International College Hong Kong
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The Story of ICHK

Welcome to ICHK, a dynamic IB World School in the beautiful New Territories.

Ours is a school which is a world away from the bustle and crowds of the city. It is characterised by an imaginative and innovative curriculum, and a caring environment which fosters and nurtures success in all our students.

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 has 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 Toby Newton

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Learning the art & craft of

Being Human

The keystone of our educational approach is Human Technologies, and as a lens for thought and action, this informs all aspects of the educational experience.

It is the centrepiece of the ways in which we continue to change education for the better and encourages students to experience school in more positive ways, whilst developing a profound sense of the art and craft of being human.

Our core aim is to educate our students to be resourceful, resilient, collaborative, open-minded, ethical, accepting of others, sustainable in their habits, and more inclined to take the long view.  We want them to have a profound and positive sense of the art and craft of being human. This is the aim and the promise of Human Technologies.

Our story begins with us, humans

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.

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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.

Our guiding statements are informed by four strategic directions: Thriving Students, Best Possible Teacher, Environment for Sustainable Living and Learning, and Community and Partnership.
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Small By Design

ICHK is a small community school. It is intentionally small and our policies, approaches and culture all flow from this deliberate decision.

We are guided by research that indicates that small communities do a better job of recognising and catering for the needs of their members.

Small classes allow our teachers to design and deliver their lessons to meet the needs of individual students.

With a low student to teacher ratio, learners receive the individual attention and guidance they need; there is a high degree of interaction between teacher and student, and also between students, which is key to our learning philosophy.

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Students with a specific interest or passion are more likely to find these noticed and built upon, while learners experiencing difficulty are quickly identified and issues rapidly addressed. Teachers are also more likely to notice any changes in behaviour or performance immediately and are able to take the necessary steps to address these issues right away.

A small academic organisation can provide the assurance that many parents seek for their children and for their own relationship with a school.

ICHK is unique because of our size; everyone knows each other and is very accepting and supportive of each other across all year groups. Staff and students are encouraged to be risk-takers, feeling safe to try new ideas and be different. ⏤ Jimmy Lam, Head of Mathematics

Community spirit is encouraged in the small environment. Strong relationships can be developed across the home – school partnership and school leaders can be far more involved with individual students than they could be in a larger school situation. At ICHK, staff pride themselves on knowing every child by name.

A smaller student body also offers greater opportunity for each student to experience participation and leadership growth. It is a circle that promotes a sense of belonging in students: a sense of pride in their community, their school, and themselves.

A small school allows for flexibility within the curriculum. At ICHK we recognise that one size does not fit all, and there is strong investment in personalised education. A Free Learning programme, unique courses like Human Technologies and a diverse activities programme, all help to broaden and enrich learning.

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.

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