How NAIS Manila helps every child feel known, supported, and ready for the future

At Nord Anglia International School Manila (NAIS Manila), families describe the school as more than just an international school in Manila. For them, it’s a place where students are truly known, supported, and given every opportunity to thrive.

Carla, who moved to Manila from Spain with her family, shares: “This was the one that kind of checked all the boxes. Every time we talk to the teacher, every time we see how our kids read, we know we've made the right choice.”

She says the school’s caring, community feel was clear from the start. “It's a place for connections. It's a community, it's a family,” Carla reflects.

For many families, this warm environment is what makes NAIS Manila feel like more than just an international school — it becomes a second home.

A community where every student is known and supported

At Nord Anglia International School Manila, we believe this sense of belonging is at the heart of the school’s identity. “We're more than just a school. We're a community that has a warm, caring, family feel to it,” our Senior Leadership Team explain. “Knowing students as individuals is really important -- when a child's having a good day, when you need to push them a little bit more or when you need to sit beside them and support them.”

That approach is not just about academics. NAIS Manila places equal importance on student wellbeing, knowing that happy, supported students are those who thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

For Xijia, the difference was immediate. “When I came here, I was really bad at science,” she admits. “But then teachers often encouraged me to try harder things and challenge me, and now I get a lot of good grades in that,” she says.

Beyond the classroom, Xijia discovered new passions, including dance. “My teacher Miss Nolette was like, ‘Yeah, you can do it! We can fix this, we can fix this problem,’ she recalls. “And then I got confidence and auditioned into the dance group.”

This is all part of NAIS Manila’s approach to personalised learning in international schools, where each student’s individual path is nurtured through encouragement, support, and challenge.

Preparing students for the future with confidence

Wendy Spence, Head of Secondary, believes this focus on personal growth and confidence building is what helps NAIS Manila students thrive. “We're led by lots of special teachers who make sure that they give that really personalised approach. They go that extra mile,” she says.

She sees every day how the school prepares students for life beyond the classroom. “Our aim for our NAIS Manila students is to get them to where they want to be when they leave us,” Wendy explains.

“Whether they want to be here in Manila at the best universities, whether they want to be travelling to weird and wonderful destinations around the world, we are here to prepare them and support them so that they have the confidence, the skills, the qualifications, to be able to step out into the world and aim for the best that they can.”

Wendy sees this every day as students grow into confident learners who know they are supported to aim high. It’s that sense of belonging and encouragement that stays with them — giving them the confidence to take on new challenges and the knowledge that they are never on the journey alone.