King's Prep and Senior School will offer a truly all-around education with a wide-ranging curriculum blending with the co-curriculum and supported throughout by the highest standards of pastoral care in a long and full school day, encouraging pupils to discover, learn and express themselves. Our philosophy behind the pursuit of academic excellence is that talented pupils are stretched but not stressed, stimulated but not overwhelmed by an enlightened approach to teaching and learning.

"Frequently Asked Questions" provide parents with an overview of King's Prep and Senior School, including information on enrollment, teaching, curriculum and teachers.

 

A / Schoolin General

 

Q1 | Does studying at King's provide any advantages for entrance to British universities? Will there be any advantages in the application if I transfer to the UK campus in the future? 

Kings adopts the globally recognised Cambridge Pathway running from Lower Primary to Upper Secondary and University entrance. A Levels are the best means of entry into British universities and are recognised globally as a high-quality qualification. In fact, the final year of A Level study is often equivalent to, or higher than, the first year at university. King's students are also prepared for entrance into American universities by means of SAT or ACT.

As a traditional British school with over 180 school leavers every year, King's has a widely acclaimed academic reputation and is a well-known school among UK and international universities.

King's Qianhai School inherits the fine tradition of the UK campus. It is consistent in much of its teaching content, overall pedagogy and teaching style. It also has a similar richness of co-curricular options. Therefore, any transfer should be easier for the student. It should be said that King's Canterbury is in great demand as a school with long waiting lists, but King's Qianhai students will certainly have favourable treatment and we shall have inside knowledge of the entrance procedure. It’s one of the benefits of a close relationship.

 

 

Q2 | What aspects of the school are foreign principals responsible for?

Principal Geoff studied at top universities including University of Exeter, University of Cambridge and King's College London, and he is former Deputy Headmaster in charge of the academic life and International Director in KSC. Principal Geoff is currently responsible for the Grades 9-12, and also serves as the School's Executive Principal overseeing the whole education from Kindergarten to Grade 12 together with our connections with the King’s School Canterbury.

 

Q3 | As the Principal, what is Dr. Zhou's background.

With 15 years of teaching experience in Primary and Secondary schools and 11 years of private school management experience, He has worked in well-known international schools in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Dr. Zhou Zejun graduated from Indiana University with a major in Comparative and International Education. He is familiar with both the Chinese and western approaches to education. Dr. Zhou's educational philosophy is “learn to learn, think about thinking, and learn actively; give a man a fish and you only feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Teaching them how to learn will motivate them to achieve their personal fulfilment in their own ways.” Dr. Zhou has a happy family with two children.

 

Q4 | Which teacher is mainly responsible for pastoral care of students?

First of all, pastoral care is a basic responsibility of all teachers.

For Grades 1-8, under the leadership of Dr. Zhou, there will be two Deputy Heads, one Academic and one Pastoral. The Pastoral Deputy will oversee all aspects concerning student wellbeing involving many aspects of the following: houses, tutors, homeroom teachers, boarding, etc. She will also be the 'Safeguarding Lead', thereby responsible for the health and safety of students on the campus.

King's Prep and Senior School will open in Autumn 2022 and will welcome Mrs. Carrie Cameron as Deputy Head for Pastoral Care. Mrs. Cameron has rich experience in the UK and China with many achievements to be proud of.

 

Q5 | What will the new campus air quality be like? How will the school get rid of formaldehyde in furniture?

The school will install a fresh air system, and will also arrange a professional team to test. Regarding the smells emanating from new furniture, we are only using top quality furniture from trusted suppliers; the Principals have visited the factories and already selected furniture; it has been purchased so that it can be delivered well in advance of opening. It will be stored in a warehouse to allow any harmful smells to dissipate.

The school will publish specific measures to ensure indoor air quality on the WeChat platform, including building materials, decoration materials, furniture, fresh air systems, etc. Please continue to follow school news.

 

B / About Enrolment

Q6 | What is the content of the Grade 1-6 entrance examination?

An aptitude test, known as CAT4, plus an interview.

 

Q7 | What is the content of the Grade 7-8 entrance examination?

An aptitude test, known as CAT4. There is also a short writing test and an interview.

 

Q8 | What grade can my child start boarding?

Grade 4 and above can apply for boarding; theschool will assess any exceptional applications for younger students based onneed. The suitability of each student for boarding will be assessed.

 

Q9 | How will we organise our boarding and the supervision of boarders?

The King's School Canterbury has a long experience of boarding in the UK where nearly 800 pupils board from the age of around 10 to 18. Our boarding structure in Shenzhen will need to be slightly different from Canterbury, but it will bring with it the main principles of the highest quality care overseen by experienced teachers.

Boarding is located in a single building with floors separated by age and gender. All rooms are en-suite. There will be a member of staff on each floor. Alongside the boarding staff, experienced teachers will live throughout the building to act as housemasters and housemistresses and offer high-quality pastoral care. All our teachers will have boarding supervision duties during the week.

 

Q10 | Do you require all the students to board at school?

Boarding is not compulsory. However, the schoolwill run very much as a boarding school with breakfast and evening meal available for those who need it. Older students who are not boarding will beable to attend events and use the library in the evenings if required.

 

Q11 | My child is currently in Grade 5. Will he need to take the middle school entrance examination by the end of Grade 9?

As our school is an all-though international school; students will not need to participate in the middle school entrance examination.

 

Q12 | Can a student skip grades or be a year late?

Generally, for social, emotional reasons, as well as those of physical maturity, it is far preferable that students stay in their year group. However, every case is different, especially with early and late birthdays, and we shall judge accordingly.

 

C / GeneralAcademic Matters

 

Q13 | Will the school use textbooks?

The Qianhai campus will adopt the Cambridge Pathway as its foundation on top of which it will add its own special King's elements and some parts of the Chinese national curriculum. The best teaching & learning does not only rely on textbooks, but on a multitude of different means and resources. The best teachers usually make their own according to the needs of their students and the syllabus. Our teachers will have continual in-service training to ensure they are up-to-date on all the recommended resources.

 

Q14 | Are there any courses taught by both Chinese and English teachers? How do Chinese teachers and foreign teachers work together?

Most of the courses in Grades 1-5, with the exception of Chinese language lessons, are either co-taught or have Chinese teaching assistants to accompany foreign teachers. There are also interdisciplinary areas of our curriculum, such as Global Perspectives, King's Time, activities, sport, etc., which are taught by a mixture of Chinese and foreign teachers. In Grades 1-5, the most common teaching method is for one teacher to take the lead and the other teacher to guide some students in a targeted manner or to help with differentiated teaching.

 

Q15 | Is mathematics taught in two languages?

Mathematics in Grades 1-8 will be based on the Shanghai maths syllabus, now being widely used in the UK and available in Chinese and English, making it a perfect medium for both Chinese and English teachers. At the same time, we will also combine Cambridge mathematics to learn the English expressions and key terms to prepare for future studies at IGCSE and A Level in Grades 9-12 where it will be taught only in English.

 

Q16 | If mathematics is taught in Chinese, what about IGSCE and A-LEVEL?

Only the earlier Grades are taught in Chinese. IGCSE and A Level are international examinations in English. It is perfectly possible to move to these systems from a Chinese background and has been done very successfully at King's Canterbury and many other British schools. Here at King’s in Qianhai, our teaching methods and our transition work in Grades 7 and 8 will make this even more straightforward.

 

Q17 | Will the school use differentiation in its teaching?

Yes, indeed. For students at the school, we have an inclusive policy which means that all students can access the curriculum at an appropriate level. Our teachers are trained in this and helped by our learning support department.

 

Q18 | Will English be compulsory instead of Chinese?

We are slightly different from other international schools in that, although the main language throughout the teaching day will be English, especially in the Cambridge courses, we do not believe in stopping a Chinese student expressing him or herself in Chinese. This is very important for their own language growth and for their conceptual learning. We also provide more Chinese language, history and culture teaching and learning than most international schools, even for our foreign students. Mathematics in Grades 1-8 will be primarily taught in Chinese. In daily life outside the classroom, we respect students' own choice of language.

In the Senior School, where we are working to international examinations, all lessons will be in English, although in their activity so-curricular and free time, the students are free to use any language or mixture thereof that they choose.

 

Q19 | How does the school help students when they have academic difficulties?

First, we hope that parents will be honest with us at the enrolment stage. It is much better to have all the information we need in advance and to judge whether the school is going to be the right fit for any child/student.

Second, on entry to the school, all students will have a baseline test; this helps with screening for any particular learning difficulties. This is not to label or stigmatise students but to ensure that our education is holistic and inclusive, meaning that it meets the needs of every child.

Third, all teachers are trained in helping identify learning further needs and differentiating their teaching and learning tasks accordingly.

With evidence from both data and class experience, our Learning Support department will advise on the best way of providing for individual students. In some cases, this may involve individual learning plans (which will be discussed with parents). In most cases, it will simply involve working with the students and their teachers to ensure difficulties are allowed for or overcome.

In some difficult cases, the student might be referred to an Education Psychologist for a full screening and professional report, the results of which can help the school and the student. This is always done in consultation with the parents.

 

D / AboutCurriculum

 

Q20 | What is the curriculum in Grades 1-8?

From Grade 1 to Grade 8 students will follow the Cambridge Pathway, Primary and Lower Secondary curriculum to which will be added elements of the Chinese National Curriculum in Chinese language, mathematics, and humanities. In addition, we shall be adding some of our own King’s specialities, such as space studies, drama and robotics.

 

Q21 | What is the curriculum in Grades 9-12?

In the Senior School, they will be workingtowards Cambridge IGCSEs, A Levels and the International Project Qualification.However, they shall still have many co-curricular opportunities and we shallalso be adding some of our own elements to ensure they receive a full all-roundeducation.

 

Q22 | Is education examination orientated in Prep and Senior school?

The Prep School will work towards a thorough internal assessment programme, guided by the checkpoints of the Cambridge Pathway and the Chinese National Curriculum for Chinese language and mathematics.

The Senior School will focus on International GCSEs and A Levels, supported by the International Project Qualification.

 

Q23 | What are the teaching materials and text-books for Chinese language learning?、

For Chinese students, the curriculum is mainly designed according to the requirements of the Chinese National Curriculum, so state-sanctioned Chinese textbooks will be used as the base for study. For students whose mother language is not Chinese, or who are not at the same level, Chinese will be taught as a foreign language using appropriate material.

For IGCSE, it is possible to take Chinese as a first language or as a second language according to the level of the student, and the appropriate textbooks will be used. However, it should be stressed that all teachers devise their own resources beyond the text books.

 

Q24 | Do teachers teach all subjects or are there specialist teachers?

In the Prep School, homeroom teachers in Grades 1-5 teach a variety of subjects. However, there are specialists for Chinese, art, music and PE. From Grades 6-8, all subjects will be taught by specialists in dedicated areas.

In the Senior School all subjects are taught by specialists n dedicated areas.

 

Q25 | I want to study the AP system in the future. Is it appropriate to come to King's?

No problem. A good school can teach students transferable skills, which can be converted between different systems, such as A level, IB, AP, etc. But we don’t have a plan to introduce AP courses of American high school.

 

 

E / About Teachers

 

Q26 | How many students are there in a class?

The Prep School will have a maximum of 22 with at least two, sometimes three teachers in a class. Class sizes in Grades 9 and 10 depend on the subjects, but the maximum will be 20; classes for optional subjects will be smaller. In Grades 11 and 12, the maximum size is 15 though most will be much smaller.

 

Q27 | Can you say more about the teacher's qualifications and experience?

Our teachers are recruited from all over the world. All are fully qualified and subjected to at least three interviews. Their references are fully checked. In addition to having a relevant educational and academic background, they also need to agree fully with King's vision for a truly all-round education and understand that pastoral care is a key part of a teacher's work. From current foreign appointments, the average age is 38 with an average of 11 years of previous teaching experience.

 

Q28 | Can you explain the ratio of foreign teachers to domestic teachers?

Foreign teachers will be around 70% of theteaching cohort. Chinese teachers mainly teach Chinese, mathematics and Chinesehumanities. There will of course be a number of Chinese teaching assistants.

 

Q29 | How many teachers are there in a class?

This depends on whether it is the homeroom teacher system or specialist teacher system. If it is the homeroom teacher system in Grades 1-5, all courses except Chinese, music, sports, art and mathematics are taught in English by the homeroom teacher. Grade 6 and above will be taught by specialist teachers in specialist areas.

 

F / AboutSchool Buses

 

Q30 | Will there be school buses?

Yes, there will be school buses, and the specific routes will be arranged according to the actual situation. Both the routes and quantities will be consistent with the mainstream international schools in Shenzhen.