Taking over from current principal Dr John Kennard, Peter will lead the school as it begins its fourth year. He joins the school from Dipont, where he has served as Director of Education since 2019. He will continue to maintain oversight of Dipont’s Education Team.

Peter is a leader with a passion for educational reform. Over the past 40 years, he has led several schools in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, Dubai, and other countries, to become leading local and even global educational institutions.

Dipont: Congratulations on your appointment Peter. What attracted you to join NKCS?

Peter: I must congratulate the leaders and all the staff and students and parents because what they’ve done in establishing this school is simply miraculous. Everybody just does such an amazing job. Founding a new school is difficult and it’s made more complex because NKCS is a bilingual school with a mixture of cultures. Not to mention the challenges that covid has brought to school life.

I have huge respect for everybody and my view is that NKCS will continue to grow to be one of the best schools in China.

So why would I not want to join such a great school? I love being a principal and being involved in schools and school communities. I just couldn’t resist this opportunity! Dr John leaves big shoes to fill, he’s done a great job but I’ll follow and do my best!

I am so excited about working together with the community. Whenever I’ve visited in the past, I’ve always felt incredibly welcome – all that attracted me to this position.

D: What are your ambitions for NKCS?

P: We are hoping to be the best school in China with a dynamic learning community that nurtures and inspires everyone to be the best they can be. We aspire to create a community where we’re learning and following our passions. Children who study with us will be confident and able to communicate and speak confidently.

If, as a school, we can help students to become lifelong learners, they will go on to achieve their goals. We need to nurture and inspire students to take responsibility for their own learning journey, to be collaborative and creative and take those skills beyond school. We need to teach them that you continually grow throughout your whole life.

D: As a school offering A-level and IBDP courses, what are your expectations and goals for NKCS in this new phase?

P: What I would be very keen to see in this school is that children have life experiences as well as academic experiences. So if students do A-levels, they also need to have other experiences in their curriculum to give a well-rounded approach to their growth. We need to provide care and counseling to help them deal with the pressure and stress that they’re under and we need to support parents so that they know how to support their children during these important years.

With the international baccalaureate, there is a broader experience and it forces you to take subjects outside of your favorites. It makes you think about knowledge, where it’s come from, and how what you’re doing fits into it. But it’s difficult because the academic challenge is very, very high, and there’s not a lot of space for other things. So, we will have to be very creative with the timetable and the balance of subjects and skills in order for children to be healthy in mind and body.

I would also hope that all children, whether they do A-level or IB, will have a community, action and service aspect to their lives to develop good habits and commitment.

D: What would you most like to say to NKCS students and parents?

P: If I only had one word, it would be “congratulations” because I’m coming to a school that is so well established and has already achieved great things. But it has also potential to grow and develop and be even better. And I think ‘Aspiring to Excellence’ is exactly the right approach.

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

The post New executive principal for Nanwai King’s appeared first on Dipont Education.

The accreditation, which is awarded by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), means that Nanwai King’s joins the ranks of IB World Schools and is authorized to deliver the full IB Diploma Program.

The IBDP is an academically challenging two-year pre-university program for students in Grades 11 and 12. It is one of the most influential international education programs in the world and develops students intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically.

Students at NKCS will begin studying a bilingual Chinese and English version of the prestigious program from the start of the 2021 academic year. After earning the full diploma, they will be eligible to apply to the best international colleges and universities. The IBDP will be offered alongside the current A-level curriculum in the school’s international curriculum center.

High-quality teaching

Not only does the IBDP accreditation mean that senior NKCS students can gain another internationally recognized pre-university qualification, it also demonstrates the quality of teaching at Nanwai King’s.

“It can take a number of years for a school that hasn’t offered IB programs before to gain accreditation,” explains Dr John Kennard, executive principal of NKCS. “The fact we have gained the accreditation in just our second year of operation is remarkable. It’s testament to the experience and commitment of all staff involved in planning for and delivering the IBDP at Nanwai King’s.”

Staff at NKCS spent two years achieving the accreditation. The accreditation process has a number of stages that include preparing and submitting extensive documentation and hosting a visit to the school by the IBO. IB candidate schools must demonstrate that they can ensure the quality of the IB Diploma program offered.

The IBO ensures academic quality for all of its programs via a strict quality control system. IB authorization is not granted indefinitely – all IB schools are supervised by the IBO with Diploma programs needing to pass an evaluation and review process every five years. This ensures schools offering the IBDP maintain the IBO’s high standards and retain their authorization status.

Now that NKCS has achieved IB World School status, it will benefit from a variety of teaching resources and support from the IBO. This includes being able to participate in world-wide teaching forums, and communicating and sharing information/resources with other IB institutions around the world.

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

The post Nanwai King’s gains IBDP accreditation appeared first on Dipont Education.

William Thomson, Marketing and Admissions Officer, tell us about how the school’s learning goes beyond the curriculum to produce happy, well-rounded young adults:

“Every one of the students at King’s College Hangzhou completes a wide range of sporting, creative, academic and service co-curricular activities (CCA), four days a week. On top of this, they have clubs at lunchtimes and after school that lead to competitions and tournaments against other schools. This is one of the ways in which we produce happy, well-rounded young adults who, when they leave us, are ready for higher education and the wider world.

“The co-curricular program at King’s College School Hangzhou is one of the main ways in which we bring our pupils together in one community. The huge range of activities and inter-house events creates an inclusive culture, allowing pupils to make friends, form relationships that help them feel secure within their school, take risks, and face new challenges.

These attributes are essential in our pupils becoming curious explorers and innovators, able to tackle problems in new, creative ways, and to succeed in their lives. Sport is one of the key aspects of our co-curricular program as we believe it plays a vital role in the development of our students.

“As we approach the exam season, sport can be a hugely beneficial tool to relieve stress, particularly for our older students. Whilst Mark Culverhouse, our Director of Sport, always strives to provide excellent training sessions for our elite-level athletes, his primary objective is to provide opportunities for all students, irrespective of age and ability. Staff in our physical education department are therefore delighted about the number of clubs, sessions and fixtures we have been able to run for our students this semester.

“Perhaps a highlight of the semester thus far has been the visit of James Goddard, the decorated British Olympic swimmer. After he spoke to our students about how he became a world-class swimmer (and showed off his Commonwealth Games Gold medals!), he led our Grade 5 International and Bilingual School students in a backstroke masterclass. Following this, he was able to provide valuable advice to our elite-level Grade 7 and 10 swimmers during their CCA session. Our students thoroughly enjoyed James’ classes and were inspired to continue their hard work in the pool.

“Another sports highlight of semester two has been the number of fixtures we have played against other schools in both Hangzhou and Shanghai. Our International School students have played in both the U11 and U13 football teams while the dance squad proved victorious at the Shanghai Schools Sports Association Dance Festival.

“In a short time, we have established a culture in which everyone feels able to try their hardest, and enjoy sport and co-curricular activities. In the next few years, our programs will grow as we add more options for students and push them to find success in many different ways. If you would like to find out more please do not hesitate to get in touch and visit our beautiful campus.”

If you’re a teacher or education professional, visit the school website for information on available vacancies.

The post Learning beyond the curriculum appeared first on Dipont Education.

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.

The post Dipont to open new independent school in Changzhou appeared first on Dipont Education.

The occasion was marked by two formal ceremonies, one at each campus. The events brought together the school partners, including the UK’s King’s College School, Wimbledon, leaders at the new schools and representatives of local government.

The new schools, RDFZ King’s College School Hangzhou and Nanwai King’s College School Wuxi, have been founded through partnership between Dipont and King’s College School. Chinese school partners are The High School Affiliated to Renmin University and Nanjing Foreign Languages School respectively.

The formal openings of the two schools mark Dipont Education’s crossover from education management group to education provider. The company is focused on exploring new models for the integration of Chinese and international education. The schools’ curriculum models set a precedent for the management of new schools in China, with government, Chinese and British schools, private education providers working together to develop new institutions.

Nearly 1,500 new students and 400 Chinese and international staff joined the two schools at the start of the school year in early September.

RDFZ King’s College School Hangzhou

RDFZ King’s College School Hangzhou held its opening ceremony on Sept. 18 at its campus in the Yuhang district of Hangzhou. Bruce Thompson, executive principal of the school, welcomed students and guests on behalf of the school and introduced the school’s concept, characteristics and vision.

Two student representatives, Yiteng Xu and Jiayi He, gave a speech in both Chinese and English, calling RDFZ King’s College School Hangzhou their “ideal school”. They thanked the school for the excellent resources provided to each student and said they were proud to be among the first students admitted.

Hailing Wang, Honorary Principal at the school, thanked the various partners for their contributions and encouraged the new students to “work hard, broaden your horizons, develop your character and cultivate your inquiring, independent and critical thinking skills.”

Andrew Halls, Headmaster at King’s College School in the UK, traveled specially to China to attend the opening ceremonies. In his speech, he spoke of his confidence and hope in the future development of the schools, adding that King’s 200-year history and special characteristics were incorporated in the schools’ curricula.

Mr. Halls also spoke highly of Dipont: “From our first meeting in 2014, everyone from Dipont was very welcoming, open and trusting and there was a genuine interest in finding out what makes the education at King’s so unique. This wonderful new school would not have been possible without the vision of one man. Benson’s [Zhang, Dipont CEO] drive to provide a different form of education for students has been fundamental to this project.”

Other speakers at the ceremony included Lianming Yang, Deputy Principal at RDFZ United Schools, Tony Clemson, Deputy Consul General in Shanghai, and Jianhua Zhou, Deputy District Head, Yuhang District Government, who all spoke highly of the school’s establishment (pictured above, left to right).

Representatives from government went on a tour of the school.

Nanwai King’s College School Wuxi

The morning of Sept. 19 saw the opening ceremony for Nanwai King’s College School Wuxi, where guests wrote messages of congratulations on a giant poster board.

Executive principal Craig Monaghan gave a brief introduction to the school, saying that staff were committed to working with families and the local community to provide high-quality academic courses, rich extracurricular activities and a robust student care system in order to support student growth and all-round development.

The school’s other principals, Moade Shen and Zhengjing Dong, both spoke of their earnest anticipation of the start of the new school year. As key figures in the school’s partnership, Andrew Halls, and Zou Zheng, Principal of Nanjing Foreign Languages School, expressed their keen support for the school (pictured above, clockwise from top left).

Finally, representatives from local government, including Xia Liu (above, right), Wuxi Vice Mayor, expressed their delight in the new school. Yang Jianping, from the Management Committee of the Economic Development District in Wuxi, added that the school was a significant step in developing international education in Wuxi: “In recent years, a batch of high-end education institutions…have been constructed and opened in our district. Today the latest one joins their ranks, one that is bound to integrate the best of western and eastern education…It is safe to say that, with the backing of [its two partner] schools, Nanwai King’s College School Wuxi is set to grow exponentially and bear wonderful fruit,” he said.

During the ceremony, several students gave wonderful musical performances, while the event came to a close with the unveiling of a ceremonial plague, marking the significant date.

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

The post New Sino-British Dipont schools officially opened appeared first on Dipont Education.

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.

The post Dipont Education’s partnership with King’s in the spotlight appeared first on Dipont Education.