International School Manila

ISM supports Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) through its counseling services across Elementary, Middle, and High School. The Elementary School Counseling team fosters students' social, emotional and personal growth through individual consultation, classroom guidance, assessment and crisis intervention, and coordination with teachers and parents. They maintain an open-door policy and run parent presentations and workshops to strengthen home–school collaboration. In Middle School, Counseling provides confidential personal and small-group counseling, orientation for new students, parent workshops, and collaboration with staff to design interventions, while leadership development is encouraged through Student Council and Ambassadors, and counselors connect families with internal and external therapeutic resources. In High School, seven counselors assist with academic, personal, social or family concerns, and support college and career planning; students are encouraged to visit the Vicky SyCip Herrera Counseling Center, and counseling is available throughout the year. The approach is complemented by wellness initiatives on campus, including a therapy dog program for wellbeing.

ISM believes in inclusive education and accepts students with learning differences, coordinating supports across divisions through the Learning Support Department. The Learning Support Resource Team (LSRT) in Elementary, Middle, and High School includes Principals, the Learning Support Program Leader, the EAL Program Leader, an Educational Psychologist, and Counselors. The Learning Support Program provides three levels of service: LS1 (curriculum adaptation without changing objectives), LS2 (accommodations and some modification), and LS3 (significant modifications and possible diploma options). The Specialized Learning Support Program (SLSP) serves students with significant needs and provides integrated support with trained specialists. Admission decisions for students with learning needs are made by the LSRT on an individual basis, with regular review of levels.

ISM's English as an Additional Language (EAL) program serves students from Grades 1-10 who require language support to access the curriculum. Language specialists work within a sheltered-immersion model alongside content teachers to deliver integrated language and content instruction. In Elementary School, each grade has an EAL specialist who supports mainstream classes, provides language lessons for identified learners, and collaborates with classroom teachers. In Middle and High School, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) classes provide intensive language support, with Sheltered-Instruction English helping emergent multilinguals access content. The program emphasizes multilingualism and maintains literacy in home languages as assets.

ISM promotes student mental wellbeing through a structured Counseling program across all divisions, offering individual and group sessions, crisis intervention and collaboration with families and teachers. The Elementary School Counseling team focuses on social, emotional and personal growth, with an open-door policy for students and involvement of parents through workshops. The Middle School program provides confidential counseling, orientation for new students, parent workshops, and collaboration to design interventions, along with leadership programs such as Student Council and Ambassadors. The High School has seven counselors, a dedicated counseling center, and active college and career counseling, with students encouraged to consult the counselors throughout the year. On-campus wellbeing initiatives include Marimar, ISM's therapy dog, and the on-campus Health Clinic with a team of nurses and a pediatrician; safeguarding policies also require a campus-wide wellness program.

ISM maintains a formal Child Safeguarding policy that recognizes that children can be at risk of abuse and requires measures to protect them. All school employees must be vetted and vouched for, including criminal-record and reference checks, with internal controls for contractors and staff. Outsourced contractors and volunteers with close contact to students must be screened, trained and supervised. If abuse is suspected or occurs, a comprehensive inquiry is conducted and findings are reported up to the superintendent, with potential involvement of relevant authorities or employers. The policy also requires a clear internet-use policy, filtering of inappropriate content, and education about digital citizenship. A comprehensive wellness program is outlined to support student safety and wellbeing across the school.