Tenby International School (TIS) was established in 2007 and offers a student-centred secondary programme for both Malaysian and international students (Years 7 to 11) based on the English National Curriculum in Key Stage 3 and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in Key Stage 4.
In the new campus at Tanjung Bungah, TIS will include an Early Years Department and Primary School, which teaches the International Primary Curriculum (IPC).
The school offers a course for 11 to 13-year-olds based upon the National Curriculum for England. All students at the end of Year 9 take the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) Checkpoint Examinations. This assessment provides a good indication of an individual’s performance compared with others around the world in these key subjects.
The course offered to students from 14 to 16 years old is the IGCSE. There is a wide range of subjects available but all students study English Language, Mathematics, Chinese, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Students can then choose a variety of options from the Sciences, Humanities and Arts.
All students take either eight or nine IGCSEs. Our course ensures that all our students qualify for the International Certificate of Education (ICE). The IGCSE examination is very similar to the GCSE examinations in UK schools but the content is more flexible in order to make it more universal and relevant to youngsters around the globe. In ensuring that all students follow a broad and balanced curriculum up to the age of 16 we hope to provide opportunities for all to excel, and to equip them with the knowledge and skills required for success after school.
TIS has an enviable location in the heart of George Town, Penang, in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. It has excellent links to the rest of the country by car, air, rail, bus and ferry.
Its strategic location, just one hour by air from Bangkok, Medan and Singapore on daily direct flights, affordable fees, and safe and peaceful environment, make it a highly attractive option for any parent wishing their child to have a quality, international education.
Situated on the same premises as Sekolah Sri Tenby, its Malaysian sister school, TIS students immediately benefit from rich cross-cultural exposure and opportunities to interact with Malaysian students, preparing them for life in a globalised world. This unique feature of the school also gives our international pupils a cultural immersion experience that immediately helps them settle into the Malaysian lifestyle.
A distinctive feature of the school is our emphasis on small classes and a personal approach to teaching. We believe in assessment for learning and aim to guide our students closely.
At TIS, great care is taken to discover a student’s individual potential and inclinations in order to bring out his or her personal best, whether it be in the area of academics, sports or the performing arts. Our teachers are all qualified, trained and committed to helping every pupil be the best that he or she can be. For them, teaching is a calling and not merely a profession.
TIS aims to provide a holistic, all-round education that develops the whole person beyond the classroom. An extensive list of extra-curricular activities is available and every pupil is encouraged to actively pursue personal interests and hobbies that build character and social responsibility, enhance talent and creativity, contribute to the community, and increase awareness of the world in which we live.
The emphasis is on a broad curriculum that develops and nurtures talent. Most subjects follow a spiral curriculum, meaning that they keep coming back to similar ideas but that these are reinforced and increase in complexity as students move up through the school. There is a strong emphasis on what students are learning in the classroom, rather than what they are being taught, and students are encouraged to push their own boundaries and develop their own individual learning styles. In this way we hope to equip them with the skills needed to become lifelong learners.
In our new Primary School we have the commitment to offer our pupils every chance for an exciting, varied and challenging learning experience. The programme is founded on the National Curriculum for England, primarily delivered through the International Primary Curriculum and core subject planning: considering the needs of the individual and the development of the whole child.
The new location, in the residential area of Tanjung Bungah, allows us to provide excellent facilities in a welcoming open setting with bright well-resourced teaching areas and specialist facilities. Tenby International Primary School will be sharing the site with the well-established, successful and popular Tenby International Secondary School and the Sri Tenby Secondary School (Malaysian Curriculum) and will be planning linked activities with the Sri Tenby Primary School which remains on its current site on Macalister Road.
Additional Info
The first three years at TIS (Years 7-9) make up Key Stage Three. Students are exposed to a variety of different subjects that are all compulsory at this stage of the curriculum. Assessments take place throughout the year and are an integral part of the classroom experience. While students do sit formal examinations at the end of each year, these are used to reinforce the levels of attainment that will already have been communicated to both students and parents. It is a very important part of the system that students know what level they are working at and what they need to do to move forward to the next level. All major assessments are levelled according to the age of the student. The levels reported to parents and students range typically from level 3 to level 8. The minimum expectation for our students is that they attain a good level 4 by the end of year 7, level 5 by the end of year 8 and level 6 by the end of year 9.
Assessments form an important part of the curriculum. Students are assessed continually throughout the course and a level of attainment is awarded. Assessments may take the form of tests, but students are also assessed by a variety of other methods including investigations, essays, display posters and oral presentations. A formal examination is taken at the end of each year to confirm the attainment levels awarded. Cambridge Checkpoint Tests in English, Maths and Science are taken at the end of Year Nine.
Key Stage Four is a two year programme that follows on from Key Stage Three. Students are exposed to a variety of different subjects, some of which are compulsory and others which are optional. Students follow International General Certificate of Education (IGCSE) courses offered by Cambridge International Examinations (CIE).
The IGCSE programme has been designed specifically for 14 to 16 year olds and aims to prepare students for further academic success, including progression to A–Levels, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, and to equip students will the skills needed for immediate employment. IGCSE is equivalent in standard to the British GCSE and is recognised as evidence of ability by academic institutions and employers around the world.
IGCSE provides a broad study programme by drawing subjects from six areas: Languages, Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics and Creative, Technical and Vocational. Within the curriculum there is a balanced mix of practical experience and theoretical knowledge.
The IGCSE curriculum allows teaching to be placed in a localised context, making it relevant in different regions. It is also suitable for students whose first language may not be English and this is acknowledged throughout the examination progress. However, it is essential to note that English is the language of instruction at Tenby International School Penang and as such students do require a set level of competency in this area in order to achieve their potential and to be able to access the programmes of study with ease.
Grading is on an eight-point scale (A* – G) and grades A to E are equivalent to O Level Grades A to E. In some countries, IGCSE qualifications will satisfy the entry requirements for university. In others, they are widely used as a preparation for A Level, AS, International Baccalaureate and US Advanced Placement courses. Grade C in IGCSE English satisfies the English proficiency requirements of many universities in the UK and other Anglophone countries.
Click on any of the subjects listed below for more details
Core subjects
Options subjects
*Students must choose at least one science subject.
** PE is a compulsory subject, but is not examined at IGCSE.
Bahasa Malaysia is compulsory for all Malaysians. It can also be taken by non-Malaysians who wish to work towards the IGCSE in this subject.
Students have a wide variety of subject combinations when they come to decide which options they want to take. There is no science and non-science stream.
Assessments take place throughout the year and are an integral part of the classroom. Students are assessed continually throughout the course and an equivalent IGCSE grade is given at the end of Year 10 following a formal end of year exam, and again after the mock examinations (which are sat in January of Year 11). Assessments may take the form of tests, but students are also assessed by a variety of other methods including investigations, essays, display posters and oral presentations. All students take IGCSE exams at the end of Year 11 and are entered for the International Certificate of Education (ICE), which is awarded if students attain at least a Grade C in six key subject areas. In some subjects, students can take their IGCSE at the end of year 10, at the discretion of the subject teacher.
For information about Tenby International School, please click here to download the infopack.
| Time | Day | Break Times |
| 8:00am – 3.45pm 8:00am – 2:00pm |
Monday to Friday (except Wednesday) Wednesday |
(Break 1) 9:40am – 9:55am (Lunch) 11:35am – 12:15pm (Break, except Wed) 1:45pm - 2:00pm |