UK's Prestigious NLCS Kobe and Kinderkids International School Sign MOU
NLCS Kobe, a prestigious UK school, and Kinderkids International School have signed an MOU to establish a consistent international education pathway from age 2 to 18, aiming to elevate Japan's international education standards.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 13:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 14:08 (36 min after Collected)
On April 23, 2026, North London Collegiate School Kobe (NLCS Kobe), a British international school, and Kinderkids International School (Kinderkids), which operates Japan's largest preschool network, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding educational collaboration.
(From left) Clive Warnes, CFO of Kinderkids; Kimiko Nakayama, President and CEO of Kinderkids; Hachiho Ikeda, Representative Director of Hakko LR Co., Ltd.; Matt Williams, Founding Principal of NLCS Kobe.
In this partnership, NLCS Kobe and three Kinderkids brands in Hyogo Prefecture (Kinderkids, Adventure, Academy) have mutually recognized each other as priority partners. Both schools, aspiring to world-standard academic education, aim to establish consistent global education from early childhood to university entrance by deepening teacher exchange and mutual understanding of curricula. This initiative seeks to improve the quality of international education in Japan and present families with a clear learning pathway towards the world.
A new option for global education from early childhood with a future-oriented perspective.
Currently, while demand for preschools is increasing domestically, a "pathway gap" where continued education after graduation is difficult poses a challenge. To address this, "NLCS Kobe," which boasts three titles including the UK's best private school, and "Kinderkids," which operates Japan's largest English immersion childcare, have commenced an educational partnership.
Through this partnership, the self-initiated learning attitude and English proficiency cultivated at Kinderkids will be directly connected to NLCS Kobe's advanced academic curriculum. By presenting a clear and continuous educational roadmap from age 2 to 18, the aim is to nurture the next generation of leaders who will drive international society, while rooted in Japanese culture.
We aim to disseminate a consistent, world-standard education model from Kobe and elevate Japan's educational environment.
[Reference Link] NLCS selected as UK's best school: https://note.com/nlcs_kobe/n/n1cb5a0a9de9d
Mutual campus visits conducted; affinity between early childhood education and advanced academic environment confirmed.
Prior to the signing, representatives from both schools conducted mutual campus tours. Kinderkids President and CEO Nakayama and others visited NLCS Kobe, inspecting the library that inspires a passion for learning and the latest educational facilities.
Meanwhile, NLCS Kobe's Founding Principal Matthew Williams and others visited Kinderkids' Nishinomiya campus to observe the early childhood education environment. Through these mutual visits, the affinity between the foundational skills fostered by Kinderkids and the advanced academic environment provided by NLCS Kobe was reconfirmed, marking a concrete step towards building a consistent educational pathway from age 2 to 18.
Comment from Matthew Williams, Founding Principal of NLCS Kobe:
NLCS Kobe is delighted about this partnership with Kinderkids and looks forward to deepening our collaboration more formally in the future. Since our opening, we have consistently been deeply impressed by the high academic ability and excellent English proficiency of children entering from Kinderkids. We believe this partnership will provide a clearer pathway to an NLCS Kobe education for families in Hyogo. Personally, I am also very pleased to be working with everyone at Kinderkids and look forward to delivering greater value to more families through this collaboration.
Comment from Kimiko Nakayama, President and CEO of Kinderkids:
It is a great honor to announce that Kinderkids International School and NLCS Kobe have formally entered into a partnership. NLCS Kobe is an excellent partner that will elevate the learning of children we have carefully nurtured to an even higher level. We are proud that children who graduate from Kinderkids can continue to grow in the outstanding environment of NLCS. This partnership will provide families in the Hyogo area with a clear choice for world-class education. Moving forward, we will work closely with the NLCS Kobe team to provide further educational value to children and families through this collaboration.
"Kinderkids International School" Overview
A nationwide bilingual English nursery school (preschool) operated by Kinderkids Co., Ltd., established in 2000. It advocates for "international schools for Japanese people" and offers high-quality original curricula.
Kinderkids International School (3-1 Purara Ten, Ikedacho, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
(From left) Clive Warnes, CFO of Kinderkids; Kimiko Nakayama, President and CEO of Kinderkids; Hachiho Ikeda, Representative Director of Hakko LR Co., Ltd.; Matt Williams, Founding Principal of NLCS Kobe.
In this partnership, NLCS Kobe and three Kinderkids brands in Hyogo Prefecture (Kinderkids, Adventure, Academy) have mutually recognized each other as priority partners. Both schools, aspiring to world-standard academic education, aim to establish consistent global education from early childhood to university entrance by deepening teacher exchange and mutual understanding of curricula. This initiative seeks to improve the quality of international education in Japan and present families with a clear learning pathway towards the world.
A new option for global education from early childhood with a future-oriented perspective.
Currently, while demand for preschools is increasing domestically, a "pathway gap" where continued education after graduation is difficult poses a challenge. To address this, "NLCS Kobe," which boasts three titles including the UK's best private school, and "Kinderkids," which operates Japan's largest English immersion childcare, have commenced an educational partnership.
Through this partnership, the self-initiated learning attitude and English proficiency cultivated at Kinderkids will be directly connected to NLCS Kobe's advanced academic curriculum. By presenting a clear and continuous educational roadmap from age 2 to 18, the aim is to nurture the next generation of leaders who will drive international society, while rooted in Japanese culture.
We aim to disseminate a consistent, world-standard education model from Kobe and elevate Japan's educational environment.
[Reference Link] NLCS selected as UK's best school: https://note.com/nlcs_kobe/n/n1cb5a0a9de9d
Mutual campus visits conducted; affinity between early childhood education and advanced academic environment confirmed.
Prior to the signing, representatives from both schools conducted mutual campus tours. Kinderkids President and CEO Nakayama and others visited NLCS Kobe, inspecting the library that inspires a passion for learning and the latest educational facilities.
Meanwhile, NLCS Kobe's Founding Principal Matthew Williams and others visited Kinderkids' Nishinomiya campus to observe the early childhood education environment. Through these mutual visits, the affinity between the foundational skills fostered by Kinderkids and the advanced academic environment provided by NLCS Kobe was reconfirmed, marking a concrete step towards building a consistent educational pathway from age 2 to 18.
Comment from Matthew Williams, Founding Principal of NLCS Kobe:
NLCS Kobe is delighted about this partnership with Kinderkids and looks forward to deepening our collaboration more formally in the future. Since our opening, we have consistently been deeply impressed by the high academic ability and excellent English proficiency of children entering from Kinderkids. We believe this partnership will provide a clearer pathway to an NLCS Kobe education for families in Hyogo. Personally, I am also very pleased to be working with everyone at Kinderkids and look forward to delivering greater value to more families through this collaboration.
Comment from Kimiko Nakayama, President and CEO of Kinderkids:
It is a great honor to announce that Kinderkids International School and NLCS Kobe have formally entered into a partnership. NLCS Kobe is an excellent partner that will elevate the learning of children we have carefully nurtured to an even higher level. We are proud that children who graduate from Kinderkids can continue to grow in the outstanding environment of NLCS. This partnership will provide families in the Hyogo area with a clear choice for world-class education. Moving forward, we will work closely with the NLCS Kobe team to provide further educational value to children and families through this collaboration.
"Kinderkids International School" Overview
A nationwide bilingual English nursery school (preschool) operated by Kinderkids Co., Ltd., established in 2000. It advocates for "international schools for Japanese people" and offers high-quality original curricula.
Kinderkids International School (3-1 Purara Ten, Ikedacho, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture