https://www.scmp.com/rss/324726/feed The English Schools Foundation (ESF) is the largest provider of English-medium international education in Hong Kong. Our 22 schools and comprehensive programme of extra-curricular activities bring out the best in every student through a personalised approach to learning and by inspiring curious minds. 2017 marks 50 years of ESF’s service to Hong Kong. A series of events are organised to celebrate our world-class education, highlighting the achievements of our students, staff and alumni in... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com [First published on 7 December, 2015] Pupils from the English Schools Foundation’s Sha Tin Junior School hand out food to an elderly resident in Sham Shui Po. They were among more than 250 families whose children gave out fruit, rice, canned food, toothbrushes and towels. One pupil even knitted about 50 scarves for the elderly and homeless to wear in the chilly weather. Photo: Edward Wong https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2122943/spirit-christmas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2122943/spirit-christmas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Dec 2017 01:03:40 +0000 [First published on 25 June, 2017] In celebration of this year’s Dragon Boat festival, more than 50 student and staff volunteers from West Island and South Island Schools made and gave out around 2,000 rice dumplings last month. For three days in May, volunteers went to three elderly homes, distributing the treats in Ma Tau Wai Estate, Wong Tai Sin and Shau Kei Wan. Volunteers wanted to show respect for the elderly. “We believe Tuen Ng [Dragon Boat festival] is all about family, culture and... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2122937/wrapping-dumplings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2122937/wrapping-dumplings?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Dec 2017 02:13:38 +0000 [First published on 9 May, 2017] A new International Baccalaureate (IB) programme specialising in performing arts has been launched in Hong Kong to cater for students who want to study the subject at university or build a career in this field. The English Schools Foundation (ESF) and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) launched a joint programme last Friday, offering performing arts courses through the International Baccalaureate’s Career-related Programme (IBCP). Students aged... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2121942/good-news-aspiring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2121942/good-news-aspiring?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Dec 2017 01:02:05 +0000 [First published on 3 January, 2017] Marin Minamiya, 20, is about to become the youngest person to conquer the tallest summits on all seven continents, as well as journey to opposite ends of the globe – but she will never forget her first hike in Hong Kong. “I still remember when I looked down from the mountain, the scenery was so beautiful and special as Hong Kong’s mountains are right next to this concrete jungle,” Minamiya said, recalling her first hiking experience in Sai Kung when she was... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2121927/world-beating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2121927/world-beating?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Dec 2017 01:09:34 +0000 [First published on 4 September, 2016] Every year, the ESF Chairman’s Awards celebrate the best and the brightest of the graduating classes of the ESF secondary schools. A record number of students picked up awards at the ceremony at Island School this year, thanks in large part to a best-ever showing in International Baccalaureate scores. Fully 25 per cent of students achieved 40 points or more on the IBs, compared to a global average of 5.1 per cent. Additionally, 15 of the 146 students... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2121856/top-ib-scores-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2121856/top-ib-scores-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Dec 2017 01:00:20 +0000 [First published on 9 October, 2015] Susan Park is an artist with a unique talent. She can predict the future. The 16-year-old Discovery College student put her talent of foresight to use when she was asked to visualise what classrooms would look like in the year 2030 for a competition for IB World magazine. Susan put pen to paper – or in this case, stylus to tablet – and her digital artwork showing the classroom of the future was chosen as the winner, and featured as the front cover of the... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2117893/predicting-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2117893/predicting-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Nov 2017 01:00:19 +0000 [First published on 4 June, 2015] It has been a month since the devastating earthquake in Nepal which claimed thousands of lives and left many more homeless. Since then, many schools in Hong Kong have made efforts to help rebuild their community. Here is a taste of what students have done to help Nepal recover from this disaster. Woodland Group of Pre-schools Event name: First Steps Himalaya How: Each of their nine pre-schools across Hong Kong held special activities such as “Crazy Hair and... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2117888/helping-neighbour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2117888/helping-neighbour?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Nov 2017 01:01:25 +0000 [First published on 26 February, 2015] The lights dim, until just a spotlight shines on stage. The singer takes the microphone in hand as the band behind her begins to play. As they finish, the audience erupts. But these musicians aren’t professional rock stars. They’re teenage jazz musicians from secondary schools across Hong Kong, brought together for the second Hong Kong Jazz Family Fest and ESF’s Got Musical Talent events. About 30 students joined more than 40 professional jazz musicians,... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2117763/jazzing-things?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2117763/jazzing-things?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2017 01:05:49 +0000 [First published on 15 September, 2016]  The new English Schools Foundation kindergarten at Tung Chung has yet to reach fully capacity despite such places normally being snapped up. The city’s largest provider of English-medium international education is known for its long waiting lists from kindergartens to secondary schools. Those attending ESF kindergartens receive priority when it comes to primary school interviews. Principal Sandra Hite said there were currently about 300 students at the... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2117154/still-room-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2117154/still-room-more?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2017 01:00:46 +0000 [First published on 15 August, 2015]  Three more Hong Kong students have been added to the ranks of those who achieved perfect scores in their International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma examinations. The remarked IB scores show that Brian Wong Yue-shun of South Island School, Justin Cheng Yanyiu from Sha Tin College and Grace Chin Ho-yin from West Island School all scored the perfect 45 points on their exams. Adding the three new students to the 14 English School Foundation (ESF) students who had... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2117151/ib-remark-sees-3?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2117151/ib-remark-sees-3?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Nov 2017 01:01:37 +0000 [First published on 9 July, 2015] Hong Kong students dominated the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma results this year, with 27 students from across the city achieving a perfect 45 points. Globally, just 158 students had perfect scores – 64 of whom were from the Asia-Pacific. The English Schools Foundation has been running the IB programme for seven years and came out on top with an average score of 35.5 for its 934 students. Of those, 14 achieved perfect scores. Sha Tin College, South... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2116605/smashing-ib?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2116605/smashing-ib?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 16:17:09 +0000 [First published on 2 July, 2015] Team projects can be tough, even if your teammates are your friends. Imagine how much more difficult such assignments would be if your teammates didn’t even go to the same school. The students taking part in English Schools Foundation’s No Ceiling Project had only four weeks to create and complete their project. They had to get to know their teammates quickly, and overcome the typical obstacles that come with a team project, as well as issues that arise when... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2116590/rising-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2116590/rising-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 16:13:35 +0000 [First published on 8 June, 2015] Hong Kong’s English Schools Foundation (ESF) has shown an enthusiastic commitment to the IB programmes. All nine of the ESF’s primary schools, its four kindergartens and the primary section of both of its private independent schools follow the PYP. Similarly, each of the five ESF secondary schools, as well as the two private independent schools, pursues the DP – although only the latter two offer the MYP. The ESF’s primary teaching and learning advisor, Rebecca... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2116588/taking-global-path?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2116588/taking-global-path?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 16:05:20 +0000 [First published on 7 December, 2014] It is not every student’s dream to pursue academic subjects or get straight As in them. To some, picking up practical skills in fashion design, hotel management, music or information technology is far more appealing. That is only natural in a world inhabited by individuals of different interests and abilities. Yet it is beyond doubt that many parents and families attach immense weight to academic success. Schools waste no time in announcing the results of... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2116586/practical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/education/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2116586/practical?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Oct 2017 16:01:17 +0000 [First published on 21 August, 2014] Three students have already enrolled in the firstever International Baccalaureate Career-related Certificate (IBCC) programme in Hong Kong. The programme is being launched by Renaissance College (RCHK), which has partnered with the Savannah College of Art and Design (Scad) to give students interested in a career in the arts a head start. Casey Chan Li-en, 16, a Year 12 student at RCHK, chose to enrol in the programme for a taste of what a university arts... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102909/creative-solution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102909/creative-solution?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jul 2017 03:30:45 +0000 [First published on 16 October, 2014] A group of secondary pupils has convinced 16 principals from the English Schools Foundation to switch to recycled printing paper, despite the fact that the move will cost the schools an additional HK$200,000 a year in total. The student-led campaign was spearheaded by Ike Park, a Year 12 pupil at Renaissance College, who made the plea to the primary and secondary school heads at a meeting of ESF’s committee of principals. There are many reasons local schools... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102914/pupils-convince-esf-schools-go-green?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102914/pupils-convince-esf-schools-go-green?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jul 2017 03:30:15 +0000 [First published on 26 August, 2013] Many students can only dream of earning a place in law school, so turning down that opportunity is almost unimaginable. But that’s what Peggy Wu Hiu-nam did, after achieving a perfect 45 points in this year’s International Baccalaureate exam. The former student of Sha Tin College, run by the English Schools Foundation, has opted to study music performance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, rejecting places at the London School of Economics... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102483/happiness-key?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102483/happiness-key?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jul 2017 05:00:15 +0000 [First published on 04 March, 2013] Only a small fraction of those applying to get into publicly funded universities this autumn will be accepted. And with more local students wanting to stay home to get their degrees rather than study overseas, it’s no wonder that, with only a few weeks before the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education exam begins, youngsters studying in groups or alone are a common sight in cafes, study centres and libraries. It’s not just the pressure of the exam, but also... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102481/admission-impossible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102481/admission-impossible?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jul 2017 04:45:00 +0000 [First published on 29 March, 2012] Schools and universities in Hong Kong have been busy teaching students the importance of energy conservation to mark Saturday’s Earth Hour at 8.30pm. The annual “lights off” idea has grown into a global phenomenon. People in Hong Kong will join 1.8 billion others in 135 countries by turning off non-essential lights to show support for Earth Hour. More than 3,100 businesses in the city have agreed to take part,and Government House, the ChiefExecutive’s office... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102391/earth-hour-turn-campaign-proves-huge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102391/earth-hour-turn-campaign-proves-huge?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jul 2017 10:00:45 +0000 [First published on 03 February, 2012] For whizz-kid Alvina Fok, studying is a passion – an attitude that helped her to achieve one of the highest IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) scores in the world for both mathematics and science. Fok, 16, was one of 17 pupils in Hong Kong who achieved top scores in the Cambridge international examinations last June, it was announced this week. She was the only Hong Kong pupil to achieve the award for science. She scored 10 A*... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102388/whizz-kid-just-loves-learn?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102388/whizz-kid-just-loves-learn?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jul 2017 09:45:30 +0000 [First published on 17 December, 2011] They’re uncomfortable, they’re too small and they’ve been used at King George V School in Ho Man Tin for 45 years. But yesterday the school found a novel way of saying farewell to its 1,500 old wooden chairs – by using them in a world record attempt. They were set out in lines of 50 across the soccer pitch for an assault on the record for simultaneous planking. The current world’s best for the craze – in which participants imitate awooden plank by lying... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102382/students-take-record-bid-lying-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102382/students-take-record-bid-lying-down?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jul 2017 09:15:30 +0000 [First published on 29 March, 2011] Teachers and students of ESF Kowloon Junior School say goodbye their home of 60 years at Perth Street, Ho Man Tin, after the Easter holidays. But the departure will not last long as a new school will be built on the original site by 2013. Until then everyone will be in Hung Hom at a temporary school. The new campus is estimated to cost HK$423 million. Opened in 1902, it is one of the biggest primary schools under the English Schools Foundation. The six grades... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102377/kowloon-junior-school-says-goodbye-old?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2102377/kowloon-junior-school-says-goodbye-old?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jul 2017 09:00:45 +0000 [First published on 08 July, 2016] For a student who has achieved all A*’s in his GCSE’s, getting a perfect score on the International Baccalaureate Diploma is the next step – but it comes at a price. “That perfectionism broke me because it made me obsessed with being perfect. I felt a lot of pressure because I feel like a lot of people expected me to get perfect scores,” Garrick Wan, a student from South Island School said. He describes having suffered through continuous years of neck pain, a... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101700/city-students-get-perfect-marks-2016?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101700/city-students-get-perfect-marks-2016?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jul 2017 07:20:06 +0000 [First published on 08 July, 2015] Hong Kong is the global leader in the 2015 International Baccalaureate, with almost a fifth of all perfect scores worldwide achieved by students from local schools. About 1,990 city students took part in the IB programme this year and 27 achieved a perfect score of 45, which was only accomplished by 158 students across the world. Last year students gained 22 perfect scores in Hong Kong, about 10 per cent of the 208 achieved worldwide. Lai Cheuk-yin, a St Paul's... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101579/perfect-hong-kong-students-top-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101579/perfect-hong-kong-students-top-world?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jul 2017 09:57:16 +0000 [First published on 08 July, 2014] The English Schools Foundation has recorded eight top scorers in the International Baccalaureate Diploma – its second-best tally of high-fliers in the Genevabased exams. And St Paul's Co-educational College in Mid-Levels achieved an impressive feat, with 61 per cent of its 23-pupil IB class scoring 40 out of 45 marks. The class is only the second batch to have taken the curriculum at St Paul's. Just 6 per cent worldwide scored within this range in the May exams... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101575/esf-produces-eight-top-scorers-ib?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101575/esf-produces-eight-top-scorers-ib?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jul 2017 09:47:41 +0000 [First published on 09 July, 2013] Hong Kong pupils have outperformed their overseas peers in one of the most globally recognised pre-tertiary exams. Some 850 pupils from six English Schools Foundation secondary schools who sat the examination for the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma in May notched up an average score of 34.6. And six of them got perfect scores of 45. That compares with the global average of 29.8. Twenty-seven pupils from direct subsidy school St Paul's Co-educational... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101572/locals-ace-exams-outshine-peers-global?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101572/locals-ace-exams-outshine-peers-global?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jul 2017 09:42:59 +0000 [First published on 10 July, 2012] Of the few pupils who achieved perfect scores for the International Baccalaureate (IB) exams this year, one in 10 came from Hong Kong. Of the 109 students who achieved full scores of 45 marks on the global IB exams - considered one of the toughest pre-college exams in the world - at least 12 of the top achievers were from Hong Kong. English Schools Foundation (ESF) students continued to achieve strong results this year, with the number of students achieving... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101571/esf-pupils-come-baccalaureate-goods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101571/esf-pupils-come-baccalaureate-goods?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jul 2017 09:38:57 +0000 [First published on 25 February, 2011] At just 16 years old, Anthony Leung Chi-hin has been named as the best in the world at something many of us struggle with: mathematics. Leung, a Form Six student at Sha Tin College, sat the Cambridge IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) international mathematics test last June when he was 15 and, according to his school, scored the highest mark in the world. Sha Tin College said it was 'extremely proud of Anthony and the... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101567/maths-whiz-anthony-beats-world-top?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101567/maths-whiz-anthony-beats-world-top?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jul 2017 09:14:22 +0000 [First published on 14 February, 2011] A scientist from Hong Kong has revealed how he literally stumbled over a new species of carnivorous dinosaur during an expedition on the mainland. It is the first dinosaur known with only one finger on each forelimb. Michael Pittman, 25, a PhD student at University College London, discovered the parrot-sized species - called Linhenykus monodactylus - during a trip led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which set out to look for new species near the border... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101565/scientist-puts-his-finger-dinosaur-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101565/scientist-puts-his-finger-dinosaur-one?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jul 2017 09:11:36 +0000 [First published on 31 January, 2011] Island School has shown that action speaks louder than words by installing solar panels and wind turbines on its rooftop. The devices have helped the school reduce its carbon footprint and boost environmental awareness among its students. The Solar Panel and Wind Turbine Project is the first of its kind among ESF (English Schools Foundation) schools. The devices are connected to the school's electricity supply to power its lights and equipment. The... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101564/skys-limit-green-warriors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/topics/esf-first-50-years-news/article/2101564/skys-limit-green-warriors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jul 2017 09:03:21 +0000