YMCA Christian Academy (YCA) is a unique, community-oriented private primary school situated in the heart of Hong Kong Island.  It offers a broad and balanced international curriculum rooted in a clear Christian ethos and vision of education.  YCA delivers this learning through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), tailored to students in HK. The IPC is a comprehensive, thematic, creative curriculum designed for children 5-11 years old, with a clear process of learning and with specific learning goals for every subject, for international mindedness and personal learning.

Education Ladder has asked a series of critical questions for parents and students to consider.

Q:  Education Ladder                  Y:  YMCA Christian Academy

Q: What would you tell somebody who didn't know anything about YMCA Christian Academy?

Y: YMCA Christian Academy was previously named Island Christian Academy and was renamed in August 2022. The school’s  sponsoring body, the Chinese YMCA, has been consistently supporting the development of the school for over 10 years. We are a unique community-oriented private primary school located in Sheung Wan. People come first, and so, we prioritize the needs of our students in a nurturing Christian school environment, united by our community’s strong commitment to our Guiding Statements and core values.

We follow the IPC curriculum, which is inquiry-based, comprehensive, and thematic. Our English and Maths programs follow the UK National Curriculum. We offer daily Chinese classes, which are taught in Mandarin with Traditional Chinese characters. To offer our students a diverse learning experience, we offer 4 specialist classes taught by specialist teachers, which are Art, STEM, Music, and PE.

Q: Would Christians be highly likely to be accepted by the school than non-Christians?

Y:  We are an inclusive school; we welcome families of all faiths or no faith. Students are placed in the school based on regular admission criteria, and not their religion. We have a rich, diverse international community that celebrates our differences and commonalities equally.

Q:  Where do your graduates go after YMCA Christian Academy?

Y:  Our curriculum prepares children with the flexibility to continue with different secondary curriculums, such as IB, IMYC, British or Canadian. Our students graduate to ESF secondary schools (such as West Island, South Island, Island, and KGV), HKIS, FIS, Australian International, Carmel, DSC, and more.

Q:  What about the student body? Where do they come from?

Y:  We have a diverse student body with over 20 nationalities, with families from the UK, Australia, Canada, USA, Japan, Korea, and more. We accept a large number of local families as we do not have passport quotas for admissions.

Q:  What kind of student mindset makes a good fit at YMCA Christian Academy?

Y:  We are an inclusive school and so, we do not have a specific type of student we look for. All are welcome at YCA! We actively promote positive attitudes and dispositions such as a growth mindset and life-long learning. We empower students with a strong sense of their own agency to impact their lives and those of others. We believe that every child is unique, and this makes each class special with its mix of unique characteristics and learning styles. This gives our students the opportunity to learn from their peers, which helps develop their problem-solving skills, cooperation skills, and empathy.

Q:  What sort of students does YMCA Christian Academy attract?

Y:  YCA attracts families who are looking for a small supportive community school. Children can easily make friends as our class sizes are small and feel well-supported academically and emotionally. Not only are our children strong in their academics, they are also community-minded in supporting the people around them through service learning, charity events, Junior Duke Awards, and more.

Q:  What advice do you have for children who are applying for admission?

Y:  Our advice for children applying for admissions is to be themselves. We are not only looking for what they already know but we want to see their potential to learn and thrive in our environment. Our assessment is play-based for lower years and casual for upper years, and so, it should be a very stress-free experience. Parents do not need to feel pressured as we do offer second interviews to applicants who may not be feeling their best during their assessment.

Q:  What are the most underlooked or under-encouraged qualities of young learners and how does YMCA Christian Academy encourage the development of these talents and characteristics in ways that, perhaps, other schools don't?

Y:   We believe that all children are capable learners. We have met many students who have joined our school stating that they are “poor” in particular areas (such as English speaking, writing, and reading,), but with the right coaching and confidence building, they achieve significant growth.

At YCA, we put an emphasis on the 4 C’s. We develop students who are Caring, Curious, Confident, and Christ-like. Our learning environment builds children’s confidence by giving them opportunities to be good role models, helping others, praising their achievements, and focusing on their strengths. With confidence, children will believe in their ability to overcome obstacles and try new things. 

Q:  What is something that surprises people about YMCA Christian Academy? Something that can't be conveyed through a glance at a brochure or a website?

Y:  Our parents have said that they thought a “community-minded school” was a marketing statement until their child started at our school. They couldn’t believe that we live and breathe “community” in everything we do. We want families to participate in their child’s education and school life through weekly newsletters and by inviting families to celebrations of learning called Exit Points (where children share their learning from the unit with their family), school fairs, sports days, and more. Our close-knit community sees themselves as part of the YCA school-family. As parents have commented: YCA is a small school with a BIG heart.