British Council Launches Its First International Pre-School in Hong Kong
Unique bilingual and bicultural learning curriculum for local and international communities
6 June 2016 (HONG KONG) – The British Council is launching its first international pre-school in Hong Kong in August 2016, offering a holistic, bilingual education to children who are eligible to study in Hong Kong. Adopting the UK-based International Primary Curriculum (IPC), the British Council International Pre-School aims to help children develop a respect for their own cultural identity as well as those of others and grow into life-long learners.
The Pre-School has been granted a licence to operate from the Education Bureau and will be located at the British Council’s Admiralty centre. In line with the British Council’s policy of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, the Pre-School welcomes children from both local and international communities in Hong Kong.
The British Council has welcomed Jasmina Wadhwani on board as the Head of British Council International Pre-School. With over 18 years of experience in early years education in local and international kindergartens in Hong Kong, Ms. Wadhwani’s expertise lies in school management and curriculum development.
She believes pre-school experiences should highlight each child’s individual abilities and talents. ‘Childhood is a beautiful journey of discovery, exploration, imagination and play, not a race to the finish line. Here at the British Council International Pre-School, we respect the unique developmental pattern of every child and let them learn and grow at their own pace.’
The Pre-School will implement the IPC, a thematic-based curriculum with very clear learning goals and specific guidelines for assessing and evaluating students. This unique curriculum not only allows children to develop their language ability naturally, but also to experience a holistic education that covers three main learning goals: subject goals, personal goals and international goals. Additionally, an English and Chinese bilingual immersion programme plus daily Putonghua time will also be offered to help children become bilingual and bicultural.
Robert Ness, Director British Council Hong Kong, thinks the new Pre-School will offer Hong Kong families a rewarding option for their children’s first steps into education. ‘Building on our experiences in English language teaching in Hong Kong for more than 60 years, we are excited for the opening of the British Council’s first International Pre-School here. Over the years we have seen a strong demand for diverse and high quality early years education in Hong Kong. Therefore, we hope our International Pre-School can meet part of the demand and provide parents and students with an additional choice.’
British Council Hong Kong International Pre-School is currently accepting applications from children who are aged between two years and eight months and six years old for Nursery (K1), Lower Kindergarten (K2) and Upper Kindergarten (K3) for the 2016-17 academic year.
Photo link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/derly62fxg3iwaj/British_Council_International_PreSchool_photos.zip?dl=0