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At the British International School Ho Chi Minh City (BIS HCMC), education is not only about outcomes — it is about the journey.
For many students in our Class of 2026, that journey began at just 2 or 3 years old.
This year, 31 students in our 130 strong Year 13 cohort began their learning journey in Early Years, including 17 students who started in Foundation Stage 1 (F1), in what is always known as pre-nursery.That’s an outstanding 13% of our graduating Class of 2026.
For these students, BIS has been their school for 16 years — from their earliest days of play-based learning through to the final stages of the IB Diploma Programme. More than a school it’s been there home.
Across the wider cohort, 43 students joined during Primary, each bringing their own story and perspective, yet all becoming part of the same shared BIS experience.
As Ms Bee Smith reflected:
“Seventeen of our Year 13 students are truly lifelong BIS learners — having started with us in Foundation Stage 1 and now completing 16 years at the school. It’s an incredible journey to witness.”
Seventeen Year 13 students are truly “Lifelong BIS Learners” — representing an incredible 13% of the cohort who began their journey at BIS when they were just 2 years old.
To celebrate this remarkable milestone, these students returned to the Early Years campus — not just for a visit, but for a special assembly alongside our current F1 students and their teachers.
In a powerful full-circle moment, they stood in the same spaces where their own learning journey began, this time as role models for the next generation.
They shared their favourite memories with current F1 students, recalling moments from the soft play room, the splash pool and imaginative play in the playground — bringing laughter and nostalgia to the experience.
More importantly, they shared advice with the youngest learners:
“Take all the opportunities you can. Join the clubs, try out for the teams, and get involved in everything BIS has to offer.”
“Never stop being a kid at heart. Keeping a playful attitude helps you even when the going gets tough.”
In these final days of their time at school, students, parents and teachers alike reflected with immense pride on how BIS has supported their growth — shaping them into globally minded young adults ready to take on the world.
During Book Week, all Year 13 students were given the opportunity to return to the campuses where their BIS journey began.
From Foundation Stage 1 through to Primary and Secondary, they stepped back into classrooms — this time not as learners, but as role models.
They read stories to younger students, played games, shared advice and reflected on their own earliest memories — extending the sense of connection built during their Early Years assembly.
For younger students, the experience was just as powerful — seeing what their own journey could one day become.
As one Year 13 student shared:
“Looking back and seeing yourself in the younger students was nostalgic. I could see the younger version of me in them — and it was a really special thing to do in our final weeks at school.”
And perhaps most simply, yet most powerfully:
“Even with the youngest students in F1, we shared the collective language of smiling.”
What makes this journey so meaningful is not just its length, but its continuity.
At BIS HCMC, many of the teachers who first taught these students in Early Years are still part of our school today. During a recent visit back to the Early Years campus, students were reunited with some of the very teachers who supported them in their first days of school — and who still remember them.
This level of teacher continuity is rare, and it creates something truly special: relationships built over time, grounded in trust, care and understanding.
Ms Grace Maling, Early Years teacher and now Head of Foundation Stage 2, shared:
“Seeing my former students in their final Year 13 assembly filled me with quiet pride. I still remember them as they were years ago, and it’s amazing to witness who they’ve become. It was especially meaningful to see them return to our Early Years campus, interacting with the children I currently teach, it felt like a full circle moment. I may have only been a small part of their journey, but moments like this remind me why teaching matters. Their success is their own, yet I’m grateful to have played a role along the way.”
For these students, BIS has been more than a place of academic learning.
Over the years, they have taken part in expeditions, leadership opportunities, enrichment, sport and the arts, building confidence, resilience and a strong sense of identity.
As Mr Stephen Kay, Head of Secondary, reflected:
“Moments like this remind us what a truly all-through education looks like. These students have grown not just academically, but as individuals — shaped by years of relationships, experiences and opportunities. To see them return to where it all began, now as role models, is incredibly powerful. We're all hugely thankful for the strong, solid foundations that our Early Years and Primary programmes create for our BIS graduates, setting them up for future success”.
Starting in Early Years provides more than just a foundation for academic success.
It shapes:
Confidence
Communication
Curiosity
A sense of belonging
It is here that children first begin to understand themselves as learners — and as part of a community.
Over time, those early experiences influence how students approach challenges, build relationships and engage with the world around them.
What stands out most is the sense of continuity and connection.
From Early Years through to Sixth Form, students are supported by teachers who know them, understand them and grow alongside them.
For the Class of 2026, this journey is now entering its final stage.
But the relationships, memories and experiences they have built will stay with them long after they leave.
Because at BIS HCMC, education is not just about where students finish —it is about everything they experience along the way.
