, Debating and chess club. The school takes full advantage of what is on offer in the local community and is building strong relationships with local Entrepreneurs and the local Universities as part of the co-curricular programme.

More than 50 co-curricular activities are on offer including:

Visual and Performing Arts (Anime, Ballet, Board game creation, chamber choir, choir, cinema, community art, design for theatre, design and technology, film making, hiphop dance, sculpture, Jazz band, orchestra)

Sports (Aikido, Football, Badminton, Volleyball, Basketball, Swimming, Health & Fitness, Gym, Judo, Rugby, Tennis, yoga or Running)

Personal Enrichment (Book Club, Cooking, Debating, EAL acceleration, Feminist Society, German Society, University preparation, 

Academic Enrichment (Chinese society, Environmental and Sustainability Club, Science for the future, Japanese Kanji Club, School Magazine, Share Dealing Club, Mathematics of Origami)

Team and Performance (Student Librarians, Community Service)