Mutiara International Grammar School, Ampang

Established in 1997, Mutiara International Grammar School is highly sought-after today by parents who wish for exceptional quality education for their children. The 27-year-old educational establishment, after all, has extensive experience in the industry and is a leading name in the arena of international schools in Malaysia. Kiddy123 had the opportunity recently to speak to the school’s principal, Mr John Birch, who has been at the helm of Mutiara for the past 5 years. He generously agreed to share with us some inside facts of this lauded institution, and here is what we have discovered.

Mutiara International Grammar School, we learned, had a somewhat humble beginning, where it started off small and quickly grew following word of mouth. Founded by Puan Sri Kalsom Ismail and Dato’ Sakinah Sulaiman, the school is housed in two standalone buildings in Ampang, the older, original one being an old rubber research laboratory which now resembles a heritage-like building. The newer building was established just over a decade ago, housing 27 classrooms, and situated just behind the original building. The school was fortunate to gain a new auditorium, swimming pool, sports hall and even an Astro Turf when the adjacent ISKL moved out and a group bought over the entire campus, with Mutiara Grammar International School in it. “We have new school directors and things are getting along really well, with better prospects on the horizon. Our student numbers have also improved with an enrollment of about 50 students this semester. Our principals are visionaries who respect differences, endeavor in discovering potentials and they learn to care – these are actually the three mantras we use in Mutiara,” Mr Birch stated.

As an acclaimed international school here in Malaysia, Mutiara International Grammar School lives up to its reputation in every way including in its curriculum. Using the Cambridge International pathway as its backbone, the best practices and finer points of different approaches such as Montessori and Emilia Reggio are integrated into it, resulting in a teaching programme unique to the school, one that brings out the best in each of its students. Recently too, the school has been exploring the Cambridge early Years programme. “Child centered and often play based, we are guided by the six curriculum areas and more hands-on experiences and opportunities to explore learning. They are Personal, social, and emotional development; Communication and language; Physical development; Literacy; Mathematics; and Understanding the world, all of which prepare our students for the next step in the Cambridge pathway,” Mr Birch shared.

Mutiara International Grammar School accepts students from all nationalities and backgrounds, in the condition that they can cope with the IGCSE syllabus. An entrance assessment test will help with correct placement for potential students into their respective learning groups, and also help to determine the kind of challenges they would need to thrive and succeed. Proper assessments mean that the school will be able to support the various learning needs and outcomes of its students. Progress is measured utilising feedback, developing a better understanding of students’ abilities and areas for development. “We utilise formative and summative assessment alongside international expected achievement standards and baseline assessments. We track students’ progress in student mark sheets and database, the scores will assist in providing data for our termly school reports,” Mr Birch shared.

Smaller size classrooms of 15 students for the Primary school and about 20 in a classroom for the senior school mean that the curriculum can be delivered more effectively, and teachers will be able to interact better with their students. “Here at Mutiara, the corridors are peaceful, but the classrooms are purposeful,” Mr Birch stated with a knowing smile. He also shared his particular pride on how welcoming and accommodating the students are to newcomers. Mr Birch is also one who makes it his business to not be a stranger to any student in his school, whereby he’s quite certain he knows them all – and parents appreciate this a lot!

There are exciting new changes coming up for Mutiara which will be announced sometime in the not-so-far future. “However, as much as we are looking into the future, and acknowledging that things are developing at a rapid pace, we still have to pay due respect to the school’s 27 years that have gone by, for that is the whole mark of Mutiara which the two founders had put in place. It is great to have that historical content, or background if you will, Mr Birch stated with conviction.