School structure

The Lower School

§  Early Years  (K1 and K2)

§  Pre-Prep (Y1 to Y5)

The Upper School

§  Prep (Y6 to Y8)

§  Senior (Y9 to Y11)

§  Sixth Form (Y12 to Y13)

Class size

In the Early Years, 16 in K1, 18 in K2; in Pre-Prep, 22 in Y1 to Y2, 24 in Y3 to Y5; 24 in the Prep School (Y6 to Y8) and Senior School (Y9 to Y11); and 15 in the Sixth Form (Y12 to Y13)

School hours

Lower School Early Years (K1 and K2)            8.00am to 2.00pm

Lower School Pre-Prep School (Y1 to Y5)       8.15am to 3.50pm

Upper School (Y6 to Y13)                                 8.00am to 4.50pm

On designated Wednesdays each term, all Upper School day students are expected to remain at School with the boarders to participate in inter-House competitions. They have supper and return home at 7.15pm.

Curriculum

•   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 ‘National Curriculum of England (2014)’.
•   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, together with the Extended Project Qualification and the School’s own Harrow International Perspectives course.

Teaching media

English is the inclusive language of the classroom, playground and boarding Houses for all students irrespective of their mother languages.

Other language programmes

In addition to English, all students have the option of studying other languages: Chinese (Mandarin), French and Spanish.

•   Pre-Prep (Y1 to Y5)

All three languages are offered in Pre-Prep and students either follow a four-hour programme in Chinese, or study Chinese and French or Spanish for two hours per language.

•   Prep School (Y6 to Y8)

All students study Chinese for four hours and either French or Spanish for three hours in the Prep School.

•   Senior School (Y9 to Y11) and Sixth Form (Y12 to Y13)

Students continue to develop their linguistic skills in Y9 then choose at the end of the academic year whether they wish to continue to study Chinese, French and/or Spanish for IGCSE in Y10 and Y11 and A-level in Y12 and Y13.

Extra-curricular activities

A varied extra-curricular programme is an essential part of a Harrow education and, distinctively in Hong Kong a significant part of it 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.

Teaching staff

• The School has 140 teachers and teaching assistants from August 2016.
• The majority of the teachers are British with some from Commonwealth countries.
• The teaching staff has a tremendous blend of collective experience both in UK and international schools.
• The list of teachers appointed can be found on the website.

Student needs support

Specialist support includes the School Psychologist, Individual Needs Coordinator and EAP (English for Academic Purposes) Coordinator.

University destinations

Harrow Hong Kong Leavers have been highly successful in gaining places at top universities on competitive courses. In 2016, many of the Year 13 leavers have already confirmed their places at university, with the majority going to the UK. Places accepted and confirmed so far include Cambridge University, Oxford University, London School of Economics. Outside the UK, places have so far been accepted at the University of California, Berkeley; The Hong Kong University; and at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.

Public examination results

A-levels

49 students in Year 13 received 172 A-level grades in examinations in 14 subjects. Of the grades achieved by the Year 13 cohort, 38.4% were A* grades, 74.8% were A*-A, and 89.9% were A*-B, including seven students with four A* grades and 13 students with three or more A* grades.

IGCSE

58 students in Year 11 received 600 grades in IGCSE examinations taken in 20 subjects. Of the grades achieved by the Year 11 cohort, 60.3% were A*, 85.2% were A*-A, and 97.5% were A*-B, including three students with 11 or more A* grades and 16 with 9 or more A* grades. No grades below C.

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. The association organises 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 the School’s operations and procedures with members of the senior management. There is also a Parent-Governor group, which meets termly to discuss matters related to the School’s strategic direction.

Scholarships and bursaries

The School provides 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 scholarships and bursaries 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 and bursaries are available from Y6.