Choice of British curriculum in Hong Kong makes good sense for students during Covid-19 pandemic uncertainty
- Changes to travel rules have led to many students switching schools between Hong Kong and Britain, says Christopher Jackson, principal of Invictus School Hong Kong
- Its English-medium curriculum, based on General Certificate of Education Advanced Level, can help ease transition for older students
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Schoolchildren have been one of the groups most affected as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The closure of classrooms and strict social-distancing measures have forced children to stay home while their teachers provide lessons online.
“There have always been many people who have sent children off to boarding schools in Britain, but often, people used to do it at set times,” he says. “With the pandemic, what’s happened is they’re getting pushed into it at an unusual time, even in the middle of a semester.”
Jackson says the fact that the school offers the Cambridge International General Certificate of Education (GCE) A-level curriculum means it can ensure a smooth transition for older students who were already planning to continue their education in Britain, or return to Hong Kong from the UK.
“Moving involves a huge social upheaval for a child to deal with, so if we can help make the transition on the academic side smoother, why not?”
Although the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme has become the more common path for many children studying in Hong Kong leading up to university, Invictus School Hong Kong offers the International General Certificate for Secondary Education (IGCSE), from Years 10 to 11, and the Cambridge International GCE A-level, from Years 12 to 13, which are entry qualifications for universities in the UK and many colleges worldwide.
Jackson says this means that Invictus’ graduates have easier access to UK universities should that be the path they wish to take. “There aren’t that many schools [in Hong Kong] that offer [GCE A-levels],” he says. “I’ve always thought that Hong Kong should offer a nice, wide range of education opportunities so everyone can find the school that fits them.”
Accessible, holistic education
Jackson has been principal of Invictus School Hong Kong – part of the Invictus family of international schools that started with its Singapore campus in 2015 – since it opened in 2019. Its kindergarten and primary school campus are located in Tseung Kwan O, New Territories, and its English-medium secondary school campus is in Chai Wan, on Hong Kong Island.
The school’s programmes for kindergarten and primary pupils include a unique bilingual International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) and International Primary Curriculum (IPC), while its mathematics curriculum has been supplemented by the globally renowned Singapore Mathematics Curriculum Framework.
“Singapore is well known for its standards of mathematics education and performance – it’s a good solid programme that ultimately does have the results to prove itself,” Jackson says. “This also seems to appeal to parents.”
Invictus School Hong Kong enjoys a reputation not only for its high academic standards, but also for being accessible, he says.
“We recognised that there are families looking for a good international school, with a liberal style of teaching, that is not the most costly, so that is how we’ve positioned ourselves.”
Unlike most other international schools, it does not charge the parents of new students for a compulsory debenture, or an annual levy, which helps to significantly reduce the fees.
Beyond its academic goals, a big part of the school’s philosophy is focused on nurturing children holistically.
“We aim to help our students leave our school with some excellent A-level results, but all the way through we want them to grow as individuals with confidence and excellent social skills,” Jackson says.
As a veteran educator, he believes in preparing students so they can work in a wide range of different careers. This means they need to teach students to be adaptable and aware, not only of their strengths, but also those areas where they need to develop further, he says.
“The world is changing and people can find success in life through many different pathways,” Jackson says. “Half of them will probably do a job I’ve never heard of anyway because it has not been invented yet.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’ve given them a nice wide range of soft, flexible skills, including the ability to work with people, to be open to new ideas and the willingness to keep on trying.”
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