Prep School pupils at The Independent School of Jakarta

Prep School · Ages 7 to 13

The Years That Shape Everything

Years 3 to 8. The years when children discover what they love, develop habits that last, and start to understand who they are. Academic rigour meets genuine breadth, and children learn how to think, not what to think.

ISJ follows the English National Curriculum through Key Stages 2 and 3. Every class is led by a teacher who knows your child deeply, supported by specialists in music, art, PE, swimming, and languages.

The Teachers

Passionate, Experienced, and Here by Choice

The kind of teachers found at the best prep schools in Britain. They came to Jakarta because they wanted to build something, and they stay because they love what they are building.

Children who feel valued try new things and push themselves. They see their teacher as a partner in learning, not just an authority figure. That relationship is what makes the difference.

Prep School pupils conducting a science experiment

Learning

Where Taking Risks Is Part of the Plan

Children are encouraged to question, to try things they might get wrong, and to understand that mistakes are how you learn. A child who is confident enough to take a risk in the classroom is a child who will carry that confidence for life.

Over 30 clubs rotate each term. 20+ sports, from football and netball to gymnastics, bouldering, and badminton. Swimming continues throughout. Co-curricular runs until 4:00pm every day, so children can explore widely and find what they love.

ISJ house sports competition

"A strong academic focus and high-quality learning."

ISJ Parent

Annual Survey, November 2025

Character

Four Houses, One Community

Every child belongs to a house: Potter, Tolkien, Lewis, or Rowling. Houses compete in sport, the arts, and community projects throughout the year. It builds belonging, healthy competition, and friendships across year groups.

Older pupils mentor younger ones. Leadership is earned, practised, and recognised through the Five Talent Trails awards, from Bronze to Platinum.

Residential Trips

Woolverstone Hall, Suffolk

Each year, Year 7 and 8 pupils travel to Woolverstone Hall in Suffolk, England. An 87-acre campus where they experience British boarding school life first-hand: early morning runs, formal dining, academic enrichment, and outdoor adventure.

For many, it is the trip that defines their time at ISJ. Independence, resilience, and friendships forged in a setting unlike anything they have experienced before.

ISJ pupils on a residential trip to Woolverstone Hall

What Comes Next

Into Senior School

At the end of Year 8, pupils move into Senior School for GCSEs and A-Levels. The same teachers, the same ethos, the same expectation of excellence. The transition is seamless because your child is already known. Younger siblings joining from age 2 start in Pre-Prep.