From comprehensive pastoral care to an innovative programme that takes learning outdoors, Malvern College Hong Kong is working in close partnership with Malvern College UK to embed the strong ethos and educational practices of its mother school.

When it opens its doors to its first students in August 2018, Malvern College Hong Kong (MCHK) will draw on the unique culture and heritage that its parent school, Malvern College in the UK, has built over more than 150 years of excellence.

During that period the school has developed a sterling reputation for academic achievement, though not at the exclusion of personal well-being. One of the first UK schools to adopt the IB Diploma programme, the college is also known for nurturing children as individuals, both in the classroom and beyond, with its innovative Forest School and unique pastoral care programme.

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Malvern College Hong Kong

The Forest School gives children the chance to spend half a day per week learning new skills in a woodland setting. MCHK is set to pioneer this approach in Hong Kong, a city where an emphasis on classroom-based academics can mean children miss out on outdoor learning.

The Forest School programme will take them into nature, where they will learn to solve problems and make decisions, boosting their teamwork, resourcefulness and self-esteem, as well as studying the importance of the wilderness areas.

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Above The unique Forest School programme gives children the chance to learn new skills in a woodland setting (Photo: Courtesy of Malvern College Hong Kong)

MCHK’s holistic approach to its students’ education is also in evident in its pastoral care, which focuses on cultivating an environment and culture that supports the personal, social, and academic development of every student. As such, the school is organised around a house system, with housemasters, housemistresses and house tutors providing pastoral care, supported by counsellors.

The house system is designed to strengthen bonds between pupils, and between them and staff, with members of houses eating together, and also going on regular school trips as groups. 

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Malvern College Hong Kong

“We are trying to put a boarding school ethos into a day school environment,” says Robin Lister, the founding headmaster of MCHK. “So every child will belong to a house and they’ll have regular meetings with the house tutor. The house mistress or house master will have responsibility for their academic and co-curricular life.”

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Above Robin Lister, the founding headmaster of MCHK (Photo: Courtesy of Malvern College Hong Kong)

Malvern College’s hands-on approach to education extends to its rigorous curriculum and stimulating learning environment. Inheriting its strong track record in the sciences, students at the Hong Kong campus will have an unparalleled opportunity to take courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the outstanding new Science Centre, supported by experiential learning opportunities at neighbouring Hong Kong Science Park and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

“We believe in identifying a pupil’s strengths, while explicitly developing specific skills that assist in making relationships, building positive emotions, enhancing resilience, promoting mindfulness, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle,” says Lister. 

 

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Above Photo: Courtesy of Malvern College Hong Kong

The Malvern College approach seeks to identify students’ individual areas of achievement and develop them, with a low teacher-student ratio of 1:10 and a focus on dedicated tutor time and enrichment classes.

Says Lister: “My vision is to provide a world-class education encompassing excellent academics and first-rate co-curricular activities in an atmosphere of mutual respect, within a genuinely caring community. I am looking for a diverse student body where music, art, theatre and sport are taken seriously, where STEM subjects receive proper attention and where children are able to flourish.”

Find out more at malverncollege.org.hk

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