Bombay International School

It was 1961, and a group of young mothers were sitting together at a waffle party, sipping coffee and discussing the strict and uninspiring schools in Mumbai. Many of the women were expatriates, some were Indian. But they all hated the idea of exposing their children to academic pressure, punishment and rote learning. It was at that point that one mother suggested getting together and setting up an informal little school in their own drawing rooms and back-gardens.The Founders The idea of a gentle and happy school held enormous appeal, and both expats and Indians responded wholeheartedly. Within months, the Bombay International School Association was registered. Eventually 183 people signed up as founder members. The impressive list included artist Jehangir Sabavala and his wife Shirin. Also Page and Harsh Mehta, whose father Jivraj Mehta was the first Chief Minister of Gujarat and mother Hansa Mehta was Vice-Chancellor of Baroda University. Then there was H.J. Kania, who later became the Chief Justice of India and Dr. Suma Chitnis who later became the Vice-Chancellor of SNDT University. Not to forget H.M. Seervai, the then Advocate General of Maharashtra, and Kamla Bhoota who founded the Bal Vikas nursery. Early parents of the school included artist M.F.Husain, physicist Dr Raja Ramanna, architect Charles Correa, actors Shashi and Jennifer Kapoor, Sujata Manohar, who was later a judge of the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court, and industrialist Keshub Mahindra. First Steps On June 11, 1962 about 90 children entered their new school—accommodated in six rooms and a terrace near Napean Sea Road. Along with all the excitement and chaos—not to mention the new mother-run kitchen and bus-routes—came problems. The landlord at Bhavani Bhavan asked BIS to leave. The school managed to buy Gilbert Building at Babulnath and moved into its very own home in 1964. The Growing Years Once it settled down in Gilbert Building, BIS began to grow, flourish and experiment. And more than 50 years later, students continue to benefit from the brave blueprints and unusual ideas generated in those early years. From the outset, the philosophy with which the school was started was enshrined in practice. Class sizes were kept small, and till today are not allowed to exceed 20. Children were encouraged to ask questions and give their opinions Parents were an essential pillar of the school – stakeholders who contributed their expertise to the various activities of the school, and their time and energies to everything from extra-curricular activities, to supervising school lunches and ensuring that the school buses ran on well-oiled tracks. Recent Milestones November 2007 Recognised as an IGCSE Centre The IGCSE curriculum introduced from Std VI March 2011 IBDP Section Launched The two-year IB course was introduced at BIS November 2012 First IGCSE Batch Passes Out 20 students received certification from the IGCSE Board 2012-13 BIS Golden Jubilee Year Celebrating five decades of excellence and innovation March 2013 First IBDP Batch Passes Out Students receive IB certification from the Cambridge Board July-August 2016 New Principal at BIS Dr. Cyrus Vakil takes over to steer the BIS journey in its next new phase June 2017 BIS receives PYP Authorisation Young children embark on an inquiry-led, transdisciplinary-based lifelong journey of learning January 2018 Gilbert Building gets a new look Students and teachers return to their familiar, but now completely modernised, home January – July 2018 Split classes introduced with two groups per grade Carrying forward the Founders’ vision of small batches with personalised teaching It’s been an eventful and colourful journey which has brought us from the baby steps taken in early days to the huge strides the school has made as a beacon of quality education and a institution for the all-round development of the children who study here.Our Vision Excerpt from – Memorandum of Association and Constitution of the Bombay International School Association. “To create an appreciation and understanding and respect of various cultural backgrounds and national heritages in order to help the child face the changing world of today, thereby, preparing him/her to take an active and responsible role as a citizen in the world of the future;” “To cultivate and develop the character of the children; to guide their minds towards independent, liberal, creative thinking; to strengthen their wills; to inculcate tolerance and understanding for all their fellows;” “To expect the parents and teachers to work together in harmony for the best interest of the children;” “To attract a teaching staff of high calibre, character and ability, capable of mental flexibility inspired with a love for imparting knowledge and the development of the children’s innate curiosity and the skills by which it can be satisfied; to be aware that a way of teaching grows out of a philosophical respect for what is taught.” Our Mission Excerpt from – Memorandum of Association and Constitution of the Bombay International School Association. “To limit the classes in this school to a reasonably small number of pupils in order that imaginative teaching methods of a high standard may develop the child’s ability to its fullest.” “To teach the disciplines and skill of learning; to awaken an interest in the natural phenomena; to encourage manual dexterity and pride in the work of hands; to teach the child to respect and enjoy learning; to educate the child within the school hours, thus eliminating the need for excess outside homework.” “To teach Indian philosophy, literature, music, art soundly at appropriate levels in relation to their world concepts; to relate events as they occur to the past, thus giving the child a clear perspective of the history of the past and present and how it affects his environment and developing responsibilities, to develop pride in the varied national citizenship of the students as a basis for participation in world citizenship.” “To encourage the feeling of co-operation, interdependence and brotherhood, thus giving the basis for practical living as means for dealing with problems of life with intelligence and fortitude.” “To develop in the parents of the children a pride and respect for the value of good education and the responsibility of achieving this education through their own efforts and continuing interest.“