Harrow International School Hong Kong

Harrow International School Hong Kong
Address
38 Tsing Ying Road, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
Information
Type	Independent, international, day and boarding school
Headmaster	Mr Mel Mrowiec
Years offered	Kindergarten - Y13
Gender	Co-educational
Enrolment	Over 1000
Campus size	37,000 sqm
Song	"New Harrow" May Fortune Reign "A Thousand Voices"
Information	+852 2824 9099
Website	www.harrowschool.hk

Harrow International School Hong Kong is the first international boarding and day school in Hong Kong. When it opened in September 2012, it became the third in the Harrow family of schools in the Asia region, in association with Harrow School (London, UK), joining Harrow International School Bangkok (established in 1998) and Harrow International School Beijing (established in 2005). The School provides a British independent style of education from Early Years to Y13 in a crescent-shaped building with custom-built facilities near the Gold Coast, Tuen Mun in Hong Kong. Harrow Hong Kong integrates elements of educational philosophy, practice and traditions from Harrow School in England into the diverse international community of Hong Kong. It places emphasis on high expectations of academic and extra-curricular achievement, positive contributions to the School community, and the development of leadership skills.

Background

The School is built on the site of a former army barracks in Tuen Mun in the New Territories.^[1] The land was allocated by the Hong Kong government in late 2009 at a nominal rate.

Former Hong Kong Education Minister Michael Suen Ming-yeung said in 2009 that the Hong Kong government wanted to facilitate and promote the international school sector to underpin Hong Kong's position as an Asian world city.^[2]

The School

Vision

The vision statement of the school is Leadership for a better world. The development of the six leadership attributes in the vision statement:

1. Contributing positively to the community
2. Applying knowledge with compassion
3. Solving problems collaboratively
4. Solving problems creatively
5. Making fair and just choices
6. Facing challenges with determination

Student composition

The Lower School begins in the Early Years Centre for students aged 3 and the Upper School ends for students in Y13 aged 18. The School's agreement with the government is that at least 50% of its admissions will be non-local students who are eligible to study in Hong Kong.^[3] In the academic year of 2013-14, 70% of the students come from the international community and 30% of the students are local from Hong Kong with HKSAR passports.

Teaching staff

The majority of the teachers are British; collectively, there is a great deal of experience in British independent (senior and prep schools, day and boarding) and maintained schools, and in UK and international schools.^[4]

School Structure

The School is divided into five phases of progression under the umbrella of the Lower School (up to and including Y5) and the Upper School (Y6-Y13).

The Early Years (K1 to K2) is for students aged between 3 and 4. It follows the UK based ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ Curriculum.

The Pre-Prep School (Y1–Y5) is for students aged between 5 and 9. It follows the UK based ‘New Primary Curriculum’ and the UK ‘Primary Strategy’.

The Prep School (Y6-Y8) is for students aged between 10 and 12. It offers a skills-based curriculum based on the National Curriculum designed to manage the transition from the homeroom environment in the Pre-Prep School to the more subject-specific environment in the Senior School.

The Senior School (Y9-Y11) is for students aged between 13 and 15. The curriculum is based on IGCSE courses studied over three years.

The Sixth Form (Y12-Y13) is for students aged between 16 and 17. The curriculum is based A-level courses studied over two years, together with AS-level Critical Thinking and the Extended Project Qualification.

Extra-curricular activities

The School offers a wide range of team and individual sports, music, art, drama, other cultural and academic extension activities. Through activity option choices and a number of core activities within the timetable and in enrichment time, the extra-curricular activities programme aims to develop skills associated with service, charity, teamwork, creative expression, leadership and challenge.

Pastoral Care

In the Lower School, the Class Teacher is responsible for all aspects of each child’s educational and personal wellbeing: in the Upper School, the House Master or House Mistress takes over the primary role in the pastoral care of students. Boarding begins from Y6 and is integral to the life of the School with its strong emphasis on leadership and team-working skills. Most of the boarders are weekly, but full boarding is also available. The School is just over 50% boarding in the Upper School, but all students, whether day or boarders, are members of a House. The boarding Houses provide rich opportunities for interacting with students from a wide range of backgrounds, and there are Prep (Y6-Y8) and Senior Houses (Y9-Y13) boys’ and girls’ Houses.

The Campus

The campus features a variety of buildings and facilities:

Scholarships

The School offers scholarships, which are merit-based financial awards for students with gifts in areas of School life such as academic work and/or extra-curricular pursuits. The aim of the scholarship programme is to enable the school to draw such students from all sections of the global community, irrespective of their parents’ financial circumstances. Talented students from low-income families can be awarded virtually full-fee scholarships. Scholarships are available at the earliest from Y6.

Capital Certificates and Debentures

The School does not receive any operating or capital grants from the Hong Kong government or from any other public or private institutions. Capital Certificates and Debentures help finance the construction of the school, the acquisition of the facilities and equipment, and additions, enhancement and replacements of these facilities thereafter. The School offers three types of Capital Certificates and Debentures – Corporate Capital Certificates, Individual Capital Certificates and Individual Debentures. Capital Certificates and Debentures are designed to provide the purchasers with priority for assessment and interview, and are not a guarantee of entry to the School. Individual Capital Certificates and Individual Debentures are refunded to the parents of any applicants who fail to meet the entry requirements of the School.

UK governance

The School operates under an agreement with the Governors of Harrow School in the UK. Two Governors from the Harrow School Board of Governors in the UK are members of the Governing Body; they attend its meetings and visit the School in Hong Kong three times a year to ensure quality control and guidance from the Harrow family.

Parent involvement

The parent-teacher association Friends of Harrow provides practical support in order to enhance the educational experience for the pupils, including organising external speakers and work placements, a Careers Fair and an International Day. In addition, each term there are discussion groups for Lower School class parent representatives, Prep School House and Senior School House parent representatives.

Individual needs support

The School has a full-time Psychologist, Individual Needs Coordinator and EAP (English for Academic Purposes) Coordinator.

See also

• Harrow School
• The John Lyon School
• Harrow International School Bangkok
• Harrow International School Beijing

References

External links

• Harrow International School Hong Kong