If you visit St. Andrews International School Green Valley on a normal school day, the first thing you
notice isn’t a row of classrooms – it’s space. Forest school, farms, trees, gardens, and groups of children learning outside as much as they do inside.
Charlie Grayhurst smiles
when asked about what makes Green Valley special after 30 years.
“People expect me to say ‘results’ first,” he admits, “and yes, our exam results are outstanding. But what I
really love, is seeing children who are independent, resilient, kind and ready for life. That’s what Green Valley does so well.”
Green Valley is marking its 30th anniversary this year, and there is plenty to celebrate. Recent IGCSE and
IB Diploma results place the school among the top-performing international schools in Thailand, and
graduates go onto top universities all over the world.
The story, though, is not only about numbers. Over the years, families have chosen Green Valley because
it feels like a community school: big enough to offer opportunity, small enough that teachers know
students by name and notice when they are thriving or when they need a quiet word of support. Many
parents have had more than one child come through the school from Nursery to Year 13, and
former students often return to visit and give back.
At the same time, the school
has been shortlisted for the ASEAN School Awards in the Experiential
Learning Program category – recognition that learning at Green Valley doesn’t just happen behind a desk.
What does that look like in everyday life? Students improving water quality in ponds, turning milk to
cheese in the name of Science, starting over 15 student run businesses in the school, growing food in the
gardens, building and coding in robotics, leading eco-projects, planning charity events, playing sport,
performing on stage, and still getting home with plenty to talk about at the dinner table.
“We’re not trying to create a pressure-cooker,” Charlie explains. “We want children to work hard, absolutely, but also to enjoy school, to feel known, to have space to try things, fail, get back up and try again. The countryside campus helps with that – it feels calm, safe and develops a unique community
spirit.”
As Green Valley looks ahead to its next 30 years, Charlie hopes that every student leaves with strong
results, great memories and the knowledge that they can thrive in their next steps.
“If they walk out of here excited about the world, willing to give things a go, and confident that they can
find their way as adults,” he says, “then we’ve done our job.”
A Leading International School on Thailands Eastern Seaboard | St Andrews International School, Green Valley | Thailand