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Why Is Salesian International School Elementary Launching New Beginner Class “SG” in April 2027?

公開： 2026年6月10日
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Whether or not a child has studied English beforehand can shape which elementary schools are open to them. Interest in elementary schools that teach in English is rising, yet many applicants to the International Class at Salesian International Primary School have been returnees or graduates of English preschools. In response, the school will launch a new class called SG in April 2027, designed to take students, even those with no prior English, up to global standards step by step. Children build the basics on a Japanese-language foundation and then move gradually into English. It is another step in the evolution of Japanese-style international education.
目次
The Reality: Divided by English Experience
April 2027: The New SG Class Launches
A Class Born of Resolve, Led by the Head of School
Details to Be Announced at the First School Information Session on March 7, 2026
Contact

Original Japanese article published Feb. 25, 2026.
日本語版はこちら.

The Reality: Divided by English Experience

Over the past few years, interest in elementary schools where children can learn in English has clearly grown. Among them, the International Class at Salesian International School Elementary has drawn attention for the strength of its English environment.

In last year’s entrance examinations, about 80% of applicants were graduates of English preschools or returnees. That children already raised in English made up the majority is, in its own way, a measure of how much families have come to trust the school’s quality.

For many other families, though, the hesitation is familiar. They are interested in an international school, but their child hasn’t studied English yet. Or the child attends an English preschool but isn’t confident speaking. Or the prospect of stepping straight into an all-English environment simply feels daunting. The more popular the school becomes, the more easily it gives off the impression of being a school for children who can already speak English, and that psychological hurdle is by no means small.

April 2027: The New SG Class Launches

In April 2027, a new class called Standard Group (SG) will be established within the International Class. Its entrance examinations will be conducted mainly in Japanese, and once students enroll, English is built up carefully from the very beginning. Other subjects are taught first in Japanese and then shift gradually into English, in a bilingual format.

After one to two years, SG students merge with the existing AG class and go on to spend the rest of their elementary years in the regular international class. Rather than dropping children into a fully English environment all at once, the class is designed to ease them in step by step.

The Advanced Group (SG) and Standard Group (SG) structure is shared with Salesian International School’s junior and senior high school, and schools such as Hiroo Gakuen and Mita International School use a similar system. It is not simply a way of lowering the bar. Instead, it is a deliberate measure to match each child’s learning history with the right environment and to develop their abilities properly.

A Class Born of Resolve, Led by the Head of School

SG was conceived by the school’s head, Kiyomichi Ohashi, out of a clear concern: that whether or not a child had prior English experience had effectively become a barrier to admission, and that Japanese education needed to be raised to a true global standard.

Admitting only children who already speak English makes English-medium teaching easier. Salesian has chosen the harder route, deliberately opening a door to the world for children who have never studied the language. That choice is where the school’s resolve as an educator shows.

SG is not a class for assembling students who are already fluent. It is a statement that the school can develop students to a global standard even when they start with no English at all, and it may mark the next stage in the evolution of Japanese-style international education.

Interview with Principal Ohashi of Salesian International Primary School

In April 2026, Seibi Gakuen Elementary School will change its name to Salesian International Primary School and open an International Class. We asked the head of the school, Kiyomichi Ohashi, about the thinking behind the move and what he hopes it will achieve.

Details to Be Announced at the First School Information Session on March 7, 2026

The first school information session for the 2027 entrance examinations will be held on March 7. On the day, the head of school will give a lecture on the school’s educational vision, followed by a detailed explanation of SG. The actual paper test (Japanese version) from the General Schedule A general-applicant examination held in November 2025 is also scheduled to be distributed.

Globalization Impacts Admissions: A Report on Salesian International Primary School International Class Entrance Exams

In its 2026 entrance exams, the Salesian International Primary School International Class saw applications rise by more than 220 over the previous year, with competition reaching 2 to 3 applicants per place in the first exam round and 8.1 in the second. About 80% of applicants were children from English-speaking backgrounds, such as English preschool graduates and returnees, though some children with no English experience were also accepted. Exams emphasized ...

At the second session in June, the English version of the paper test will be handed out as well. The full picture of how SG is structured will become clear at this session.

The idea behind SG is that children can be brought up to a global standard even when they begin only once elementary school starts, and the class has been designed in earnest to deliver on that. It is a quiet but steady effort to change Japanese education from within, and International School Times will continue to follow how it develops.

Almost-International Schools, Part 1: Why Salesian International Primary School’s International Class Is Growing in Popularity

Until recently, international schools were the primary option for families seeking an English-medium elementary education. Today, however, a new alternative is beginning to emerge: schools that are part of the Japanese education system while offering a learning experience similar to that of an international school.

Contact

Salesian International School Elementary, International Class
Official site: https://www.el.seibi.ac.jp/international/
Address: 4-2-14 Akabanedai, Kita-ku, Tokyo 115-8524
International Class Preparation Office direct line: 080-2343-1621
Email: primary@salesian.seibi.ac.jp

この記事の記者

編集長 兼 国際教育評論家 村田学

編集長 兼 国際教育評論家 村田学

編集長 兼 国際教育評論家 村田学

インターナショナルスクールタイムズの編集長として、執筆しながら国際教育評論家として、NHK、日本経済新聞やフジテレビ ホンマでっかTV、東洋経済、プレジデント、日本テレビ、TOKYO FMなど各メディアにコメント及びインタビューが掲載されています。プリスクールの元経営者であり、都内の幼小中の教育課程のあるインターナショナルスクールの共同オーナーの一人です。国際バカロレア候補校のインターナショナルスクールの共同オーナーのため国際バカロレアの教員向けPYPの研修を修了しています。