There is a lot to consider when you choose a school and in Hong Kong, there are multiple schools to choose from. Parents share with us the reasons that they chose the schools their children go to.
We loved the dynamic teaching approach, the close knit community and diverse student body.
As the school year ended, I was feeling a mix of emotions. This month marked a significant milestone for our family: our youngest daughter, Holly, was graduating from ICHK Primary and moving on to secondary school. This meant that we would no longer be part of the fantastic community that has been our home for the past nine years. It was hard to say goodbye to a place that has given us so much joy and learning.
As a family, we have always placed tremendous value on education that offers our children the time and space to enjoy their childhood. At ICHK Primary, we have found just that and much more. With plenty of physical space and a curriculum that does not over-emphasise the academic, our children have spent considerable time outdoors. Whether during Forest School, PE lessons, break time, or simply breaking out of classes, we often see them out and about, wearing their sun hats and enjoying being in their element.
This freedom is reinforced by minimal homework, plenty of opportunities to inquire and strong relationships with wonderful, caring, dedicated teachers. School has thus always seemed, for both of our children, to be something to cherish and enjoy, a place of growth and safety, a source of positivity and energy.
Our children have also benefited from the rich and varied curriculum that ICHK Primary offers. I’ve lost count of the many field trips, sporting events, after-school activities and special projects that my children have enjoyed. Some memorable occasions stand out, but more than anything, there is a sense of a steady stream of enriching and enjoyable experiences. Such events offer plenty of scope for parental involvement, as do the school’s many extraordinary community events. Disco night, picnic lunch, movie night, Party in the Park, and many more!
Looking back on Holly's journey at ICHK Primary, I am amazed by how much she has learned and grown over the past six years. She has developed a strong foundation of skills and knowledge, a love of learning and confidence in herself. She has made many happy memories that she will cherish for a lifetime.
We are so grateful to ICHK Primary for providing our children with an excellent education and experience. We will miss the school dearly but are also excited about what lies ahead. Thank you for everything!
To find out more about ICHK, visit International School Hong Kong - ICHK HLY
The curriculum, which is largely influenced by the Australian model, is progressive and adaptable (as are the teachers) to changes in education and the world around us!
Leigh Jane Gibbs is a mother of three children who has lived in Hong Kong for the past eight years. She runs an after school singing and performance school called the Island Glee Club.
With a daughter and son now firmly entrenched in their first primary school, I can say that my husband and I couldn’t be happier with their progress at the Australian International School Hong Kong (AISHK). Most importantly, they really love their school, are excited to get on the bus every day, and they come home filled with lively debriefs on what they learned and what they achieved. Simply put, I think they benefit from a safe, uncomplicated environment, where little wins can lead to greater successes.
Our children are showing a wonderful sense of confidence, independence and respect, and respond positively to the structured and disciplined Primary environment. What’s also surprising to us is that they thoroughly enjoy their school work, and that they have a really special relationships with their teachers.
Both have on the receiving ends of awards for aptitude and behaviour. Spoken Chinese was the most recent “prize”, and while we considered there must be some mistake, it was not until a brief family staycation a few weeks later, when we were all lost in a taxi, miles out of Guangzhou that my daughter engaged in a conversation with the taxi driver. Within minutes we were back on track and heading in the right direction. The two also shared a few laughs along the way and through our youngster, we soon found out the driver’s full family background, favourite food and the directions to the nearest waterpark…
To me the success for us at AISHK can be attributed to three important aspects: the size of the school, the quality of the teachers, and the school’s unique values and culture. Firstly, in terms of size and overall outlook, I would put AISHK in the category of being “boutique”. It is a through-train, meaning that the primary school and its secondary school share the same campus and resources but with the number of students being a little over one thousand across 13 year levels, the class and year group sizes are relatively small. Importantly, it is intimate enough so that every student is known and understood and close relationships develop among peers and with teachers. This leads to an incredibly safe emotional environment in which students of all ages can develop a very strong sense of belonging, gain confidence and look after each other, either as leaders or role models.
The second aspect I admire is the commitment to the quality of teachers. Interestingly, there is a broad representation from a range of nationalities, which is actually also reflective of the student population. The curriculum, which is largely influenced by the Australian model, is progressive and adaptable (as are the teachers) to changes in education and the world around us. The best measure of a great teacher, as far as I am concerned, is someone who understands the unique personality traits of my children, and as a result I know that the teachers adapt to those traits and develop positive aspects thus getting the most out of my children - as they do others in the class.
Thirdly, in terms of the school’s unique value and culture, while it is distinctly Australian, as are my wife and I, over the years they have fused this with the influence of the local community and the needs of multi-cultural students. It provides a warm social and enjoyment- driven environment – and many educators will state that fun is a most desirable environment in which children will effectively learn.
There is a very supportive parent community at AISHK, comprising both expatriates and Hong Kongers who are most often well-educated, ambitious and successful in their own right. The secondary school section is equally successful and a breeding ground for well-rounded leaders and thoughtful young adults with a passion for social purpose. These students blow their Australian- based counterparts away with results in the HSC (New South Wales School’s certificate) and the IB results are up there at the top of schools in Hong Kong (Averaging 35+).
As one British friend and parent at AISHK said to me recently “we placed our kids in the school 10 years ago because we couldn’t access our first or second choice. To our surprise we found a hidden gem and there is no way we would remove them - and I’m sure they wouldn’t let us!”
CDNIS fits all of my criteria when I was selecting a school for my two sons….. I had also heard many good things about the school’s Chinese programme.
My CDNIS journey began back in 1998 at the old Borrett Road campus and I completed my OSSD (Ontario Secondary School Diploma) at the school’s existing campus along Nam Long Shan Road. Fast-forward a decade later and I find myself at a different stage in life now, balancing my time between working full-time, being a wife and a mother to two young sons. It’s a source of comfort that both of my boys attend CDNIS. They love the school and are excited to share details of their day as soon as they return home in the afternoon.
CDNIS fit all of my criteria when I was selecting a school for my two sons. Not only does it offer through train education until Grade 12 graduation, but I had also heard many good things about the school’s Chinese programme. After talking to fellow alumni members, it was clear that CDNIS still exhibited the same attributes that made it a special place to me many years ago – confidence and being able to find a balance between maintaining academic excellence and developing caring individuals that benefit the community.
The school has grown since I graduated and has since introduced the new IB (International Baccalaureate) programme, something not available back in my day. By offering students the chance to graduate with two diplomas – IB and OSSD – this provides them with a significant advantage over their fellow academic peers when they begin to explore their post-secondary options.
Stepping back again into the 9th floor foyer, on my son's first day of school, has brought back plenty of emotions. One thing that has remained consistent is the love shared between all members of the CDNIS community. Seeing the teachers who taught me, Mr. Kaiser and Mrs. Ho, both of which are still contributing at the school, made it feel even more like a homecoming.
This is the same feeling that my two young boys now share. They absolutely love running around the 9th floor playground and are eagerly awaiting the completion of the Early Childhood Centre! Willing to change and never give up are traits that I see the teachers and faculty members embody at CDNIS, and I am glad that my children are in a school that shares these great values.
The school and parents have built a strong bond and mutual respect. We share the same value – to provide a joyful and loving learning environment where children thrive.
Positive communication between school and parent helps improve academic performance and the English Schools Foundation (ESF) recognises its importance. As Hong Kong’s largest English-medium international education provider, ESF schools are dedicated to develop close relationship with the parents.
“Our school is like a small community,” said Mina Dunstan, Principal of ESF Quarry Bay School. “The school and parents have built a strong bond and mutual respect. We share the same value – to provide a joyful and loving learning environment where children thrive.”
To deepen the school-family partnership, teachers and parents meet on a regular basis to exchange information. Such ongoing communication helps both the school and parent tailor their approach to the student. Terri Appel, an ESF parent, sent her children to Glenealy School and they continued their studies at Island School. Her son has now graduated, while her daughter is currently at Year 11. “We initially had reservations about sending him to school at four years old. However, the staff at ESF Glenealy School quickly reassured us and he began his primary schooling well cared for and well educated. He began to excel academically even being so young, and his desire to learn more and confidence started to grow by leaps and bounds as well,” Terri reveals. “In the first year, the school vice principal gave him extra attention and that made all the difference to the rest of his schooling. It is those seemingly small touches that convinced us that ESF was the right choice for both of our children,” she continues.
Over the past 50 years in Hong Kong, ESF has supported and improved the quality of learning and teaching with students’ wellbeing at the centre. The Foundation believes that a joyful learning environment and a personalised approach to learning and inspiring curiosity are the key to bringing out the best in every student.
“The personalised approach, as well as the attentive and encouraging nature of ESF teachers are what we like about the school. The fact that they instill a ‘can do’ and ‘just give it a go’ attitude, while taking into account the strengths of each child. We like that success is celebrated appropriately and that failure is embraced as a learning opportunity,” Terri said.
“We also like the diversity within the student body, and the ability for children to learn to alongside children of different ethnicities, cultures and mixes. It enriches the type of education they receive and how they approach the global stage which is at their fingertips,” she adds.
Currently, there are 17,500 students from more than 60 different nationalities in the family of 22 ESF schools, including five kindergartens, nine primary schools, five secondary schools, two all-through schools and one school for children with special educational needs. About 70% of our students have parents who are permanent residents of Hong Kong.
As this desire for high-quality education has grown, the curriculum offered in ESF schools has changed significantly over the past five decades, adapting in response to the needs of the wide range of the students. ESF teachers now make progressively more use of digital technologies. Their approaches have developed in response to changes in how students can learn most effectively.
The two daughters of Eric Wong, another ESF parent, are currently studying Years 9 and 12 at ESF Renaissance College (RCHK). The curriculum is what drives him to an ESF school, he says.
“We appreciate that the school offers daily Chinese classes, not to mention the fact that it was the first through-train IB school in the ESF family,” Eric says. “Not only does RCHK offer an excellent academic curriculum, it also encourages and guides students to have a wide and open mindset in reaching out to the world.”
Mehul Tanna, another RCHK parents remarks “The caring and nurturing teachers and staff at RCHK have made a fundamental difference in the lives of our children. Our kids have truly blossomed over the years academically and socially. They are always eager to go to school and have wonderful relationships with their teachers. Seeing this has made us glad knowing we have chosen the best school for our kids.”
To meet the needs of diverse learners, ESF has policy to support students with different levels of needs, ranging from gifted students to students with special educational needs.
“My daughter has been identified as a talented child in visual arts. ESF Sha Tin College (STC) keeps on offering her a wide range of opportunities to strengthen her abilities not just in arts, but also the ways to see the world. She is now interested in developing her career that involves visual arts,” says Dr. Dannis Au, a STC parent. “STC provides her with a very good soil and she grows happily in such an encouraging environment, and helps the students to connect themselves with the community.” Dannis adds that the school provides a ‘true all-round education’ where students are encouraged to have comprehensive development. “As we move into a new era, we need to continue to be agile in responding to the needs of the communities we serve, maintaining a laser-focus on the quality of learning and teaching in our schools and the provision made for students’ welfare,” says Abraham Shek, Chairman of ESF.
They (FJA) believe that each child is strong, capable and resilient, and that they bring with them deep curiosity, which drives their interest to understand their world and place within it.
Our daughter, born in 2015, enjoys observing and taking a backseat to absorb the environment around her. She showed signs of her observant personality at an early age. At times, it would take 30 minutes to an hour for her to absorb everything and to start her interaction with people. Because of this, she was often labeled as “shy” and “timid”. Nearly all the schools we went to for interviews did not see this personality as a major strength, and as parents, we were worried. Was there something wrong with our lovable child? Was her ability to observe a huge flaw instead of a strength to be appreciated? As a result, we felt very conscious about our child’s personality and we felt we were doing something wrong as parents.
All our worries were gone once we discovered Fairchild Junior Academy (FJA). We enrolled our daughter into their accompanied infant class. While in class, we were extremely impressed with the experienced teachers showing nothing but utmost respect and love for each child. Our daughter was given ample time to explore her environment as she practices and masters new physical, cognitive and social skills with her classmates. Every teacher’s role is a partner in learning alongside the children. They believe that each child is strong, capable and resilient, and that they bring with them deep curiosity, which drives their interest to understand their world and place within it. Fast forward 1 year later, our daughter is now a confident, happy toddler who looks forward to her unaccompanied transition class in FJA three times a week. We are delighted to see her personality and development exploding through exploration and discovery with the support from her loving teachers. The school also offers a lot of encouragement to us parents. Our conversations with teachers and educators have further strengthen our confidence, and we have never felt more at ease and happy navigating the world of parenthood. Although FJA is a relatively new school, and Fairchild Kindergarten recently opened, we have no doubt what Fairchild are offering exceeds the standard most schools are providing. We would highly recommend every parent to give their children a chance to experience the Fairchild journey. We look forward to watching our child grow alongside Fairchild’s community as we continue our journey together educating the next generation.
HKIS offers a challenging, and innovative curriculum based on the American school system.
We are a family of four who have lived in Asia for 11 years having moved to Hong Kong in July 2016. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, several friends had already mentioned to us about Hong Kong International School, and that it is a holistic school offering an American academic program, comprehensive facilities that is complemented by the Christian faith. As we only found out about our relocation in Spring 2016, we had missed the application deadlines at other schools in Hong Kong. Fortunate for us, our youngest daughter was accepted to HKIS. The school is located in the Tai Tam area on Hong Kong Island, nearby the popular Stanley Village. The location is picturesque as it is surrounded by forest and ocean. HKIS is easily accessible via public transport and taxi, from the Chai Wan MTR or bus from Stanley Village. Many families who have children attending HKIS, live nearby, while other families also choose to live in town. Luckily the school bus system covers most of Hong Kong and transports the students to and from school and from their after school activities. The school was welcoming in that they had existing families who would reach out and help new families by answering queries we had from where to buy school supplies and uniforms, to where to shop for certain grocery foods we were looking for. This was helpful to us as I was able to purchase some clothing and school supplies she could use as school uniform. On the first day of orientation our daughter was able to make two new friends from her peer group. This helped her settle in well the next day and she had a group of friends who she was already navigating her way with, through Grade 6. HKIS offers a challenging, and innovative curriculum based on the American school system. With great teachers, they are able to guide the students through their variety of courses they take in the first year of middle school. This year, she was able to challenge herself in her Mandarin class and bring herself to a higher level, with the help of her Mandarin teacher. She also expressed herself in a variety of other classes including drama, where she acted in plays with her fellow classmates, and also performed solo in a number of choir performances. This year she tried out for the Chamber Choir for Grade 7, and was excited when she made the cut. Another unforgettable experience was the popular “Peak” trip that all first year middle school students participate in. This is a one-week school trip that takes place in October, where students travel with their house teams to Beijing and have a foreign and unique experience. This gives the students plenty of opportunity for team bonding and getting to know their fellow classmates outside of the classroom. Overall, our experience with HKIS has been positive, and we are happy she has been able to express herself, and keep up her grades. Although this has been a challenging first year for us as a family overall, we know we made the right choice for our daughter with HKIS.
ICHK is simply a unique school that in the words of my daughter, "empowers students to be the best versions of themselves"
As proud parents of three children living an expat lifestyle, their education is so different to what we ourselves experienced. As parents, our background was in UK, single sex, private and state Grammar school. Our first school choice for our children whilst living in Belgium was driven by practicality as the local school was opposite our home, easy decision. Next in Austria we realised we would need to choose an education that would provide consistency anticipating future moves.
Hence, the choice of an International school offering the IB program. After that (In Italy), pre-visit to the country, find the office, find the home, find the International school – fairly simple really!
Fast forward to Hong Kong and it is a different process altogether. Google Hong Kong international IB schools and literally hundreds appear, each site listing facilities, academic; music and sporting excellence but none mention spirit or creativity. After visiting a selection in our preferred area, each visit left us feeling underwhelmed and disheartened.
Then one site caught our attention. It highlighted the use of the natural environment, listed achievements other than academic and talked proudly of community and student wellbeing. We visited for two hours and unanimously we decided this was the school for all of us. The reason was simple. Every child had felt welcome, special and included even on a visit. Staff and pupils had made them feel excited about the school and a new life in Hong Kong.
Fast forward again 18 months and all three children who have different interests and skills are very happy, involved and thriving at ICHK. Community is at the heart of the school and that is evident in all aspects of school life. The clever use of the natural surroundings, an exceptional staff body and a forward thinking approach to new learning possibilities is incredible.
ICHK is simply a unique school that in the words of my daughter, "empowers students to be the best versions of themselves". Testimony to this is that with a very special “½ century” birthday looming next year, whilst my husband gave me many options to choose from, the only place I want to celebrate is on an ICHK school skiing trip in Japan based on having had so much fun in February of this year. ICHK community will deliver, of that I have no doubt.
Aim for schools where your child will have the best chance of admission.
When we decided to move back to Hong Kong in 2012, I was very confident in finding suitable school schools for two eldest girls. My eldest daughter, Raynee, was 4 years old at the time and Rita, had just turned 2 years. Ria, our youngest, was only 1-years old, so she was not a major concern at the time. Raynee was attending a very good private girls' school in Melbourne. She had received great feedback from our teachers and our school reports were excellent. I honestly thought that she would have no problem in being accepted by an international school in Hong Kong. At that time, I just simply applied to some well-known schools which were recommended by friends in Melbourne and relatives in Hong Kong.
I decided to fly to Hong Kong and visit these schools, but what happened next was not what I expected. Every single school which I had interest in and had filed an application at, had no spaces, and I was told by some schools that I might have to wait for at least 2 years for a place. I was so disappointed and lost complete confidence in ever getting my children into a school in Hong Kong. I honestly could not believe it. We decided to remain in Melbourne and keep Raynee at the private school she was attending. At least, we could be guaranteed that our other two girls would get places at this school also.
The next turn of events for our family business in 2013, once again, brought us back to Hong Kong and this time, we really had to move. I was very nervous about the school search and although I knew what was ahead; I decided that instead of relying on advice from friends, I would find a school consultant to help us.
From my research on the internet, I found ITS Educational Services and flew to Hong Kong to meet
with
Anne, the Director, to discuss our options. After our meeting, I realized my timing and
strategy was completely off and my school choices the previous year were not in fact the right
ones.
Our consultant at ITS Education Asia researched suitable schools and presented professionally to
us,
we discussed the curriculum, application process, entry requirements and also toured the schools
with complete and accurate knowledge.
Raynee and Rita were prepared for their
interviews at
ITS and the applications were completely perfectly. Raynee was in fact offered places at
two
schools. We decided to defer one of the places till 2015 and put Raynee and Rita at the
International Montessori School in Stanley, so they could be exposed to Mandarin on a daily
basis,
as well as being immersed in a mixed cultural environment and a new curriculum. We thought the
experience would be wonderful for them. My girls are very happy and have made great
progress
in their studies.
I would definitely advice new parents to Hong Kong to aim for schools where your child will have the best chance of admission and also learn what each school is about. Experience the learning environment for yourself and ask lots of questions.
It goes without saying that the many highly achieving students at Kellett are assisted to gain access to the top ranked universities in the worlds.
Kellett School offers so much more than just an academically excellent education, and my three children, who are all very different from each other, have all thrived at this wonderful school. The teachers and staff at Kellett are enthusiastic, committed and inspirational, and their focus on the individual student is evident both from an academic and pastoral care perspective. I admire the School stance of being deliberately non-selective to allow siblings in a family to be educated together and I have witnessed first-hand how the teachers work hard to add value to ensure each student achieves to the best of their individual ability. It goes without saying that the many highly achieving students at Kellett are assisted to gain access to the top ranked universities in the world, but I am particularly impressed by the School’s record in helping all of its students deliver above expectations through targeted intervention. There is a strong and caring team to provide extra support to children, and their families, when required to help with their academic, social and personal development. Kellett also invests significantly in the Arts, Sports and Music programmes throughout the school; my youngest son loves playing football on the Sky Pitch and my daughter makes good use of the bespoke dance room. All children are given many opportunities to showcase their work, play in teams and to dress up and perform in front of the other students, their teachers and their parents; I am sure these activities are significant in developing the ‘happy confidence’ that so many of the Kellett students seem to possess.Kellett School offers a wonderful education, by superb teachers supported by state-of-the-art facilities and access to first class specialist equipment. The new campus in KLB is often mentioned to me as a model school but having had my children come through from Reception to Year 6 at Pok Fu Lam before entering Senior School at Kowloon Bay, I have first-hand knowledge of the unique selling points of both campuses. I believe a school is only as good as its teachers, and, over the years, I have been impressed by Kellett’s dynamic approach to education as it constantly invests in the continuing development of its teachers and aims to adopt and embrace new ideas and technologies. Comments and opinions from students, teachers and parents alike are regularly sought and taken on board, as the school strives to continually improve on everything it offers.
I also like the fact that Kellett is very international and celebrates its diverse community. This resulted in my children growing up with respect and tolerance for different cultures and values. Furthermore, the well-established ‘Kellett Cares’ organisation within the school, that concentrates on raising money for external charities both locally and overseas, encourages students to participate in various ‘learning through volunteering’ activities, which again adds to their overall personal development. Kellett is very much a community, and I have made many friends over the years through parental volunteer activities that are strongly encouraged by the school. My children have also benefited from the comprehensive range of after school activities offered across both campuses, with opportunities for developing new interests and making new friends. I believe that Kellett School’s aim of instilling ‘a love of learning and confidence for life’ in every child is very evident. However, what I have noticed is that they do not stop here; they go above and beyond this, and imbue their students with the values and attitudes that will serve them well in their futures as Global Citizens.
Malvern College Hong Kong provides a caring and supporting environment for its pupils. We love the House system and the emphasis on the Malvern Qualities as integral values!
I am from Vienna, Austria, and my husband Matt is from Wales. We lived in London after we got married, and our daughter Catrin was born in Buckinghamshire just outside the city on a very cold day with minus 14 degrees and snow.
When Catrin was two years old, Matt received a job offer in Hong Kong which we happily accepted as we were keen to experience Asia. We moved to Discovery Bay where we live with Catrin’s two cats. We enrolled Catrin in a bilingual kindergarten and then in a local school for the first two years in primary. This gave her a strong foundation for her Cantonese and Putonghua language skills.
Catrin joined Malvern College Hong Kong in Prep 3 and absolutely loves it. We chose Malvern because it is an IB school with a fantastic reputation in the UK, and Malvern College Hong Kong really has lived up to our expectations. The school provides a caring and supportive environment where children learn “how to learn”. Apart from building knowledge, the children also acquire important problem-solving and collaboration skills. They are always encouraged to think out of the box!
I think the school places great emphasis on recruiting highly qualified teachers. Catrin has been with Malvern two and half years now, and we have found every single year, she has had exceptional teachers.
They support the children academically, but also look after their personal and social development; we could not be happier with Malvern’s holistic approach to education. We also like the high level of Malvern College Hong Kong’s Chinese programme and Catrin has built on and extended the advanced Mandarin skills that she had acquired previously.
Malvern is always abreast with the latest educational developments and keeps the pupils up to date, from online apps to guest speaker presentations. We learned a lot from Catrin this year about useful apps and I use many of them at work now! The home learning programme is put together very thoughtfully and Catrin continues being engaged in her learning. Catrin feels very comfortable at Malvern and has made lots of friends whom she also meets outside of school. She has become extremely confident and even applied to become a peer leader for Morgan House. She was very proud to be chosen!
Just like her father, Catrin is a keen swimmer so she joined Malvern’s swimming squad. In her free time, she likes to hike or go kayaking, or to paint, sew or do anything creative. We also love to cook, and Catrin has even started her own food blog on www.mini-miche.com – she loves to try new food and then writes restaurant reviews!
We all love travelling and cannot wait to get vaccinated against Covid, so that we can learn more about the history and culture of other Asian countries.
we learned more about the unit of inquiry approach and that school’s vision is for each child to, “achieve more than they believe they can.”
We were informed in April of 2017 that we would be moving to Hong Kong for a job opportunity for my husband Daniel. Finding an excellent school was at the top of our priority list and the timing was not favorable considering the highly competitive environment in Hong Kong. Stamford was our first choice from the beginning and I will explain why, I have a sister who has been living in Singapore for 6 years, and my two nephews study at Stamford American School Singapore.
I knew already how happy she was with the school, based on their approach to academics, the diverse body of teachers and students, the school´s focus on innovation while still prioritizing the development of social and emotional skills. I was surprised when she mentioned that a new campus was about to open in Hong Kong!
The admission process could not have been better, the team scheduled an interview with Felipe, my six years old son, by Skype. It was a very friendly and one-to-one approach. Within a week, we received a positive response.
In June, we came to Hong Kong to do the LOOK and SEE trip and also joined the Superintendent’s presentation at Central. At that moment, we learned more about the unit of inquiry approach and that school’s vision is for each child to, “achieve more than they believe they can.” This year, this has been in fact delivered -which reinforced our choice.
A significant factor in making the decision to send our children to THS was the smaller class size and student to teacher ratio
We have lived in Hong Kong now for 8 years and have 3 sons aged 11, 9 and 5.
Our
elder two sons commenced at THS in January 2014 having both come from a large international
school
in Hong Kong and since the transition we have seen them flourish. Moving from a large
class,
programme based system to the more nurturing and supportive environment of THS has resulted in a
noticeable improvement in their academic work and has allowed them to establish supportive
friendships.
The Harbour School has a very progressive curriculum and the boys have
responded very well to the core subjects (maths, reading, writing) being taught in a more
structured
manner while being able to enjoy the scope and flexibility of the ‘units of enquiry’
approach to science and social studies.
A significant factor in making the decision to send our children to THS was the smaller class size and student to teacher ratio. Having a head teacher and co-teacher in each class, combined with a maximum class size of 14 kids, allows a lot of scope and flexibility in delivering the curriculum. The teachers and students both get to know each other well, and with less students in the class the teachers have the time to provide a more tailored approach to learning. Additionally, it provides a learning environment where students’ strengths can be reinforced and their weaknesses addressed.
An example of this was when our middle son was having trouble being able to focus on his maths unless it was very quiet. He was allowed to do his maths work outside in the common area while still having a teacher free to check on him and his progress during the lesson.
The teachers are also able to take time with individual students, when necessary, for both academic and emotional support. All our children have thrived under this lower class number scheme. We have been impressed with THS’s ability and desire to accommodate student initiative. Our eldest son had the idea of a grade newsletter in his second week at the school. Instead of being told that it would not be possible THS saw the learning and character building opportunity and not only allowed him to run with the idea, but also provided a teacher as ‘editor in chief’ to support him. Being in an environment where his ideas are not only heard, but supported, has re-ignited his love of learning.
Although only having been at the school for six months, they have both taken part in opportunities that would not usually be offered at their grade levels in other schools. Our grade three son spent a week in Xi’an after spending three months studying Chinese history. While it was an amazing learning experience, what made it even more special was that family were invited to join the trip. It was a great opportunity for parents to get to know each other and as well as the children. This is just one example of how THS recognise the value of the family relationship and a sense of community in the child’s education. Our eldest took part in a Global Issues Conference where he had the opportunity to present a topic of his choice. It was a fantastic growth opportunity and we saw him taking real pride in his work.
The THS after school activities are a great compliment to their classroom learning, and the boys
have
loving the opportunity to follow their interest in computers by attending teacher (and sometimes
student led) classes in coding (computer programming) and Minecraft, as well as joining their
class
mates in hockey tournaments and soccer.
Our youngest son has just joined his brothers
at
the school this year (with support from The Children’s Institute) and has settled into his
class room with no problems. Given the progress we have seen in his brothers, and the
dedicated support he is receiving from TCI, we look forward to seeing his progress over the
coming
months and years.
We have been very pleased with the education and support our children have
received from The Harbour School.
For students aged 12-18 dreaming of their future careers, we’d like to highlight a unique opportunity — The Oxford Royale Summer Programmes 2026. Hosted in collaboration with ITS, this is your chance to discover what it’s like to spend your summer living the life of an Oxford or Cambridge undergraduate. Join the webinar to learn more about the programme.
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