On Monday, The King’s School, Canterbury’s Head, Ms. Jude Lowson, International Director, Ms. Nina Hunt, and other representatives visited The King’s School Shenzhen to witness the grand announcement of Mr. John Wright as the Incoming Executive Principal of KSS. Their presence at this important announcement is testament to the value which our sister school in the UK places on our project in Shenzhen and to the high hopes it has for our future. It also marks the next step in the ever-closer cooperation between our campuses in China and the UK.

As soon as Ms. Lowson arrived at KSS, she felt a strong sense of familiarity and recognition, saying: “although we are thousands of miles apart, I still feel a strong King’s School spirit here, just like the one I feel in Canterbury.” On behalf of KSC, Ms. Lowson expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Geoff Cocksworth, the Founding Executive Principal of KSS, for his dedicated effort and remarkable contribution to our school since its inception, and emphasised the close connection and mutual support between our schools in China and the UK. This close connection broadens our students’ horizons and provides them with additional opportunities for study. Ms. Lowson and her colleagues’ visit further highlights the importance that KSC places on KSS and the firm confidence it has in our school’s future development.

Principal Cocksworth is fond of using seeds and trees as an analogy for the connection between a person’s foundation and growth in education. Building on the concept of an all-round education that our school has inherited from KSC, Mr. Cocksworth has spent the last five years working tirelessly to create a learning environment full of energy and creativity at King’s Shenzhen, so that while our students are engaged in their academic pursuits, they are also developing their manifold talents and interests to the fullest. At present, our school has already grown from its deep and strong roots into a flourishing great tree, and Principal Cocksworth has told us that his historically-significant mission has been completed, and that the time has come for him to confidently pass on the responsibility for our school’s further development to a new leader, and to the group of likeminded companions that will support that new leader in his mission.

That new leader is Mr. John Wright, a graduate from the Universities of Cambridge and London with over 20 years of rich experience in education. With a deep understanding of school leadership, Executive Principal Wright possesses the King’s spirit in abundance. He aims for our students to strike the right balance between freely expressing their individuality and realising outstanding academic growth, and hopes that effective cooperation between our pupils’ parents and our school will ensure that they are supported every step of the way on this journey. In his first speech to the KSS community, Mr. Wright displayed his personal commitment to education by addressing his audience in fluent Chinese, simultaneously expressing his love and respect for Chinese culture. His principalship will bring a new energy and perspective to King’s, pushing us to take the next step in perfecting our academic, artistic, and all-round educational provision.

As the two people at the helm of The King’s School, Principals Lowson and Wright will be jointly responsible for taking the cooperation between our two campuses to an even higher level, in particular in terms of academic exchange between our Senior Schools. Our soon-to-begin exchange programme will provide students from both countries with an invaluable opportunity to gain a first-hand experience of a different educational environment and cultural atmosphere. Furthermore, we will be making some changes to our curricula in both schools to link them more tightly together, and will continue sharing our excellent educational resources to advance our students’ comprehensive development. KSS has always and will always be in lockstep with KSC, united by our commitment to our common goal of nurturing internationally-competitive global citizens.