Harrow International School Hong Kong

Harrow International School Hong Kong
File:Harrow Crest.svg Leadership for a better world
Address
38 Tsing Ying Road, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
Information
Type	Independent, international, day and boarding school
Headmaster	Mr Mel Mrowiec
Years offered	Early Years (K1 & K2) to Y13
Gender	Co-educational
Enrolment	1100 (for the academic year 2015-16)
Campus size	37,000 sqm
Song	A Thousand Voices, May Fortune Reign, New Harrow
Information	+852 2824 9099
Website	www.harrowschool.hk

Harrow International School Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese	哈羅香港國際學校
Simplified Chinese	哈羅香港国际学校
Transcriptions

Harrow International School Hong Kong is a British international boarding and day school in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong. When it opened in September 2012, it became the first British boarding school in Hong Kong. It was also the third in the Harrow family of schools in the Asia region in association with Harrow School and The John Lyon in London. It is affiliated to Harrow School, a British independent school.

Background

The School is built on the site of a former army barracks in Tuen Mun in the New Territories. The land was allocated by the Hong Kong government in late 2009.

The school

Vision

In delivering its vision statement, Leadership for a better world, the school places emphasis on high expectations of academic excellence, breadth and quality of extra-curricular achievement, positive contributions to the School community, and the development of leadership skills.
Activities and experiences in and out of the classroom focus on the development of the six leadership attributes outlined 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 decisions
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 Education Bureau is that at least 50% of its admissions will be non-local students who are eligible to study in Hong Kong.

Teaching staff

As of August 2015, the School has 136 teachers and teaching assistants. The majority of the teachers are British; with experience in British independent senior and prep schools, state schools, international schools.

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 and K2) follows the English-based ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ Curriculum.
• The Pre-Prep School (Y1 to Y5) follows the English-based ‘New Primary Curriculum’ and the English ‘Primary Strategy’.
• The Prep School (Y6 to Y8) 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 to Y11) curriculum is based on IGCSE courses studied over three years.
• The Sixth Form (Y12 to Y13) curriculum is based on A-level courses studied over two years.

Teaching media

English is the inclusive language of the classroom, playground and boarding Houses for all students irrespective of their mother languages. In addition to English, all students have the option of studying other languages: Mandarin, French and Spanish.

Extra-curricular activities

A varied extra-curricular programme is integrated into the school day for all students from Y1 to Y13. Through activity option choices and a number of core activities that take place within the timetable, as well as in enrichment time after 5.15pm for boarders, the extra-curricular activities programme aims to develop skills associated with service, charity, teamwork, creative expression, leadership and challenges through a wide range of team and individual sports, music, art, drama, cultural and academic extension activities. Harrow has competed in the International History Bee and Bowl since its inception in Hong Kong in 2014, and it won the 2016 Hong Kong History Bowl Championships for both the Junior Varsity and Middle School Divisions.

Boarding

The School offers the option of boarding from Y6 when students enter the Prep School. Most of the boarders are weekly, but full boarding is also available. Just over 50% of students in the Upper School board, but all students, whether day or boarders, are members of a House and have a House Master or House Mistress who takes responsibility for their pastoral care. The boarding Houses provide rich opportunities for interacting with students from a wide range of backgrounds; there are currently three boys’ and three girls’ Prep Houses (Y6 to Y8), and four boys’ and three girls’ Senior Houses (Y9 to Y13).

The campus

The campus features a variety of buildings and facilities:

Astro turf	Learning lounge	Science laboratories
Boarding Houses	Library	Specialist art, music and drama facilities
Dining hall	Lower School	Sports hall
Early Years Centre	Multi-purpose rooms	Upper School
Indoor swimming pool	Recording studio

Scholarship and bursary

The School makes available merit-based financial awards for students who are gifted in academic work and/or extra-curricular pursuits where outstanding talent is evident. The aim of the scholarship and bursary programme is to enable the School to draw gifted students from all sections of the global community, irrespective of their parents’ financial circumstances. With bursary supplementation, virtually full remission of fees is available depending on need. Scholarships are available 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 Friends of Harrow is an association of parents and teaching staff that provides practical support for and assists with additional opportunities to enhance the educational experience for the students and promotes and extends productive relationships within the School community. Its committee and sub-committees have successfully organised external speakers, work placements and Career Fairs for students, as well as major charity fund-raising events.

In addition, each term there are meetings of the Lower School Class Parent, Prep School House and Senior School House Parent committees, in which parent representatives discuss matters of School policy and procedures with members of the senior management. Parent representatives also sit on two focus groups: the Food Committee and the Transport Committee.

Individual needs support

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

Houses

There are houses for lower school,prep school and senior school.

External links

• Official website