It will replace the three existing facilities.

With a capacity for 1,250 students, principal Neil Johnston said the 10,000-square-metre facility would offer a secondary school diploma.

Speaking from the CIS' Victorian-style Borrett Road campus in the Mid-levels, Mr Johnston said the money would be raised by the Canadian community, with support from the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, the sale of debentures and an interest-free loan from the Hong Kong Government.

Mr Johnston said the CIS' board of governors was optimistic about the future of Western-style education in the territory, having received support from Chinese officials.

'They are supportive of the role of international schools in Hong Kong,' he said.

'They recognise that it is important to provide the business community with the educational opportunities necessary to recruit personnel here.' The school was established at the request of the Hong Kong Government. Its aim has been to provide a Canadian-style education for children of families who had emigrated to Canada and returned for business reasons.

'I've heard estimates of as many as 80,000 Canadian passport-holders living in Hong Kong,' Mr Johnston said.

'What happened before was the Canadians here either sent children to Hong Kong International School or the English Schools Foundation or left the family in Canada.

'The father was often in Hong Kong and the mother was in Canada with the children. The CIS was established for families to come together.' The school has 430 students. When the facility on Kennedy Road opens in September, Mr Johnston anticipated an enrolment of 550.

'Because we are in an expansion mode, we have been able to accept most of the students who meet our admission standards,' he said.

'We don't accept everyone because we are looking for students who are fluent in English. We are also looking at providing an intensive English programme, which will enable us to serve some students who would otherwise be unable to get in.

'We teach a full Canadian curriculum and the texts are from Canada,' said Mr Johnston, adding that Mandarin would be introduced for grades nine and up.

'We like to take advantage of the fact that we are in Hong Kong. So, if we are taking a subject such as farming, for example, we may look at how it is done in Canada, how it is done in another part of the world, and how it is done in Hong Kong to give students a balanced overview.' For students interested in attending the school, there is a summer programme - from Monday until July 28 - that offers non-academic programmes, including sports camps, language skills and computer workshops.