Grand Opening of The British Council International Pre-School
Celebrating one of the most significant expansions of the British Council’s education work in Hong Kong
8 November 2016 (HONG KONG) – The British Council officially opened its International Pre-School on 4 November with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Esther Blythe, Deputy Head of Mission, The British Consulate-General Hong Kong, Christopher Rawlings, Director, British Council, Hong Kong, Jasmina Wadhwani, Head of the British Council International Pre-School, Liam Donnison, Director, English Language Services, British Council, Hong Kong, Philip Kung, Head, Business & Professional Services, Invest Hong Kong, and leaders from the local education community.
Following the opening ceremony, Jasmina Wadhwani took guests on a tour of the Pre-School facilities, which include an indoor gym, a music room, a creative art corner, a cosy library and a drama area.
The Pre-School, which welcomed its first intake of children in August 2016, is the British Council’s first international pre-school in Hong Kong. It follows the UK-based International Primary Curriculum, a comprehensive, thematic-based curriculum with very clear learning goals and specific guidelines for assessing and evaluating students. It provides a unique and culturally diverse learning environment through its English and Chinese bilingual immersion programme.
‘With qualified teachers who have extensive experience in early-years education, we can help our students to become inquisitive, confident and responsible, with a solid grounding in English, Cantonese and Mandarin,’ said Jasmina Wadhwani, Head of the British Council International Pre-School. ‘Our teachers and I will work closely together with parents to ensure children’s holistic development and help them become independent thinkers as well as life-long learners.’
‘There is an appetite in Hong Kong for high quality international education and we are excited to meet this demand with the opening of our International Pre-School,’ said Christopher Rawlings, Director, British Council, Hong Kong. ‘It is an important milestone in expansion of our education work, enabling us to create educational opportunities for the next generation and ultimately contribute to the long-term prosperity of Hong Kong.’
A Pre-School Open Day for prospective parents and children was held on 5 November. The response from parents and children was overwhelming with over 400 attendees. Parents and children participated in a range of activities including dancing in the music room, an obstacle course in the gym area and dress-up time in the drama corner. Parents were able to find out more about the Pre-School’s curriculum, which is delivered through a full immersion bilingual programme, as well as application procedures and admissions criteria.
The 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 morning and afternoon sessions in the 2017-2018 academic year. The application deadline is 14 November.
Media Contacts:
Mavis Ma (Communications Manager) 2913 5260 / mavis.ma@britishcouncil.org.hk