St.George‘s School (SGS)

St. George's School is a catholic mission school established since 1937. Our mission is to provide opportunities for the overall integral development of each student. Its multi-cultural community comprises of preschoolers, primary students and secondary students. Dedicated and committed staff strives to provide a stimulating environment that prepares students to be independent learners. Its curriculum equips students to further their studies at any higher institutions nationally and internationally.

The learning journey your child takes with us will be one that stimulates and excites them as well as challenging them to be the very best that they can be. At St George's School we are very proud of our students, their achievements and of the school community to which we all belonged. Besides providing a top quality academic education, we value all kinds of achievement and celebrate this with our students. We have very high aspirations for everyone in our school community and expect a lot from our staff and our students. All of our pupils are encouraged to develop their confidence and competence to ensure that when they leave us they are prepared for the future. People can only achieve their very best if they feel happy, safe and secure at school. We aim to be, in the words of our Vision Statement: "To strive to become an excellent and reputable centre of learning". To provide opportunities for the overall integral development of its students through the process of effective nurturing and skills acquisition. Our School Values are:

• Teamwork - Taking pride of an atmosphere that encourages leadership, teamwork and cooperation where each one works for the betterment of a caring environment.
• Continuous Improvement - We will ensure continual learning targeted at attaining an education of excellence to serve and interact well with others in the society.
• Recognition - We give due recognition to out students' achievements and contribution thereby motivating them to excel and strive towards perfection.
• Honesty and Integrity - We believe in inculcating honesty and integrity to develop and mould our students into upstanding citizens.
• Respect for Individuals - We believe in nurturing our students' self confidence and self esteem by teaching them to respect the individual's rights, needs and feelings.
• Environment - We will work towards ensuring and maintaining a conducive atmosphere to enhance the joy of teaching and active learning so as to produce well balanced individuals for a healthy society.

St. George's School welcomes families of all nationalities and offers the best of both worlds - an exceptional combination of the best of Brunei education delivered within a community that is enriched by the variety of cultures that characterize our increasingly global world and the best of British education in the international examination which the students have to write for in their Brunei Cambridge GCE 'O' Level Examination.

The school offers a very high standard of education as it is committed to achievement in all its forms and in all areas of the curriculum. To that end, St. George's School strives to provide a safe and developmentally appropriate academic environment that promotes each student's social, emotional, and academic progress. We support the overall school mission and vision by providing opportunities for the overall integral development of its students through the process of effective nurturing and skills acquisition. Our students are encouraged to be inquisitive, creative, reflective and motivated learners.

St. George's School employs teachers of highly respectable academic background. All our staff members are dedicated to the promotion of high quality learning. Students are encouraged to flourish, grow in self-confidence and to fulfill their potential at St. George's.

Recognizing the benefits that strong parental and community involvement can bring to students, we actively encourage an open partnership between home and school. Parents are welcome to participate in many areas of school life, reinforcing the importance of operating as a team. We believe that we have an unique opportunity to help students build life-enduring skills. We want students to be:

• Independent
• Confident
• Resilient
• Problem-Solvers
• Risk-Takers
• Aware of the importance of making good choices and the natural consequences that follow all decisions
• Aware that each mistake is a great learning opportunity

By 1941, a building to house the activities of the church had been constructed at Kumbang Pasang on the land donated by Mr. George Ah Foott. The school building by this time included a small chapel and living quarters for the resident priest. The priest was also the principal of the school.

The school building was rebuilt 1963. Fr. Conway was appointed to St. George's School from July 1964 to June 1965. Mrs. Paula Mah started teaching at St. George's School in January 1964. She was in charge of the Form Two students. It was also the time when the school uniforms patterns were chosen by the students and permission was granted by Fr. Conway.

The 12 students sat for the Sarawak Junior Exams in 1965 and scored 100% passes. This excellent performance was published in the Borneo Bulletin. By January 1969, Fr. Jan Dekker was sent as temporary replacement when Fr. Wolbers left. During this period, Bishop Galvin appointed a layman, Mr. Guy Alwines, as Principal of St. George's School. Fr. Paul Tong was appointed Rector in August 1969.

Fr. Jan Heuschen managed the school from 1972 and took over from Fr. Keogan who left in 1978. Fr. Heuschen was an excellent administrator, who was firm but friendly, demanding but generous. After working in Brunei for thirteen years, Fr. Jan Heuschen left in October 1984. Fr. Dunne took over for a short while until Fr. Peter Chiang was transferred to Bandar from the Seria Parish. In 1991 Fr. Chiang and Fr. McClorey had to leave Brunei. The departure of the last two foreign priests was a time of great trial with the burden of responsibility falling into the hands of the single local priest, Bishop Cornelius Sim.