Bishop Mackenzie International School

BMIS follows the International Baccalaureate framework throughout: PYP from Pre-K to Grade 5, MYP from Grade 6 to Grade 10 and the IB Diploma Programme in Grades 11 and 12. Older students can follow three pathways: the four-year BMIS High School Diploma, which is credit based and includes community service and CAS; the Diploma Courses Programme with individual IB subjects; or the full IB Diploma. DP options include French B, Spanish B, Spanish ab initio and theatre.

English is the language of instruction and specialist EAL staff support students who are still learning it, with limited support for mild to moderate needs. French is taught from primary school and continues through secondary. In Grades 6 to 12 students can study French, Spanish and English as MYP language courses, and in the Diploma the school offers French B and Spanish B at Higher and Standard Level and Spanish ab initio, plus a school-supported self-taught literature option in the mother tongue.

BMIS is organised into a Primary School and a Secondary School. Early Years and Primary run from Pre-K (age 4) and Kindergarten (age 5) through Grade 5, following the PYP. The Secondary School covers Grades 6 to 10 in the Middle Years Programme, followed by Grades 11 and 12 in the IB Diploma Programme or the Diploma Courses pathway, with all students working towards the BMIS High School Diploma.

BMIS describes itself as a diverse and welcoming community with a joyful learning environment that promotes well-being, sustainability and inclusivity and treats growth as success. Its vision is to be a leading centre of international education in Africa that helps students realise their potential. The four core values are diversity, inclusion, sustainability and joy, and the school aims to develop students intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically while encouraging ethical leadership and environmental care.

BMIS offers more than ten sports, including football, rugby, basketball, volleyball, netball, swimming, gymnastics, taekwondo, athletics and cross country, organised in quarterly seasons. Teams compete in national PASSS events, in the Lilongwe International Schools League, which BMIS founded, and in tournaments in South Africa, Zambia, Angola, Namibia and Congo. Students belong to one of four houses that compete in sports and academic events such as debate and quizzes. The arts programme covers visual art, theatre and music.

The school occupies a 25-acre green campus in Lilongwe's Area 3. Facilities include bright classrooms, well-equipped science laboratories, a library and specialist art and music studios. Sports facilities comprise a basketball court, large sports fields and three swimming pools (a children's pool, an 18-metre pool and a 25-metre pool) supervised by lifeguards. Garden plots, composting stations and rainwater collection support the school's environmental programme.

An educational support team of specialist teachers works with students with mild learning difficulties such as dyslexia or ADHD, and EAL teachers help new English learners. Counsellors and a college counsellor support wellbeing and university applications. The school has a clinic with a nurse. An outsourced cafeteria serves food on campus, and a school uniform is required. Field trips are charged at cost, and an active Parent Teacher Association organises community and fundraising events.