AshcombeInternational School

Founded 2004 · Gulshan-2, Dhaka · Pearson Edexcel

A British school with Dhaka in it.

Pearson Edexcel from Nursery to A Level, on one campus in Gulshan. Small classes, four houses, and teachers who know every child by name.

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Bangla
  • French
  • History
  • Geography
  • Computer Science
  • Economics
  • Art & Design
  • Music
  • Drama
  • Physical Education
The Ashcombe International School building, three storeys in pale render with a colonnade and flowering bougainvillea

Our school

Old-fashioned about some things, and not sorry

We keep a uniform, a house system, a hymn on Monday morning and a handwritten report twice a year. None of that is nostalgia. Each one gives a child something to belong to that is bigger than their own results.

The rest we keep current. Every laboratory was rebuilt in 2023, the sixth form writes its own university applications with a named adviser, and no class in the school is larger than twenty-four.

Fortiter et FideliterBravely and faithfully
  • 980Children on roll
  • 1:12Teachers to children
  • 24Largest class in the school
  • 4Houses

Curriculum

Nursery to A Level, on one campus

A child can arrive at three and leave at eighteen without changing school once. These are the five stages, in order.

  1. I

    Early Years

    Nursery & Reception Ages 3 to 5

    Play, talk and the first letters and numbers. Two teachers in every room and no screens at all.

  2. II

    Primary

    Years 1 to 6 Ages 5 to 11

    Reading, writing and arithmetic done properly, with French from Year 3 and swimming from Year 1.

  3. III

    Lower Secondary

    Years 7 to 9 Ages 11 to 14

    Subject teachers, subject rooms, and the three sciences taught separately from the first term.

  4. IV

    IGCSE

    Years 10 & 11 Ages 14 to 16

    Pearson Edexcel IGCSE. Nine subjects, sat on our own campus — we are an approved examination centre.

  5. V

    A Level

    Years 12 & 13 Ages 16 to 18

    Three or four A Levels, a named university adviser, and a study room the sixth form runs itself.

Houses

Four rivers, one cup

Every child joins a house on their first day and stays in it until they leave. Brothers and sisters are put in the same one. Points are given for work, for games, for music and for kindness — and the cup is handed over on the last morning of the summer term.

  • Padma4,180 ptsSteady
  • Jamuna3,940 ptsWide
  • Meghna4,370 ptsDeep
  • Surma3,610 ptsBright

Bar length = house points ÷ leading house's points × 100

The school assembly hall, rows of empty wooden chairs facing a low stage hung with the four house colours

Admissions

Five steps, and we tell you the fee up front

Places come free at every stage, most often in Years 1, 7 and 12. Start with the tour — it costs nothing and it answers more than any brochure.

  1. 1Book a tourHalf an hour, during a school day, so you see it working rather than tidied.
  2. 2Send the formOne page, plus the last two school reports and a copy of the birth certificate.
  3. 3Come in for a morningYour child sits a short reading and number assessment. We talk to you while they do it.
  4. 4Read the offerIt arrives within ten working days and states the fee for the whole year, not per term.
  5. 5StartUniform fitting, a buddy in the class, and a call home at the end of the first week.

Who runs the school

You will meet these four

  • Rebecca MarshHead of SchoolHere since 2016
  • Afsana HaqueDeputy Head, AcademicHere since 2011
  • Daniel OkonjoHead of PrimaryHere since 2018
  • Shahriar RahmanHead of Sixth FormHere since 2009

Term dates

The year 2026 to 2027

TermFirst dayLast dayBreak
Autumn term18 August 202617 December 202612 to 16 October
Spring term5 January 202725 March 202715 to 19 February
Summer term12 April 20271 July 202724 to 28 May

Come and see it

The admissions office

Plot 14, Road 92, Gulshan-2, Dhaka 1212

The admissions office answers the telephone itself. There is no queue.

  • Sunday to Thursday7:30am — 4:30pm
  • Saturday9:00am — 1:00pm
  • FridayClosed

Fortiter et FideliterBravely and faithfully