For more than 30 years, Dipont Education has been deeply committed to introducing modern education resources to China. Be it through exploring the integration of eastern and western education, or through building bridges for cultural exchange between Chinese and overseas schools, the consistent theme has always been aspiring for excellence. The company’s mission has always been to empower students to become innovative, collaborative and equipped with a comprehensive worldview and the skills to shape, make and operate on the national and international stage.

There have been many milestones in this journey, from the introduction of international curriculum centers into established high schools across China in 2004 to the launch of our own independent schools in 2018. The Dipont story is one of evolution, growth, and stability in changing times.

Change is in the wind once again and, once more, Dipont Education is ready to meet the challenge and opportunity that change brings.

New names, same high-quality education

In May 2021, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued a document containing a suite of guidelines aimed at reform of the private education industry in China. One such requirement was that the name of private compulsory education schools should not contain certain words, such as China, Chinese, national, world or global. In addition, names should not contain names or abbreviations of public schools, transliterated words, or foreign countries, places, or education institutions.

As a result, two of Dipont Education’s independent schools will change their names moving forward:

• Nanwai King’s College School Wuxi will now be known as Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science
• Shanghai Huaer Collegiate School Kunshan will now be known as Dipont Huayao Collegiate School Kunshan.

Despite the name changes, these schools will maintain their strong founding partnerships. Top British school King’s College School, Wimbledon, will continue to be a committed partner in the ongoing development of Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science. At Dipont Huayao Collegiate School Kunshan, the academic partner remains the No. 2 High School of East China Normal University, one of the best public high schools in Shanghai.

Since 2018, Dipont Education has opened four independent schools. Local government support for all four schools is as strong as ever, with Education Bureaus overseeing and approving the name changes.

Dipont’s original mission for the schools will endure as the new names become synonymous with the quality and excellence our independent schools have become known for.

We have vacancies for experienced international educators in our expanding network of independent schools in Hangzhou, Wuxi, Kunshan and Chengdu. Visit our careers section to see our latest jobs.

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Mike Seaton on teaching and learning at King’s Chengdu:

Mike Seaton on co-curricular activities at King’s Chengdu:

We’re seeking inspiring educators to join King’s College School Chengdu, which will open in September 2021. If you’re interested in joining this exciting new venture, visit the independent school jobs pages to browse the current vacancies. 

Please note that since September 2021, the school has been known as Dipont KCS Chengdu.

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British school leader Mike Seaton will lead King’s College School Chengdu, which is set to open in September 2021.

At capacity, the whole school will serve more than 2,100 students from 3 to 18 years of age, offering a blended curriculum that combines the best of Chinese and western approaches to learning and academic excellence.

King’s Chengdu is the third independent school campus that Dipont has developed in partnership with King’s College School, Wimbledon, one of the most academically successful schools in the world.

Dipont signed a partnership agreement with KCS in 2014 to develop a network of schools in China, including Nanwai King’s College School Wuxi and RDFZ King’s College School Hangzhou, which are now entering their third years of operation. Dipont also has a number of other new school projects currently in development.

International and UK background

Bringing with him an award-winning background in British independent schools, Mike joins Dipont from global private schools group, Cognita, where he has held various positions, including Director of Education (UK). In addition, he spent three years as headmaster at Huddersfield Grammar School, his tenure resulting in the school’s first Sunday Times ranking in the UK, national media attention for curricular innovation and its success as national winner at the Independent Schools Association (ISA) Awards.

Mike’s career has also seen him work internationally, including several leadership positions in schools in South East Asia. He also played an integral role in the establishment of an overseas arm of another leading British independent school, Brighton College, where he served as Head of Senior School.

Throughout his varied professional experience, Mike has placed very deliberate emphasis on providing whole child education that supports students to thrive and grow into capable, independent adults. He believes that education goes beyond the classroom in developing students who have the character and attributes needed to succeed in today’s world.

First post in China

The founding head role will be Mike’s first posting to China, although he has visited the country on several occasions, including during his MBA studies in educational leadership.

He is excited to be leading a school that combines King’s world-class reputation with Dipont’s rich experience in developing internationalized schools in China.

“There’s a great zest for learning in China and I am committed to ensuring that King’s College School Chengdu delivers one of the strongest and most innovative educational experiences on offer in Asia,” he said. “I am passionate about combining the best of Chinese education with the holistic educational approach for which British independent schools are renowned.

“From our state-of-the-art campus, we will ensure that exceptional learning takes place both within and beyond the classroom. Thanks to our outstanding partnership, King’s Chengdu pupils will benefit from links with KCS through student exchanges and support in applying to the best universities in the UK and beyond.”

While Mike is due to arrive in China in January 2021, he has already been working remotely with colleagues at King’s and Dipont on the school’s initial phases of development.

Recruitment for King’s Chengdu has already begun. Opportunities will be available across all sections for highly talented expatriate and Chinese staff who are keen to contribute to the development of a world-class school. Vacancies will be advertised on the Dipont careers pages as they are confirmed.

Please note that since September 2021, the school has been known as Dipont KCS Chengdu.

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King’s College School Chengdu will welcome its first pupils in September 2021 and follows the successful development of Nanwai King’s College School Wuxi and RDFZ King’s College School Hangzhou, which are now in their third year of operation. Dipont also has a number of other new school projects currently in development.

Originally set to open in 2022, the Chengdu school’s opening has been brought forward due to the excellent progress of the build phase and support from local government. At capacity, the whole school will serve more than 2,100 students from 3 to 18 years of age.

World-class campus

The school’s campus is located northeast of Chengdu city center with beautiful hills and open green spaces surrounding it. The district is being developed for high-end residential projects and as an area for leisure and tourism.

The facilities at the school will be outstanding and include a 600-seat theatre, first-class laboratories, sports fields, a running track and a 50m indoor pool.

As with previous schools in the Dipont-King’s partnership, the aim is to create an educational environment that combines the best of Chinese and western approaches to learning and academic excellence. This will be delivered within a context of first-rate pastoral support and opportunities for pupils to excel outside the classroom.

Internationalized approach

Chinese students at King’s Chengdu will progress through three phases: kindergarten, elementary/junior high and high school. The Chinese curriculum will be delivered in both Chinese and English (utilizing international pedagogy) throughout the compulsory Chinese curriculum phases between Grades 1 and 9.

IGCSE and A-level programs will be delivered in the high school. As has been the case with the schools in Wuxi and Hangzhou, it is expected that Chengdu students will quickly embrace the holistic style of education and inquiry-based pedagogy employed.

An international section will cater to expatriate children through the elementary and junior high school phases, delivering a program based on the English National Curriculum and progressing onto IGCSE and A-level in the high school.

Building a strong team

Recruitment for school leaders, teachers and support staff has already begun. British school leader, Mike Seaton, will lead King’s Chengdu as its founding head.

Opportunities will also be available across all sections for highly talented expatriate and Chinese staff who are keen to contribute to the development of a world-class school. Vacancies will be advertised on the Dipont careers pages, as well as below, as they are confirmed.

Jeff Zhu, vice president at Dipont, said: “We’re delighted to be continuing our partnership with King’s College School, Wimbledon to open our first independent school in western China. Chengdu is a fantastic location for the new school, with a local government that’s committed to the internationalization of education in the city and parents that are keen to embrace a new approach to learning.”

Andrew Halls, headmaster at King’s College School, Wimbledon, added: “We know from our experience with Dipont already how important learning is to everyone in China. Fusing western and Chinese educational styles is a really exciting endeavor for King’s to be involved in and we’re grateful to the authorities of Chengdu for showing their faith in us. We’re pleased to continue working with Dipont – our collaboration has led to such success in Wuxi and Hangzhou and we now have solid and strong foundations for the building of this wonderful new school in Chengdu.”

Please note that since September 2021, the school has been known as Dipont KCS Chengdu.

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“I’ve been worried sick,” says John Kennard, executive principal of Dipont Education’s school Nanwai King’s College School Wuxi. “I worry about the children; I worry about my staff. I really haven’t slept well over the last few months.”

Like many heads of schools in China and around the world, John’s sleepless nights are the consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic that has closed schools and disrupted learning for millions of pupils.

For John, the trials and tribulations that would come to define the 2020 school year began when Nanwai King’s closed for the Chinese New Year holidays on 17 January. As many teachers, students and their families, including John, traveled across or out of China for the holidays, there were already signs that semester two would not resume as expected in February.

The outbreak of coronavirus in epicenter Wuhan was gaining pace, rumors of lockdowns were starting to swirl, and authorities were already moving to ensure schools remained closed after the holidays. But, as John reflects, no one at that stage really knew how long closures would last…

Learning under lockdown

The Chinese New Year vacation was spent hurriedly preparing for lessons to go online, with teachers and staff scattered across the world. Rapidly changing information about the situation was communicated to parents, while members of the school community wrestled with whether to return to Wuxi or stay put in holiday destinations. Wuhan and Hubei officially declared a lockdown on 23 January, setting the precedent for similar measures in other Chinese cities.

The new school semester began remotely on 10 February. By that time, John, his senior leadership team and many of the school’s teachers had managed to return to Wuxi and gone into strict lockdowns at their homes.

Those teachers who were back in the country were able to deliver live online lessons, mostly through video conferencing platforms Microsoft Teams and Zoom. In the early days of online learning, there were technical issues as the systems became overloaded with the sheer volume of traffic. Teachers had to adapt and experiment with the best way to deliver their classes and content. Videos, for example, were quickly abandoned as it became clear that sending and receiving them was too difficult.

Older pupils, for the most part, were able to cope with online lessons virtually all day. Things were more challenging with younger pupils, who were least able to sit on a computer all day. John admits the school did have to rely on parents and grandparents to help deliver learning activities to these age groups.

“While I think a lot of parents gained a greater appreciation of a teacher’s work, many did struggle with the technology and the sheer pressure of the situation,” says John. “We were in constant contact with families to offer support and advice on how to work with younger pupils. It was tough, especially for those parents who also had to work from home themselves.”

While many teachers managed to return to China, a percentage had got stuck outside due to the restrictions many countries placed on flights to and from China. The varying time zones that teachers found themselves in, along with a lack of equipment (many had gone on vacation and left laptops at home in China), caused the biggest issues.

Challenges were combated by teachers setting lessons via email, sending pupils work to be completed in their own time. Teachers actually found that some students excelled during these ‘email lessons’ as they were able to complete work at their own pace and did not have to cope with any shyness of interacting with peers in the classroom.

Others, however, understandably struggled with the virtual learning environment, missing the routines of school and face-to-face social interaction.

“Everyone missed their friends so much, they missed the teachers and the social side of school,” says John. “You just can’t replicate that online, so that was tough for a lot of pupils.”

Some things remain the same

Throughout the period of online lessons, while so much of pupils’ everyday life was different, John and his staff tried to keep some aspects of the school day reassuringly the same. Pastoral care, for example, remained an important part of teachers’ roles, as they supported pupils through the emotional and social challenges of life under lockdown.

At other times, regular house competitions and activities, such as online musical performances, were run to lift spirits and maintain a sense of community.

John believes that one of the most grounding activities during this time was the weekly flag-raising ceremonies. Usually held in the school’s auditorium on a Monday morning for the whole school, in confinement, the flag-raising was delivered via a pre-recorded video. Different teachers gave an online address at each ceremony, many of whom shared their experiences of the lockdown.

“We needed to show the children how everyone was dealing with the situation,” says John. “We had one teacher who gave an address from his home in Croatia, while another showed that he was at home and still doing his weight training. Another teacher was doing yoga exercises every day with their children. The children too were able to share their lives under lockdown – it was really meaningful to everyone.”

The flag-raising ceremony took place every week throughout the more than 12 weeks that online learning would last. As the situation intensified around the world and perhaps sensing what was to come, John was able during this period to persuade all of his teachers still outside of China to return to the country, despite difficult journeys and much anxiety about the situation in China.

“Getting staff to come back was challenging,” admits John. “At that point, there was a lot of fear about what was happening in China – coronavirus hadn’t yet started to affect Europe or the States. Teachers had family in their home countries asking them not to come back and I understood why people were reticent at that time.”

It required John to give teachers much reassurance about the actual situation in Wuxi, which in the end saw only a few hundred cases and no deaths. This, combined with, what John felt was, reliable and transparent information from local authorities, helped him to encourage everyone to return from far-flung corners of the world.

It was extremely fortunate that teaching staff at Nanwai King’s made this colossal effort. As China began to emerge successfully from the health crisis, on 29 March authorities suddenly declared the country’s borders shut to all foreigners, including those already in possession of a valid resident permit. Thousands of teachers found themselves stuck away from places of work. John believes that Nanwai King’s might well be the only school in China to have its full body of international teachers back in the country.

Getting back to ‘normal’

After passing a series of rigorous inspections by police, and health and education authorities, as well as submitting the travel and health information of every single one of the school’s 1,350 pupils and 180 teachers, and their families, the school was granted permission to commence reopening in March.

Nanwai King’s is around now two weeks into its new normality. A two-month staged return has seen pupils of different age groups slowly return to the school. Grade 9 was the first to arrive back on 30 March, with kindergarten pupils the last to come back, at the end of May.

“The children were so excited to be back,” says John, laughing at the happy memories. “It was very emotional to have everyone back together at last.”

The very planned, methodical return of pupils has given teachers and staff time to test the different safety measures that have been put into place. These include regular temperature checks for pupils and staff, strict dining regulations that require set meals to be pre-served to two diners per table (all of whom must face the same direction to eat). Classroom and PE lessons have to be socially distanced, while every classroom must be disinfected after every lesson.

The flag-raising ceremony that became an integral part of the school day during confinement has had to continue online, as congregating in groups of more than 50 is prohibited. Many co-curricular activities that would usually see pupils of different ages come together have had to be postponed or taken up online as mixing age groups is also not allowed. Admissions events for new parents have gone online or split down into smaller events every weekend.

It’s a lot to take on and the school remains in a period of learning and adjustment. Children understandably have been affected by their experiences and as each year group returned to school, they were given the opportunity to talk about things with teachers.

“The pupils have actually adapted to everything very, very quickly,” says John. “They’ve learned a great deal over the last few months about managing unexpected situations and building resilience.”

Parents of course have been apprehensive about their children going back to school, although John feels that, for the most part, they are supportive of schools reopening and face-to-face learning starting again.

He says it’s been fundamental for the school to engage with parents over the last few months, in order to reassure them and address any concerns. The school caters for 1,300 families and has parent support groups with representatives at different grade levels, who have been the liaison point between parents and the school.

Older pupils have generally been able to keep up to date with work, while teachers have submitted predicted grades for those who will not be able to sit external examinations. Perhaps, surprisingly, it’s the parents of younger children who are most concerned that they’ve missed out.

“It is difficult to reassure parents,” says John. “But it’s important for us to reiterate that children around the world are in the same situation. It’s hard but children will catch up.”

While schools in China settle into a slightly surreal new era, the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to be felt. China’s borders are still closed and while there are positive signs that restrictions will be eased soon, allowing new teachers to enter the country, everyone is still waiting for further direction from the government and education authorities.

So, while it seems that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over now for China, John’s restless nights may well continue as the entire world continues to recover from this most unprecedented of situations.

Please note that since January 2022, Nanwai King’s College School Wuxi has been known as Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science.

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King’s College School, Wimbledon, invites talented teachers to join the event and find out more about working within the growing family of King’s schools overseas.

The King’s College Schools overseas family includes RDFZ King’s College School Hangzhou and Nanwai King’s College School Wuxi, both developed in partnership with Dipont and opened in 2018. Both schools will be recruiting for kindergarten, junior and senior school teaching, heads of department and leadership posts beginning in August 2020.

Members of the schools’ senior leadership teams will be available on stalls to speak to attendees about working at our overseas schools. Speakers will include Andrew Halls, Headmaster of King’s College School, Wimbledon.

Event details

Date: Saturday, Dec. 14 2019
Time: 8.30am – 5pm
Venue: New Hall, King’s College School, Wimbledon, UK

To find out more information or to register for the recruitment event (deadline Dec. 6 2019), please email Oliver Knapman, recruitment manager, on oliver.knapman@dipont.com.

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The new school will be the latest institution opened under Dipont’s partnership with King’s College School, Wimbledon, one of the United Kingdom’s top schools.

In December, representatives of Dipont met with those from Changzhou Tianning District People’s Government and the Dragon City Tourism Holding Group to formally sign an agreement. The three parties will cooperate to establish the new school in Changzhou’s Tianning Economic Development Zone.

The school is tentatively named Changzhou King’s International School. It will provide an internationalized learning experience while maintaining the requirements of the Chinese curriculum. In addition, it will teach children aged 3-18 years old and, at capacity, is expected to accommodate almost 3,000 pupils.

Changzhou King’s International School is Dipont Education’s latest independent school project after new schools were opened in Wuxi and Hangzhou in September 2018, while other schools are also planned in Kunshan, Nanjing and Chengdu.

The Changzhou school’s founding will represent an improvement in the quality in Changzhou’s basic education. It is also marks the development of the city’s international education provision. It is hoped the school will become a first-class base of international education not only in Changzhou, but across the country.

Vacancies for the new school will be advertised online. Dipont currently has an international curriculum center in Changzhou.

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Coordinated by Explore CRS, a teacher recruitment-focused subsidiary of Dipont, the fair in Shanghai was the chance for Dipont to meet and interview potential new teachers for its international curriculum centers and independent schools.

Every year, Dipont recruits hundreds of new international teachers to work in its wide range of educational institutions across China.

At the fair, Dipont was joined by more than 20 other world-famous institutions. These included YK Pao School, Shanghai Singapore International School and Utahloy International Schools, in searching for the very best candidates for its teaching vacancies.

An action-packed three days

The three-day event began with a program of professional development workshops, delivered by international school leaders from China, Qatar and Vietnam. These sessions, which attracted record numbers of attendees, focused on topics such as leadership, policy development and active learning.

John Burchall, director of education at Dipont, delivered a workshop on policy development, exploring both ‘imposed policies’ and ‘evolved policies’. He discussed how these policies can lead to educational improvement. Later, Dipont’s Primary Academic Quality Management Team led a session on active learning in the primary classroom.

Day two was the fair’s busiest day. Representatives from Dipont’s schools and curriculum centers met directly with interested candidates, before interviews began to take place in the afternoon. These continued into day three.

It was an action-packed weekend with a number of attendees receiving on-the-spot job offers after the interviews. While exact numbers of job offers and acceptances have yet to be determined, they are expected to be high.

Showcasing talent

“We’re delighted that this year’s Shanghai recruitment fair attracted so many talented candidates looking for new international teaching opportunities,” said Vanessa Cumbers, head of recruitment.

“For Dipont, it is an excellent way to meet and interview the very best candidates. At the same time, it showcases the wide number of amazing teaching opportunities we have in our schools and curriculum centers across China.”

This is the seventh year that explore CRS has coordinated a job fair in Shanghai. This fair is organized alongside a second fair held each year in Dubai in January.

A subsidiary of Dipont, Explore CRS works to recruit international teachers and provide consultancy services to the international school sector. The company has a particular focus on the wider Asia region. Ahead of the fair, Explore CRS recruitment consultants communicated with attending schools and registered teachers. These conversations helped consultants understand the school’s recruitment needs, as well as candidates’ career goals and plans. The two sides were then matched for further discussion at the event.

Are you a teacher or education professional? Check out our vacancies page for the latest teaching jobs in China.

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Top London college partners with China to open three British schools
Daily Telegraph, Nov. 3, 2015

King’s College School in Wimbledon, London, has gone into partnership with Shanghai-based education provider Dipont to set up a trio of fee-paying British-style schools in China.

The deal is part of ￡30 billion-worth of trade agreements announced during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Britain last month.

According to Andrew Halls, head of King’s College School, where fees cost almost ￡20,000 a year, the income from acting as consultants in China will double the number of bursaries available for London students.

The first school, scheduled to open in 2018, is for 3,180 pupils, and will be built next to a lake in Wuxi Taihu New City, which is 90 miles north west of Shanghai.

The new city has sprung up in the past 10 years and is located in one of China’s fastest-growing areas, which will soon be home to 10 million people.

The city government is paying for the school to be built and the majority of the students will be Chinese, joined by around 500 international students.

The campus, designed by a UK firm, will feature a replica of the beautiful Victorian Great Hall at King’s in Wimbledon, with its wood panelling and leaded windows.

The London school has a magnificent Victorian hall designed by the noted English architect Sir Banister Fletcher.

However, Mr Halls stressed that the Wuxi campus as a whole will not be a replica of the Wimbledon site, but will embrace the best aspects of the Chinese and British education systems.

“It’s not like other schools in China where it is a mirror image of the original British school – this is about sharing best practice on a single campus and sharing our ethos. The Chinese are very interested in our pastoral care and extracurricular activities,” said Mr Halls.

He has visited the country five times since the partnership was first discussed three years ago.

“The Chinese have been welcoming; they are very keen to make their school as good as it can be. They are a very competitive country and they like that King’s is the Sunday Times British Independent Secondary School of the Year in 2014-15 and very strong academically.

“They are very open-minded and like the best of what the British system has to offer in terms of a happy school community. The children are very keen, articulate and impressive young men and women and there’s no doubt that education is taken very seriously there.”

Two more schools are in the pipeline. One will be built in Hangzhou, an ancient city around 110 miles south of Shanghai, and the other in an as-yet-undisclosed location.

King’s College School takes boys aged 7-18 and girls aged 16-18. Founded by Royal Charter in 1829, it has more than 1,200 pupils. Mandarin Chinese is taught there from GCSE up to International Baccalaureate level, and a significant number of Chinese pupils are on the school roll.

It is just one in a long line of renowned British schools to open branches overseas.

Source: Daily Telegraph.

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