There’s always plenty to look forward to on the educational journey. From new international schools in Hong Kong to new facilities and curriculums and other updates, here are just a few of the latest developments in schools in HK and abroad!
Hong Kong School News
Register for Stamford Open Day!
Stamford American School Hong Kong offers an inspiring world of international education for students aged 5 to 18 using an inquiry-based learning approach combined with rigorous American academic standards. Come and spend a fun-filled Open day at Stamford! Experience and learn how the personalised approach nurtures the whole child while establishing a rock-solid academic foundation.
Sign up now and get ready for a day filled with laughter, exploration, and boundless excitement!
CDNIS is expanding!
Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS) is set to unveil a state-of-the-art, purpose-built CDNIS facility in The Southside, Wong Chuk Hang. The 14,000-square-foot space will offer the half-day Early Years Programme, the popular bilingual half-day programme of Early Years 1 classes for three-year-olds, and a new bilingual Nursery Programme for two-year-olds (pending EDB approval). Its stimulating and spacious classrooms will support the school’s youngest learners as they’re introduced to inquiry-based IB components, and help to foster curiosity and creativity in both English and Chinese.
The expansion is expected to be finished in time for the 2024/2025 academic year, with applications for the CDNIS Early Years Programme opening in April 2024. For more info, visit cdnis.edu.hk
Join the Malvern College Pre-School Open Day on Saturday 23 September!
Come along to the Island West Campus and explore the Malvern learning journey, meet the educators, explore the facilities, engage in activities, and get a taste of the Forest-Beach School programme. It’s a fantastic opportunity to spend a fun-filled day with your child and immerse yourselves in the exciting world of Malvern learning.
Limited space available – register now to secure your spot
Discover Woodland Pre-Schools!
Parents of children aged six months to six years are invited to join the Woodland journey at an Open Day on Saturday 7 October, being held at the Mid-Levels, Sai Kung and Repulse Bay Beachside campuses. Head along to learn more about how the school puts its focus on Early Years excellence into practice.
Sai Kung: bit.ly/SaiKung-October
Mid-Levels: bit.ly/Mid-Levels-October
Repulse Bay Beachside: bit.ly/Beachside-October
French International School Open Days
The French International School is one of the oldest International Schools in Hong Kong – this year, they are celebrating 60 years of excellence in education! A diverse community welcoming over 2,700 students from 45 countries across four campuses, the all-through school offers two internationally accredited streams in French and English.
Tour one of the award-winning campuses to experience their academic and collaborative learning environment. Meet the Head of School, Dr. Emmanuel Bonin, and their pedagogical leaders. You can also take the opportunity to engage with their talented teachers while your children explore the classroom activities. Find out more here.
Early Years and Primary Campus Sessions:
Chai Wan – Saturday 7 October, 9.30 to 11.30am
Tseung Kwan O – Thursday 19 October, 4 to 6pm
Secondary Campus Session:
Blue Pool Road Campus – Saturday 11 November, 9.30 to 11.30am
Apply to ESF – with no zoning!
ESF’s Central Application for 2024/25 is open throughout September for K1, Year 1 and Year 7 parents, who can apply to any ESF school that best fits their child’s needs and preferences. The ESF team says it aims to provide a world-class education for children from K1 to Y13, ensuring they have the knowledge and skills to succeed in any field. It’s also the biggest international school organisation in Hong Kong, which means vast resources over a huge network. And the through-train system ensures a seamless transition from kindergarten to secondary.
For parents looking to enrol their child in an ESF school in 2024/25 (August 2024 entry), applications for K1 (born 2021), Year 1 (born 2019) and Year 7 (born 2013) are open from 1 to 30 September 2023. Find out more by following this link!
Find out all about Kellett School!
When you’re choosing schools, the chance to tour a campus and meet staff is invaluable. This month, Kellett School is holding its next open evenings across all three of its schools: Pok Fu Lam Prep and Kowloon Bay Prep and Senior School. Head along to get a first-hand feel of the campus and speak to members of the Senior Leadership Team.
6pm, Monday 18 September: Kowloon Bay Campus (Prep & Senior School)
6pm, Monday 25 September: Pok Fu Lam Campus
Sign up here!
Planting Trees
It’s a great time to teach children an appreciation for the natural world, and the International College Hong Kong (ICHK) Hong Lok Yuen has been recognised for doing just that! At the International School Awards 2023, ICHK won the Sustainability Award for its tree-planting initiative in the kindergarten and primary years, which sees students allocated their own tree to care for, to develop an understanding of their role in sustainability. (Look out for the community wide organic farm coming to campus soon, too.)
Meanwhile, Year Three students created a song and music video, “Whispering Reefs”, about protecting marine life, which won first prize at the 2023 Voices for the Planet Awards! (Find out more anout the awards here.) ichkhly.edu.hk
Parent Workshops
Shrewsbury International School is hosting a series of online chats with parents centering around the identification of five key ideas or tips under a common theme. Aptly named “Five ways to…”, the 45-minute sessions are hosted at 5pm on Wednesdays periodically throughout the academic year, covering topics such as inspiring children to write, effectively managing challenging behaviour, and supporting Chinese learning as a non-native speaker. The school says the talks will draw far more broadly upon the expertise of the academic team than ever before. To register, visit hjuglcnu.paperform.co.
Happy 60th Anniversary!
It’s not only one of the biggest international schools in Hong Kong, but with six decades of education under its belt this year, the French International School is also the oldest. Some 2,700 students from 45 countries attend FIS across four campuses, in an all-through school that offers two internationally accredited streams in French and English. The academic environment is multilingual, inclusive and caring – and you don’t need to speak French to join! Find out more about how FIS seeks to unlock and develop each learner’s talent and passion while supporting their needs at fis.edu.hk.
Open Day Fun
Small World Christian Kindergarten is inviting families with young children to its Open Day on Saturday 14 October, at 10 Borrett Road, Mid-Levels. This is a great opportunity to see the lovely campus and to explore the classrooms, outdoor garden area, playground and more! Your child can trial a session of the high-quality early years programme and engage in fun activities led by teachers. The principal, admissions team and community ambassadors will be there to share with you what makes learning at this kindergarten so special! For details, contact admissions@smallworld.edu.hk.
Getting Ready for Middle School
YMCA Christian Academy is launching a new Year 7 programme in 2024-25, where children aged 11 and 12 can take part in specialised preparations for Middle School. The programme will be based on the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) and provide flexibility for the school to incorporate its Christian values, and its Wellbeing Curriculum, Chinese Students and Learning Diversity provisions. It’s also transferable to British, American and IB schools, providing a seamless transition and plenty of options. If additional support is needed, coaching is available to develop skills to prepare for the move to secondary school. For more information, head to yca.edu.hk/year7.
Anchors Academy
New kindergarten and primary school Anchors Academy has opened in Yuen Long in the New Territories, offering a creative, hands-on curriculum that combines the best elements of Eastern and Western educational ideals. There’s a focus on developing international mindedness, confidence and character, and the specialised STEAM curriculum lets children learn how to explore and grow within an innovative world. Additionally, each student has an opportunity to learn English, Cantonese and Mandarin through play. anchorsacademy.edu.hk/en
Clever Kids
After navigating some turbulent years of study, Hong Kong’s 2023 cohort of A Level and IB students has achieved outstanding results. This year, 23 Hong Kong IB students scored a perfect 45. While this is down from 93 perfect scores in 2022, there is a global trend towards lower scores with the return of the pre-pandemic awarding systems. Plus, the average IB score here was 36.25 compared to the global average of 30.24, and the IB pass rate of 97.7% compared to 79.3% globally. There have been success stories in A Levels too, with students already being accepted into top universities around the world on the back of top grades. Congratulations from the Expat Living team to these students for their results, and to the families and teachers supporting these young minds to achieve their best!
Stellar Grades at DBIS!
Among the high achievers mentioned above were students at Discovery Bay International School, with the A Level/BTEC Level 3 Class of 2023 excelling in their final summer examinations. Some 19% of all grades achieved were an A*, and 40% either A* or A. Principal Mr Marc Morris was justifiably impressed: “These results have left an indelible impression on everyone at the school – they’re a testament to the unwavering dedication and perseverance of each student.” He also pointed to the invaluable support provided by the school’s teachers. To find out more about learning at DBIS Sixth Form, visit dbis.edu.hk/sixth-form, and for scholarship applications, go to dbis.hk/year12scholarship.
Exploring & Learning
Thirty years after launching as an integral offering of the ESF (English Schools Foundation), ESF Sports & Language has rebranded as ESF Explore. The new name celebrates and reflects on the expanding educational offerings of ESF – and there’s a new logo, too. Education at ESF means a great deal more than academic achievement, and the ESF Explore curriculum has been developed to nurture the whole child. There’s a wide range of classes, courses and activities catering to children from infants to teens, with expanded categories covering playgroups, sports, language classes, arts, drama, STEM learning, and more.
New Head of Hong Kong Academy
HKA will soon welcome a new Head of School, with Kasson Bratton accepting the offer to join from July 2024. Kasson is currently Deputy Head of School and Director of Learning at Nanjing International School in mainland China, where he has worked for the past nine years. His understanding of the international school ecosystem in East Asia, leadership in infusing global citizenship into the curriculum, and commitment to cultivating rigorous and inclusive learning communities strongly align with HKA’s mission and vision. The HKA Board say they’re looking forward to supporting a seamless Head of School transition over the next year.
Zoning requirements dropped!
From 1 August 2023, families looking to send their children to any of the 22 English Schools Foundation (ESF) schools in Hong Kong can apply without needing to have their residential address fall within a specific geographical area for a particular school. The ending of these zoning requirements opens up all ESF schools to applicants regardless of where they and their family live in HK. The new process will operate for any application submitted on or after 1 August. Parents who are in the midst of the application process before that date will be contacted and offered the chance to revise their choice of school.
Visit esf.edu.hk for details of ESF schools and their locations.
Need a Tutor?
UK-based education company Renewed Learning has recently expanded to Asia and launched Renewed Learning Asia. With a team of tutors from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, students can expect world-class teaching from inspiring and engaging mentors. RLA provides expert tutoring across all subjects to students aged four to 18, including exam preparation for 11+, 13+, GCSE, A-Levels and IB. Tuition can be provided in person in Hong Kong, and online across Asia.
New Curriculum Strand
ICHK Secondary is an IB World School in the New Territories that’s doing things a bit differently. While students at ICHK follow BTECs, IGCSEs and the IBDP, they’re also given the option of graduating with a Mastery Transcript. Offered as an additional qualification to the IB Diploma, the Mastery Transcript is unique in that it features no grades; rather, it aims to value and recognise students for all their capabilities, passions, achievements and interests, not just academic abilities. This is in line with the ICHK belief that a secondary school experience should deliver both character and academic achievement in the same child.
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