What a great start to our 50th year! Join us for the 50th Birthday Assembly on 26 August

Dear BSM Family,

What a great start we have made to our 50th school year!

As we end our second week back, the energy, optimism and warmth around campus have been wonderful to experience. Our students have settled quickly, our new families and colleagues are finding their feet, and there is already a real sense of momentum across our campus. Notwithstanding some challenges with unsettling weather, it is uplifting to see our classrooms, corridors, fields and shared spaces once again filled with learning, laughter, and connection.

Today also offers us a moment to reflect on our place here in the Philippines. Today, 21 August, we commemorate Ninoy Aquino Day. At the heart of a thriving community like BSM is a shared commitment to something greater than ourselves. Philippine history offers many powerful examples of this through people who demonstrated courage, conviction, sacrifice, and service to others.

Ninoy Aquino’s legacy reminds us of the influence an individual can have when guided by a deep sense of responsibility to community and country. The same can be said of national heroes such as José Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, and so many others whose actions, ideas and sacrifices helped shape the Philippines.

Their stories are different, but there is a common thread: change does not happen through individual endeavour alone. It requires communities to act with purpose, to support one another, and to believe that their contribution matters.

That feels particularly relevant for us at BSM this year as we continue thinking with purpose, acting with intention, and adapting as we learn, grow and flourish. Each of us must recognise that we have a role to play in shaping the community around us through acts of kindness and respect, and simply choosing to contribute positively all strengthen the communities to which we belong.

Next Wednesday, 26 August, we will come together for a particularly special moment in BSM’s story: our 50th Birthday Assembly.

As we celebrate five decades since the founding of The British School Manila in 1976, we will have an opportunity to honour those who came before us, celebrate the remarkable community we are today, and look forward with optimism to the generations still to come. Please join us in the Main Hall at 07.50am to celebrate fifty years of BSM. Please be reminded of the Whole School Photoshoot taking place after the Birthday Assembly.

More celebratory events are planned this year to truly celebrate and honour our wonderful school. 

Enjoy a family-filled weekend.

Martin van der Linde 

Head of School

Whole School Photograph, Wednesday, 26 August, 08.50am

After our Birthday Assembly, students and staff will proceed to the Don Jones Field for our Whole School Photograph. 

• Nursery to Year 2 students must be in proper school uniform and Years 3-13 students must be in proper PE uniform to be included in the photograph. 
• Please refer to the Uniform, Dress and Appearance Code in the Family Portal for guidance on daily uniform, permitted hair accessories and note that students won’t be able to join the photograph if they attend in daily uniform. 
• Students who have regular classes later that day should bring their daily uniform to change into.

For more information, please refer to the Whole School Photo Guidelines attached.

PTA AGM 2026

Scan the QR code to register or click this link. 

ID Photo Update for Parents

During Term 1, the school will begin issuing updated IDs for parents. No action is necessary, as we will use the photo we have on record for you; however, if you are interested in having a new photo taken, please sign up here.

Kindly note that this is not a photo shoot, and the purpose of the image taken will just be for the updated identification card.

RELATED LINKS

Message from the Head of School

Primary School News

Senior School News

Careers & Higher Education News

Creative Arts News

PTA News