The start of a new academic year invites us to look both backwards and forwards. For me, this year feels particularly significant. I begin my time as Principal of Rugby School Japan at a moment when we can see, quite clearly, the results of the work that has been taking place over the past couple of years.
This summer brought some excellent news. Across both A-Level and IGCSE, our pupils achieved results that reflect the very highest academic standards, with a significant proportion of grades awarded at the top levels in both programmes. We were equally delighted to see our 2026 graduates progress to outstanding universities, among them Oxford, Cambridge, UCL and Sophia University.
These are results to be proud of, not simply because of the grades themselves, but because of what lies behind them: the commitment of our pupils, the dedication of their teachers, and the quiet, sustained support of families throughout the journey. Behind every set of results is a great deal of hard work that nobody fully sees.
It is worth reflecting, therefore, on the journey itself.
From Breadth to Depth
The IGCSE and A-Level programmes are sometimes spoken of as two separate stages of education. In reality, they are two movements of the same piece.
The IGCSE years offer pupils a broad academic foundation. They encounter a wide range of subjects and disciplines, developing both their knowledge and their understanding of where their interests and strengths lie. By the time they reach the end of Year 11, they are not simply better informed. They are better equipped to make the choices that follow.
A-Levels then invite them to take that next step: to study three or four subjects in considerably greater depth, to think more independently, and to engage with their chosen disciplines at a level of sophistication that begins to resemble the work they will encounter at university. In many cases, these subjects become the foundation for further study, and for their professional lives and their sense of intellectual identity.
There is something genuinely valuable in this progression from breadth to specialisation. It gives pupils the time and space to explore before they are asked to commit, while ensuring that when they do commit, they do so from a position of genuine confidence and understanding.
A Pathway Forward
This is one of the reasons we follow the IGCSE and A-Level pathway at Rugby School Japan. It offers academic rigour, a clear and purposeful progression between stages, and the flexibility for pupils to develop their own interests and ambitions at the right pace.
Just as importantly, these qualifications are recognised by universities around the world, giving our pupils the freedom to consider higher education not only in Japan, but across the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, Asia and beyond. The world, in the most literal sense, remains open to them.
But a successful academic pathway should be about more than reaching the next examination or securing a university place. At its best, it should give young people the knowledge, the confidence and the independence to keep learning long after they leave school – to remain curious, to adapt, and to continue growing in whatever direction their lives take them.
The results we have seen this summer are an encouraging indication that our pupils are doing exactly that. I congratulate them, and all those who have supported them, and I look forward with genuine excitement to seeing where the next chapter of this journey will lead.
Dr. Sarah Wade,
Principal, Rugby School Japan
