High-achieving international school, Nord Anglia, to open campus in Hong Kong
Boosting children's self-confidence and nurturing independent learning habits are the key aims of high-performance international school, writes Linda Yeung
Since coming to Hong Kong in January, Brian Cooklin has been busy making selections. The principal of Nord Anglia International School has been swamped with more than 1,000 teaching and 500 student applications as he prepares for its opening in September.
The Scotsman, who more than 40 years of experience as a teacher and a principal, is focused on finding the right staff, which he considers most important for the development of a school.
I want to make sure our graduates can contribute to society in any way
Nord Anglia is part of an educational group, owned by Baring Equity, which runs 29 schools across the world. Cooklin declined to address concerns raised by some parents about whether the school chain will be accountable to them or shareholders; however he said the group's unique teaching approach has enabled students at its other branches to turn in outstanding performances.
The new school in Lam Tin is one of the limited number of Nord Anglia campuses built from scratch, Cooklin says. Billed as a non-profit institution, it will also open its sports facilities for public use and offer adult courses - such as English - on campus during non-school hours.
Nord Anglia schools have a high-performance learning approach that seeks to bolster students' self-confidence and independent learning, based on learning methodology and cognitive development developed by Oxford professor Deborah Eyre, the former head of Britain's Gifted and Talented Academy.
Cooklin says it's easy to dash children's confidence, so the school will never tell a child "you can't do this" or "you are not good at arts in class".
