Penang has a school that carries the name of a 400-year-old English Jesuit college from Lancashire, teaches A-Levels and takes boarders, and it sits in Tanjung Tokong, the same neighbourhood as Straits Quay. Most British families looking at Penang have never heard of it. They've usually heard of Uplands, which many assume is the island's A-Level school. It isn't: Uplands takes students through IGCSE and then the IB Diploma.
That's the kind of detail that matters when you're moving a family, or helping one move. This guide sets out which Penang schools follow the British system, where they are, roughly what they cost, and where UK families tend to buy nearby. It's written for parents relocating with children and for grandparents buying a home the family will use.
Key takeaways: Penang's British-curriculum schools cluster on the island's northern coast. Stonyhurst in Tanjung Tokong offers A-Levels; Uplands in Batu Ferringhi offers the IB Diploma after IGCSE; Tenby in Tanjung Bungah follows the Cambridge IGCSE route; POWIIS is in Balik Pulau. Fees are a fraction of UK independent schools. Choose the school first, then buy within a short drive of it, because the school run shapes daily life more than the view does.
The British-curriculum schools
Stonyhurst International School Penang, Tanjung Tokong. Part of the Stonyhurst family of schools linked to Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, which traces its history to 1593. It's co-educational for ages 3 to 18, follows a British-based route from the Early Years Foundation Stage through IGCSE and A-Level, and offers boarding as well as day places. For families who want a UK-style sixth form and A-Levels for UCAS, this is the most direct match on the island. It's also the newest of the group, with its grand opening in 2023, so it has a shorter track record in Penang than the older schools.
The International School of Penang (Uplands), Batu Ferringhi. The island's long-established British-style international school, with a campus on the Batu Ferringhi beach road. It follows a British-based curriculum through IGCSE and then the IB Diploma in the final two years. The IB is widely accepted by UK universities, but if your child is set on A-Levels, that's a real difference. Published 2025/26 fees run from about RM24,800 for Reception to about RM70,800 for the IB Diploma years.
Tenby Schools Penang, Tanjung Bungah. Located on Lintang Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah, Tenby runs an international stream on the English National Curriculum and Cambridge IGCSE, alongside a Malaysian national-curriculum stream. It's popular with families who want a large, established campus in the quieter residential part of the coast. Check its current sixth-form options directly, as sources differ.
Prince of Wales Island International School (POWIIS), Balik Pulau. A British-curriculum school on the island's quieter west side, known for a smaller-school feel and outdoor learning. It suits families who want to live away from the busier northern coast, but it's a longer drive from Gurney, Tanjung Tokong and Batu Ferringhi.
St Christopher's International Primary School. A British-curriculum primary school for younger children, often used as a first step before moving to one of the all-through schools.
Two non-British options are worth knowing about. Dalat International School in Tanjung Bungah follows an American curriculum and is popular with expatriate families generally. Fairview International School offers the IB programme.
Fees in context
Published fees vary by source, year group and what's included, so treat these as rough guides. At the more established British schools, the early years start at around RM25,000 a year and the final years reach roughly RM70,000–90,000 at the top schools. Boarding, where offered, costs extra.
Even at the top of that range, roughly £13,000–16,500 a year at RM5.45 to the pound, that's well below typical UK independent day-school fees. Ask each school for its current schedule, plus enrolment, development and exam fees, before you build a budget.
One thing for older children: if they plan to go to university in the UK, check how time spent living abroad affects home fee status. UKCISA publishes the rules, and the time to look is before you move, not in Year 13.
Where UK families live: match the home to the school run
The northern coast is compact on a map but slow at rush hour. The families who are happiest here live a short drive from school.
For Stonyhurst, look at Tanjung Tokong and Straits Quay. Andaman @ Quayside puts the marina, shops and restaurants on your doorstep. If you want a garden, the gated villa clusters at Seri Tanjung Pinang, such as Acacia and Avalon, open from about RM3.2M, above the RM3M floor that applies to most foreign buyers of landed property on the island. Families on MM2H can buy landed from RM500,000, which widens the choice considerably. The Seri Tanjung Pinang villa guide covers them all.
For Tenby and Dalat, Tanjung Bungah is the natural base. Alila 2 is in Lembah Permai, the same neighbourhood as Tenby, with large homes from 1,905 sq ft, sea and hill views and grounds that are nearly half garden, from about RM1.68M. Waterstone, a freehold BSG Property launch due in 2028, has three- and four-bedroom homes from 1,334 to 2,195 sq ft, from about RM1.29M. Several of my UK clients have bought there. If you need to move in sooner, Mira Residence, also by BSG in Tanjung Bungah, was completed in 2016 with similar sizes. The Tanjung Bungah area guide covers the rest.
For Uplands, Batu Ferringhi is the obvious choice, with Moonlight Bay and The Marin among the options closest to the school. The guide to condos near Uplands and Dalat compares the options building by building.
For grandparents buying for the family
Some British buyers are grandparents rather than parents, buying a home in Penang that the family will use while the children are at school here, and that they'll use themselves on long visits.
That works well, but get three things right. First, the rules: a UK grandparent is a foreign buyer, so the island minimum is RM1M for a condo and RM3M for landed (RM500,000 for landed if you're on MM2H), and costs add roughly 13–14% with a mortgage. Second, the name on the title, which affects who can sell, who pays tax on any rent, and how the home passes on. Third, inheritance: UK inheritance tax now follows long-term UK residence rather than domicile, so a grandparent who has lived in the UK for 10 of the last 20 tax years is likely to have the Penang home inside their UK estate. A Malaysian will for the Malaysian property is sensible too.
Choose a home with enough bedrooms for everyone at once, and think about which family member will deal with the building management day to day. A four-bedroom condo with a pool and security is often easier to share than a house.
The step-by-step buying process is in the UK buyer's guide. If you'd like a shortlist built around a particular school, message me on WhatsApp below. I'm Zac Ong (REN 64593, PropNex Penang).
Sources
School locations, curricula and age ranges from each school's published information and 2026 Penang international-school directories (including StudyPenang and independent fee guides). Uplands fee range from published 2025/26 figures. Stonyhurst affiliation from the school and Stonyhurst College. Fees vary by source and year, so confirm directly with each school. Property details from developer material and current listings.