Shanghai Little Bridge School (SLBS) aims to integrate advanced international and Chinese education concepts to build a bridge to future education and cultivate lifelong learners with passion, a sense of purpose, and the desire to take initiative.
SLBS is located near Line 13 Zhongke Road, with easy access to downtown in 30 minutes. Launched in 2017, the school is proud of its facilities, tailor-made by the renowned architect of Shanghai Disneyland and Xintiandi. Its comfortable interior has been designed by the same company that constructed the Facebook headquarters. The school’s world class concert hall was conceived by Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Acoustic Designer Mr. Yasuhisa Toyota.
SLBS is not only a place where students study but also a place of education for all. Because everyone who enters the campus is drawing on their own life experiences to interpret education, the Little Bridge hosts three sets of curricula, for the student, teacher, and parent.
Currently, 500 students Grades 1–5 are enrolled. In the next few years, SLBS will expand to include a junior high school. While 93% of the students are Chinese, 5% are North American. The teaching staff of 49 includes 38 Chinese educators and seven from North America and the U.K.
The SLBS curriculum is based on national courses using existing courses from Pinghe, while also including additional special courses which match the Little Bridge education philosophy: Chinese characters, the history of science, culinary education, English-based theatre, folk music, swimming, and philosophy for children. Through project-based learning and an integrated model focused on the learning community and interdisciplinary studies, students are encouraged to solve real world problems and become classroom leaders. The campus environment motivates children with an atmosphere of free exploration.
The school values sensory experiences for students and sees them as an integral part of its program. The broad sense of what a curriculum can mean includes four primary dimensions: the campus environment, the language system, the subject-based classrooms, and pedagogical research.
The SLBS curriculum also focuses on three key areas of learning: character, scientific literacy, and aesthetic accomplishments. As SLBS believes that character is the foundation for taking initiative, the school’s program supports the development of individuals of strong character, with an optimistic spirit, adventurous attitude, and a grateful mentality. SLBS says that on this basis, a child should be able to develop the parallel abilities of experiencing and creating beauty.
SLBS is interested in hiring experienced candidates of diverse profiles, including couples with a non-teaching partner and seasoned teachers lacking certification. Candidates need not hold an academic degree in the subject they will be teaching. Those up to the age of 60 may obtain a work visa.
The overseas teaching benefits package includes either an apartment a 15-minute walk from school or a monthly allowance for a place of one’s choosing. SLBS also provides one roundtrip airfare for home leave annually. Full tuition is offered for staff dependents. Also free are daily breakfast and lunch, training opportunities, admission to the staff club and gym. Local health insurance, along with international hospital coverage, paid for by the school, includes emergency evacuation and life insurance. The SLBS package offers a chance for some good savings or for a family of four to live on one salary. Finally, there are local employment opportunities for non-teaching partners.
Professional development, a high priority at SLBS, includes the following: training in project-based learning, positive discipline, competence-oriented teaching strategies, coaching, and more; opportunities to attend education forums and to visit elite schools, both domestically and globally; and teaching and research communication inside and outside of Pinghe Education Group.
To gain access to Shanghai Little Bridge School’s full profile on the Search Associates database, including a list of any vacancies, candidates can apply for membership by clicking here. Candidates already registered can easily access the school profile directly through their dashboards.
Please note: The information presented about this school was valid on the date published. This information may change, and the most up-to-date information can be found on the school profile.
