Finding the right school for a child with additional learning needs is stressful anywhere. In Jakarta, it carries an extra layer of difficulty: almost every school will tell you, during the admissions tour, that they are "inclusive" and that they "support all learners." Separating the genuine from the reassuring is harder than it should be.
This guide does not pretend the picture is uniformly positive. There are schools in Jakarta with serious, well-resourced learning support programmes. There are others where a single EAL teacher is quietly covering the entire school's additional needs. Knowing the difference before you enrol matters enormously.
What "SEN" Means in the Jakarta Context
The term SEN - Special Educational Needs - covers a wide spectrum. In practical terms for families at Jakarta international schools, it typically includes dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties, ADHD, autism spectrum conditions, speech and language needs, global developmental delays, physical or sensory impairments, and children who need English as an Additional Language support alongside learning support.
Jakarta's international schools are not regulated by a single inspectorate that verifies their SEN claims. Unlike in the UK, where Ofsted inspects provision against a legal framework, or the US, where the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) applies to domestic public schools, Jakarta's international sector is self-regulating on inclusion in practice. Accrediting bodies - CIS, WASC, the Council of British International Schools - include general guidance on inclusive practice, but none set binding minimum staffing ratios or mandatory IEP requirements.
That is not a reason to despair. Several schools have built genuinely strong programmes. It is a reason to ask sharper questions than you might in your home country.
The Schools: An Honest Assessment
One thing worth stating clearly upfront: no Jakarta international school runs a dedicated special education unit for high-needs students. The model across all of them is inclusive - support delivered within mainstream classes, with adjustments and additional intervention where needed. The right school depends significantly on your child's specific profile, who is currently on staff, and the support planning in place at the time you enrol. Reputations shift as staff turn over; it is always worth speaking to current parents, not reviews from two years ago.
Australian Independent School (AIS Indonesia) - Inclusion as a Founding Principle
AIS was founded in 1996 specifically because no Jakarta international school would accept children with special educational needs. That origin story matters: inclusion is not a PR add-on at AIS - it is the foundational reason the school exists, and the culture reflects it.
The programme operates through Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for students who need them. The Student Services Centre (SSC) provides smaller class environments for students requiring more targeted intervention alongside their mainstream timetable. Support staff work across all year levels. Students can be identified through self-referral, parent referral, teacher observation, or assessment results.
In practice, AIS operates with a leaner specialist staffing model than JIS. It is well-suited to students with mild to moderate learning differences - dyslexia, ADHD, processing difficulties - but for more complex or high-needs profiles, families should expect to fund additional private support beyond what the school provides. AIS is clear about this: it is an inclusive mainstream school, not a specialist provision.
The school follows the Australian curriculum through primary and into secondary, with the IB Diploma at senior level. AIS is CIS-accredited and an IB World School.
Practical note: AIS is in Pejaten, south of the main Pondok Indah and Kemang expat cluster. The campus is functional, not glossy - more community feel than prestige polish - which many SEN families find a positive.
Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS) - Scale, Structure, and Specialist Staffing
JIS is Jakarta's largest international school, with three campuses totalling 63 acres. That scale brings a genuine staffing advantage: JIS runs a larger learning support team than most Jakarta international schools, with dedicated specialists, integrated school psychologists, and counsellors across its student support infrastructure. The JIS Learning Center - opened at primary level in 2022 and secondary in 2023 - formalises what was already a long-standing commitment to student support.
Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) are used for students who need them. Support is delivered primarily within mainstream classrooms, with additional targeted intervention where appropriate. Exam accommodations follow a US curriculum model. The approach is structured and relatively well-documented, partly because JIS has been doing this longer than most Jakarta schools.
For mild to moderate learning differences - dyslexia, ADHD, processing difficulties, some social-emotional needs - JIS is a credible option, and some families find the larger team structure gives them more confidence in continuity of support. For high-needs or complex profiles, JIS, like AIS, expects families to fund additional private support beyond mainstream provision. Admissions involve formal assessment, and the school is generally candid about whether it can reasonably meet a child's needs within its model.
JIS follows a North American curriculum with IB and Advanced Placement options at senior level. It is the school of choice for US diplomatic and corporate families.
British School Jakarta (BSJ) - Solid for Mild to Moderate Needs
BSJ has a published inclusion policy and learning support provision described as tailored to students with mild to moderate needs. It is a strong general school - good pastoral care, wide extracurricular programme, and a stable British-origin staff body - and for children whose SEN sits towards the lighter end of the spectrum (dyslexia support, some ADHD strategies, mild processing difficulties), families report reasonable experiences.
Where BSJ is less well suited is for children with more complex profiles. It does not have the depth of specialist staffing found at JIS or the foundational inclusion culture of AIS, and its primary focus is academic delivery, not learning support as a specialism.
BSJ is also worth knowing is in Bintaro - a meaningful commute from Pondok Indah and Kemang. For families based in the south Jakarta expat neighbourhoods, factor the traffic into any decision.
The Independent School of Jakarta (ISJ) - Pastoral Strength for Younger Children
ISJ is a British independent school currently educating children from Pre-Nursery through Year 8, with a new secondary campus opening in September 2028 that will take pupils through to A-levels. Its approach to SEN is shaped by its British independent school character: a school at which staff know individual children thoroughly, where pastoral care is a genuine priority, not a talking point, and where the form teacher relationship is close and consistent.
ISJ does not have a dedicated SEN unit in the way AIS does. What it offers is a school culture in which a child's particular needs - academic, social, emotional - are noticed and addressed through close adult relationships and genuine communication with parents. For children whose primary need is consistent pastoral attention, familiarity with supportive adults, and a structured, calm environment, that combination matters. For children with more complex or clinical learning needs, the more structured programmes at AIS or JIS are the more appropriate fit.
Families considering ISJ for a child with additional needs should be direct in conversations with the admissions and pastoral team about their child's profile. The school's honest answer about what it can and cannot provide is a better guide than any generalised claims about inclusion.
The Questions Every Parent Should Ask
Whatever school you are considering, ask these questions - and listen carefully to how the answers are given, not only what the answers are.
Who specifically will support my child? Ask for the name and qualifications of the person who would manage your child's learning plan. A named specialist is a better sign than a vague reference to "our learning support team."
How many students are currently on individual learning plans? This tells you both the scale of provision and whether the school is truly inclusive or selective about which needs it accepts.
What specialist staff are on-site, and how many hours per week? The list might include a SEN coordinator, an educational psychologist, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist. Ask which are employed directly by the school and which are external consultants. The difference matters.
What happens if my child's needs increase? Schools that are genuinely experienced in SEN will have a clear answer. Schools that are not will give you reassurance without specifics.
Is there an additional charge for learning support? Many schools add learning support fees on top of tuition. Ask for the scale and what it covers. At JIS, the Learning Center programme carries its own separate fee (published on the school's fee schedule).
Can I speak directly with your learning support team, not only the admissions office? Any school comfortable with this question is a better sign than one that keeps everything routed through the admissions office.
When a Mainstream School Is Not the Right Fit
Some children's needs sit beyond what any Jakarta international school can accommodate. For those families, Jakarta has a number of specialist SEN centres that operate outside the mainstream school structure.
Shining Stars runs programmes specifically for children with developmental delays, autism spectrum conditions, and ADHD. It includes an Early Intervention Programme for ages 2-7 and a Functional Academics Programme for ages 7-15, with speech, occupational, and behavioural therapists on staff.
Kyriakon School and Therapy Center provides educational and therapeutic support across a wide range of conditions including cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, ADHD, and intellectual disabilities. It combines one-to-one learning, group classes, and a therapy programme under one roof.
Joyin - The Children's Centre is an internationally accredited centre specialising in autism, ADHD, speech delay, and related conditions. It offers diagnostic assessment, parent training, and support for transitioning into mainstream school settings where appropriate.
Multi Colour Learning Center (MCLC) provides a home-like environment for children with autism, ADHD, Down syndrome, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities, integrating classroom instruction, outdoor activities, and therapeutic services.
These centres are not schools in the conventional sense, but for some families they are the right environment - and several work in parallel with mainstream international school attendance where that is appropriate.