As Head of School, I would like to introduce our community, and to outline the values and commitments that are closest to our hearts and which animate our vision.

At ICHK learning is everything: students, staff and parents individually and collectively learning together.

At the heart of everything we do is a dual commitment to ensuring that every student is happy and cared for; and to provide our students with the very best education we can offer, day in, day out, year on year.

Our 5+1 pastoral care model places student wellbeing at the centre of school life and underpins all learning and teaching. In an environment of safety and trust, growth, mutual understanding and shared respect, all students are enabled to flourish.

Our unique and innovative curriculum offers students a stimulating and challenging learning journey. Key to this journey is ensuring that they develop resilience and the attitudes and mindsets that will underpin ongoing enjoyment of life, performance and success. All students, not just a minority, participate in the full range of school activities – sports teams, drama productions, outdoor expeditions, service projects – which stretch and stimulate them as fully rounded young learners.

Our school was a double-award winner in the inaugural Greater Bay Area International School Awards.

We were named winner of the ‘Innovative Teaching and Learning’ award, in recognition of our unique approaches to learning through Curriculum X and the series of innovative learning experiences that we have developed in recent years. In addition, we were one of three winners of the Public Choice Award, with more votes than the other shortlisted schools. Since then we have won the GBA Equity, Diversion and Inclusion Award for our commitment to a fully inclusive vision of education, and the + 1 Centre.

We have also been named by the research wing of Cambridge University as one of the top 100 schools in the world for innovation. This includes recognition for the ways in which we offer students more choice, more flexibility, different work practices, and more opportunities to develop skills and attributes which are not addressed by examinations.

Ours is a school which is thoughtfully future-orientated. We know that change in the world is constant and accelerating. We know that students need a new and wider set of skills if they are to meet the challenges that await: that, in an information and ideas based economy, it is attitudes and mindsets, no less than qualifications, that will underpin ongoing performance and success. And so we are proud to have created – and continually evolve – a school experience that best prepares young people for that future.

By digging deep into our website, you will come to understand more. You will discover Human Technologies, Free Learning, outdoor education and our unique pastoral model.

You will read about our approaches to sport, to positive education and about the ways in which we promote critical thinking, independent learning, collaboration, commitment and leadership.

You will discover that we are a school and a community, where we never rest on our laurels, where learning is everything and everywhere.

Whether you are a parent looking for a first-class education for your child, a teacher interested in working in a stimulating and dynamic environment, or you’d like to find out more about what an international education could and should offer, we would be delighted to welcome you.

Head of School Sean McDermott

ICHK's philosophy is grounded in the conviction that young people should be supported in developing their all-round characters, including but not confined to the academic dimension, so that they experience themselves as strong, confident, impassioned learners.

Designed and managed effectively, the secondary school experience should deliver both character and academic achievement, in the same child.  At ICHK, this is our aim and our record of IB Diploma results is testament to the ways in which our methods pay off.

Achieving this requires a highly motivated and skilled teaching staff, and approaches which are founded in a culture which must be carefully nurtured.

We believe that the way we teach students is just as vital as the content we deliver, and the learning experience is always a combination of both, taken together.

The holistic welfare of students is at the heart of our philosophy and we support our students to adopt approaches to learning, and attitudes to challenge, which will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Above all, we are passionate about promoting a wider view of learning, which explicitly and deliberately searches for better ways to help young people learn and attain their ambitions and aspirations and explore and develop more widely the full range of their diverse talents and interests.

Our Mission & Vision

Our mission is to educate all our students, unlock their potential and offer an experience that best prepares them for life beyond school.

Our vision is Learning together, thoughtfully

Our students are encouraged to be thoughtful, to care for others, to understand the importance of serving the community and how, through their actions, they can make a difference. We help students develop international-mindedness through an exploration of different perspectives related to local and global issues, guided by our definition of global citizenship:

Global citizenship commits to an informed recognition that human beings share a
common humanity that both underlies and transcends other aspects of their
identity; that the fate of all humans is tied to the state of the planet beyond as well as within geographical or national borders; and that, once considerations of the ultimate sustainability of lifestyles are confirmed, the quality of human life in general is improved through a compassionate understanding of cultures, actively promoting inclusion, and advocacy for social justice and equity.

Small By Design

Our classes are small by design, and our policies, approaches and culture all flow from this deliberate commitment to create a close-knit, highly connected community.

We are guided by research indicating that smaller learning communities are better able to recognise and respond to the individual needs of their members.

Small classes enable our teachers to design and deliver learning that is responsive to individual students. With a low student-to-teacher ratio, learners receive the individual attention, guidance and challenge they need. By design, there is a high degree of interaction between teachers and students, as well as between students themselves, which is central to our learning philosophy.

This means that students’ individual interests, strengths and passions are more likely to be noticed and developed, while learners experiencing difficulties can be identified early and supported promptly. Teachers are also better placed to notice changes in behaviour, engagement or performance and to respond quickly and appropriately.

Our deliberately close-knit structure also supports the kind of relationships that are central to a strong school community. Community spirit is fostered through meaningful connections between students, teachers and families. The home-school partnership can be strengthened, while school leaders are able to maintain a much more direct connection with individual students than would typically be possible in a larger, more impersonal environment.

A strong sense of community also creates greater opportunities for students to participate, contribute and develop as leaders. When students know that their contribution matters, they develop a stronger sense of belonging and a sense of pride in their community, their school and themselves.

Finally, keeping things small by design gives us greater flexibility in how we approach learning. At ICHK, we recognise that one size does not fit all. Our structure allows us to invest in personalised education and to respond to the individual needs, interests and aspirations of our learners.

Being small by design is therefore not simply about numbers. It is about creating the conditions for strong relationships, personalised learning and a genuine sense of belonging.

But there is nothing small about the international education students receive at ICHK. An innovative curriculum, strong exam results and a history of adding value, provide an international education that is deeply connected to Hong Kong, Asia and beyond.