Malaysia, with some of its brightest minds and government initiatives, has taken great efforts to give millions of young people a free, quality education. Particularly, the nation has undergone significant modifications to upgrade the national education system. Learning what it means to create an inclusive education system for all kids has taken effort.

The manifestations of these efforts are the schools like Maple Leaf Kingsley International School, which are keen on minimizing the educational gaps with an inclusive environment.

Maple Leaf Kingsley International School was established in 2011 and is located in the heart of Malaysia’s bustling city of Kuala Lumpur. The school believes that education is not just about preparing students for their future careers, but also about empowering them to become responsible, ethical, and compassionate leaders who will make a positive impact on society. Through this, the school’s collaboration with its stakeholders has always been a priority. The mission of the school is to support, nurture and inspire its students to become lifelong learners and global citizens who are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and values needed for the 21st century.

Succeeding in a Globalized World

ML Kingsley International School offers an internationally recognized curriculum designed to prepare students for success in a globalized world. Its teaching methodology is aligned with best education practices. The school offers IGCSE courses toward CAIE A Level, which are widely recognized by universities and employers worldwide. Its qualified teachers are committed to providing engaging and challenging learning experiences with state-of-the-art facilities. Strong and positive character building is greatly emphasized in ML Kingsley.

All students participate in Learning Journey termly to broaden their learning horizon and to learn the Strength and how to remain Brave, Steadfast, and Courageous in times of adversities.

In ML Kingsley International School, exams are developed by CAIE (UK). The secondary program at Kingsley provides students with education ready for their future workplace, through a wide range of subjects.

All the lessons are designed to be interactive with higher-order thinking and engaging. The classes’ teaching and learning incorporate group works, assignments, or single project works.

Celebrating the Uniqueness

At ML Kingsley International School, the teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that every student is unique and has the potential to achieve great things. The school’s approach to education is based on the following principles:

• Student-centered learning: Teachers act as facilitators and mentors rather than simply disseminating information. Teachers encourage students to take active roles in their learning and explore to achieve their interests and passions.
• Holistic education: Education should be holistic, with a focus on developing the whole person – intellectually, socially, emotionally, and physically. Students develop their talents and interests through a wide range of academic and co-curricular activities.
• Inquiry-based learning: The school believes that students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process. The teachers use inquiry-based approaches to encourage students to enquire questions, explore, and develop higher order and critical thinking skills.
• Internationalism: Education should prepare students to be citizens of the world and who are respectful of different cultures, perspectives, and ideas.
• Character and moral education: Education incorporated character development with an emphasis on values such as responsibility, integrity, and being compassionate to be ready in society.

Creating New Peaks of Educational Standard

At ML Kingsley International School, the quality of education is very important. It has a range of preventive measures to ensure teaching and learning is offered at its highest standard and learning takes place.

The school is accredited by the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE), through its offering of excellent teaching and exam developing.

Accreditation: Through the ISO 2015 and COGNIA reviews, the school is committed to continuous improvement to adhere to set benchmark in teaching and learning with policies, and procedures to ensure that it is providing the best possible educational experience to students. Feedback from all stakeholders is used to make decisions for improvement effects.

Experienced and qualified teachers: The school recruits experienced and qualified teachers who are experts in their fields and have a passion for teaching. The school provides regular professional development opportunities for teachers to ensure they stay up to date with the latest teaching practices.

Ongoing assessment: A rigorous assessment system is in place to monitor the progress of students and identify areas where they need additional academic or pastoral support. The school uses a variety of assessment methods, including exams, coursework, and projects, to ensure that it has a comprehensive picture of each student’s progress.

Parents-Teachers partnership: The school believes that education is a collaborative effort between students, parents, and teachers. It encourages open communication between parents and teachers and works closely with parents to support their children’s learning.

Finding Ways through Adversities

ML Kingsley International School has faced challenges like any other education provider.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges for all schools. The need to quickly transition to online learning and to implement health and safety protocols to protect students and staff was evident. The school faced these challenges by investing in technology and training for the staff, collaborating with parents and students, and implementing strict health and safety measures in the school.

Recruiting and retaining qualified teachers is a challenge for many international schools. The school creates a supportive and collaborative work environment for the staff providing competitive compensation and benefits packages and offers professional development opportunities to teachers.

The school is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion by providing trainings to the teachers and staff on cultural competency, creating inclusive policies and procedures, and working closely with parents and students to ensure that everyone feels valued and inclusive.

Maintaining a high-quality curriculum that meets the needs of all students is a complex and ongoing process. The school works closely with educational experts, using data and feedback to reinforce its curriculum development efforts with regular reviewing and updating to ensure that it remains relevant and effective in the harsh and competitive environment.

The school is stronger from facing challenges by being flexible, innovative, and deliberative in its approach. It remains committed to providing the best possible educational experiences to the students and to continually improving the school.

The school is a safe and welcoming space for all students, staff, and families, regardless of their backgrounds or identities by fostering a culture of respect, openness, and empathy.

The teachers are culturally responsive and are able to adapt their teaching to meet the diverse needs and backgrounds of students. Teachers receive training on cultural competency and are encouraged to integrate diverse perspectives and experiences into their teaching.

All students should have access to the same opportunities and resources, regardless of their backgrounds or identities and work to eliminate any barriers that may prevent students from fully participating in school life.

The school’s teaching and Learning philosophy reflects the diverse perspectives and experiences of its students and the wider world. It strives to include diverse voices and experiences in its curriculum materials for students to learn about different cultures and perspectives.

Keeping the Ethical Side Alive

ML Kingsley builds partnerships with community organizations and leaders, which is essential to promoting DEI. The school works closely with local community groups to create opportunities for its students to engage with diverse perspectives and experiences outside of the classroom. As such the school is actively participative with CSR such as World Vision, Orang Utan and Social Welfare Organizations. With feedback from students, staff and stakeholders, the school continues to advocate the student community about being passionate and compassionate.

ML Kingsley International School provides a range of resources and support services to help its students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

The EAD (Extra Academic Department) helps students who may be struggling in the classroom or who need additional academic assistance through one-to-one support.

A strong counseling team provides wellbeing support to students. Students are attended to depending on the nature of the service required.

Thinking Beyond the Books

The school offers more than 40 extracurricular activities for students to explore their interests and develop their talents and MI abilities outside of the classroom. The extracurricular programs include sports, arts, music, and community service activities. The most popular ECA has to be horse riding.

Career counseling services are provided to students to identify their strengths and interests for potential career paths. Counselors work with students to develop plans and timelessness for achieving career goals with guidance and support throughout the process timelines.

Access to all technology resources and materials are provided for a prestige learning experience.

The school prioritizes the wellbeing of its students by offering a range of health services such as health screenings, first aid and all types of physical counselling for health and academic.

ML Kingsley International School recognizes the importance of STEM education in preparing students for the future. It integrates STEM-based learning into its education in the following ways:

A range of STEM-focused courses are offered in subjects such as science, technology, engineering, and math. These courses are designed to provide students with hands-on learning experiences and to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

A range of extracurricular activities such as robotics club, coding club, and science club are provided. These clubs provide opportunities for students to explore their interests in science and technology.

All teachers incorporate STEM-focused projects and assignments into coursework for students to apply their knowledge and Multiple Intelligence (MI) skills in a real-world context. Students might design and build a working model of a bridge.

Technology is used extensively in all classrooms to support STEM-based learnings with a range of digital resources and tools like interactive whiteboards, online simulations, and educational software.

Students are given opportunities to learn and interact with professionals; Legoland, Samsung, Apple Company and these partnerships expose students to real-world happenings.

ML Kingsley International School believes that extracurricular activities and student organizations play a vital role in students’ overall development.

A range of sports like track and field events and gymnastics, ball and swimming is offered. ML KIS in local regional and international tournaments providing opportunities for students to develop their athletic skills, teamwork abilities and leadership traits.

Music and Arts programs include choir, music band, and performing art for students to enhance their creative and innovative skills.

The Interact Club and The Greening Club organized volunteer projects and activities to support the local communities and the less fortunate, also to advocate for a greener environment.

Academic Clubs include the Science Club and Math Club for students to enhance and hone their kinesthetic and linguistic interest. Societies such as these help to develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

The Student Council helps to teach leadership for students to learn time and self-management.

Making the Presence Felt

ML Kingsley International School holds esteem for its ability to showcase many student awards yearly.

• Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards (UK): Yearly MLKIS students consistently achieved outstanding results in the Cambridge International Examinations. Students achieved with distinction in the field of language, science and mathematics.
• Sports Achievements: The school is proud to announce its students achieving internationally in Fencing, Ice-skating, Bowling competitions held in the world.
• Community service: The school has been recognized for its outstanding community service programs, including its partnership with local NGOs and charities to support underprivileged communities. The school has been supporting the following five CSR for the last 10 years with yearly activities planned to ensure that the organization benefits from reassurance from the MLKIS students and school body. These CSR organizations are World Vision, Orang Asli, Orang Utan, MAKNA & BG Foundation.
• Professional development: Teachers are sent for regulated professional development programs and workshops to enhance their teaching skills and keep up with the latest educational trends and practices.

Thriving in a Rapidly Changing Digital Landscape

The school’s achievements, accolades, and recognition received over the 10 years reflected its commitment to providing world-class education in a rapidly changing world.

The school has integrated Technology and Innovation into its daily Teaching and Learning, enabling students to hone any skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing digital landscape. The school has partnerships with global universities and international corporations, providing its students with networking access to the latest research information and industry insights offering opportunities for internships and mentorship.