by on 17/12/2019 806 467
GEMS International School of Pearl City, Penang is a purpose-built site that spans 8 acres, which boasts 2 swimming pools, a large multi-purpose hall and specialised classrooms with first-rate facilities and ambience. The school opened in 2015 and welcomes children aged 3 to 18 years, providing a solid foundation for a lifelong learning following an enriched British curriculum that leads to IGCSE and A-Level qualifications. This is the first GEMS school established in Malaysia, with the second one at Tropicana Metropark. Mr. Stephen Phillips became the principal at GEMS in Pearl City since September 2018, prior to which he was a CEO of a small group of trust schools in the United Kingdom (UK). This included two Nursery and Preschool provisions, both of which were rated ‘outstanding’—which is the highest possible grading—by the Ofsted (the UK schools inspectorate). Apart from that, Mr. Stephen Phillips has also inspected schools across the Southeast of England for Ofsted. He has worked in Education for a whopping 25 years across England, Germany, and briefly in Switzerland and Canada before coursing through Asia for the first time. What an experienced school leader he is!
As GEMS is an international school, it embraces cultural diversity. GEMS believes that diversity in education creates better learners, leaders and students. The pedagogical approach is established based on strong core values, where staff and students are encouraged to embrace and live it out.
Embrace change and challenge convention
Strive to develop your potential
Work to continually exceed expectations
Actively contribute to the local and global community
There are studies that showed positive correlations between an aesthetically pleasing classroom and students' performances. GEMS International School of Pearl City enriches a student’s total learning experience through its superior facilities, such as air-conditioned classrooms, black box studio, ICT/digital rooms, science laboratories, sports halls, and outdoor sports facilities like archery, basketball courts, climbing wall, futsal court, soccer pitch, and 2 swimming pools (the Primary pool is suitable for Early Years children). Apart from that, there are also prayer rooms, a counselling room, an infirmary room, and parents’ waiting room in addition to having a well-connected full Wi-Fi environment. Clearly, the school fosters an environment that encourages high parental engagement. These facilities are relevant to the age of the students to foster collaboration and teamwork, allowing educators to deliver a carefully balanced selection of subjects and tailor it to the students within a Malaysian context.
In addition, children in the Early Years have access to specialised indoor and outdoor areas that support them in developing their skills across the prime and specific areas of the Early Learning Goals.
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Mr. Stephen Phillips stated that the Early Years’ Provision aims to help children obtain a ‘Good Level of Development’, as specified in the British National Curriculum documents. The objective is to reach the expected early learning goals in prime areas of learning, such as personal, social, physical, and emotional development, as well as in communication and language, through specific areas of literacy and mathematics. According to the principal, GEMS will build on this progress further, taking a holistic approach to their education to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum that gives academic rigor, but balances with wider subjects that are critical to a learner’s overall development. GEMS also recognises and celebrates Malaysian values by incorporating them into the curriculum to provide students with a breadth of understanding.
GEMS’ British education system begins from the Early Years’ Foundation to Primary and Secondary curriculum levels, up until Pre-University. The school runs a wide variety of co-curricular activities across sports, musical, and academic areas, and operates regular trips and visits to the local points of interest and for competitions. Mr. Stephen Phillips also asserted that they are a member of the GEMS global network of schools, the Association of Malaysian International Schools, and the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), all of which carry various benefits and options for the young people at GEMS to be involved in the areas they prize most. The British international curriculum comprises equal parts academic knowledge and creative flexibility. This ensures students have a firm foundation in all the basic areas before allowing them to specialise in roughly 8 subjects for IGCSE and 3 subjects for A-Level. According to the principal, this will allow students to really discover their passion and talents prior to selecting the pathway they want to follow to University and beyond.
Today, technology is ever-changing. Consequently, the school introduces the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) at school, where students are requested to bring their own devices (e.g., iPads, laptops) to facilitate certain lessons. As GEMS is an international school, its curriculum is specially constructed to accommodate its host community to have a deeper appreciation and respect for one’s host culture as they develop a global worldview. Therefore, Modern Languages, such as English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Chinese, become part of the curriculum. Cultural and linguistic diversity at GEMS help to strengthen the local cultural heritage and identity while preparing the students towards the British education system. Other areas of learning include Mathematics (Numeracy), Science, Understanding the World, Arts and Design, Communication and Language, Physical Development, Music, Computing, Humanities (Geography and History), Physical Education, and Islamic Studies.
Nowadays, children are challenged by talented people within and outside Malaysia in this increasingly globalised world. They often face high competition, whether to secure a place at university or to get a job. Fret not, parents. This is where GEMS comes to your rescue! It adopts a holistic approach to equip your child with a well-rounded education that focuses not just on academic excellence, but on developing the key 21st century skills, such as resilience and a collaborative spirit. Furthermore, the school aims to enlighten globally motivated students through strong guiding principles, plans and practices. It intends to inspire students who are:
Critical thinkers
Independent enquirers
Effective participators
Team members
Self-managers
Reflective learners
GEMS understands that learnability is more important than mere knowledge. Thus, instead of just memorising information, its encourages students to form opinions from a fresh perspective and with an open and curious mind. They prioritise learning outcomes for each individual learner based on their own abilities and areas of interest.
What sets GEMS apart from other international schools is the vibrant and fascinating international education environment that incorporates a child-centred curriculum through world-class facilities. They have a team of highly accomplished teachers who put children at the centre of everything they do and they are guided by a brilliant set of core values. When children reach the age of 18, they will have access to the world’s best universities through GEMS network, which was built 50 years ago. This means GEMS can care for and develop your child from a tender age of 3 and right into university and beyond. Mr. Stephen Phillips also said that they believe the only successful way to ensure children reach their potentials is to have extremely well-developed three-way relationships and communication between parents, learners, and the school. Parents are aware if the school staff really care about their children, and this comes across strongly at GEMS, giving parents a great deal of reassurance that their children are in the best possible hands. GEMS is convinced that upon meeting their inspirational teachers and dedicated staff, parents who are looking for a world-class education for their child will agree that the school is a match. So if you’re looking for a suitable international school for your children, the success and uniqueness of a GEMS Education will definitely set your child apart.
