{"id":9714,"date":"2019-12-03T15:39:47","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T15:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dipont.com\/?p=9714"},"modified":"2022-03-03T10:30:36","modified_gmt":"2022-03-03T10:30:36","slug":"dipont-education-independent-schools-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dipont.com\/2019\/12\/03\/dipont-education-independent-schools-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Two schools, one year in: a journey of evolution"},"content":{"rendered":"
Dipont Education opened its first two independent schools, RDFZ King\u2019s College School Hangzhou<\/a> and Nanwai King\u2019s College School Wuxi<\/a>, in September 2018. Since then, both have gone from strength to strength.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

<\/p>\n

Jeff Zhu, vice president at Dipont, responsible for the development of the schools, looks back over the first year and where the schools will go from here.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dipont: Where are the schools now, in comparison to when they opened last year?<\/h5>\n

Jeff: When the schools opened in September 2018, they each had around 800 pupils. Now, in their second academic year, they have increased their enrolment figures to around 1,300 pupils each. This is remarkable because when we opened we weren\u2019t sure whether parents in smaller cities like Hangzhou and Wuxi would respond to our hybrid model of internationalized education – there simply hadn\u2019t been any schools like ours operating in those cities. Parents have been really enthusiastic about our educational approach and enrolment figures look healthy for next academic year too.<\/p>\n

\"Students<\/p>\n

D: But the success of a school isn\u2019t solely measured on enrolment figures, is it?<\/h5>\n

J: No, absolutely not. What\u2019s been really heartening to hear is how our schools are having a transformative effect on pupils. Our model is very student-centered and responsive. We\u2019re aiming to create a challenging – but supportive – environment. We\u2019ve a lot of students who have transferred from other schools and many of their parents have told us that their child used to have to be dragged to school but that they now can\u2019t wait to get to school because they enjoy it so much. That\u2019s so encouraging to hear. We\u2019ve heard the schools referred to as \u2018smiling campuses\u2019 because everyone, from pupils to teachers to visiting parents, is happy and enjoying their time there.<\/p>\n

D: How do you plan to evaluate the schools\u2019 ongoing success?<\/h5>\n

J: As well as ensuring that we\u2019re creating nurturing, respectful and happy environments for everyone in our school community, ultimately success will be measured on where our pupils go after they graduate from us. We need to wait a few years before they are taking A-levels (and eventually the I.B.) but we\u2019re hoping that by the time they are, having gone through our immersive bilingual system, that their English levels will be high or near-native. We would hope that they\u2019ll achieve results that are on a par with pupils studying at the very best schools internationally. These results will enable them to study at the very best higher education institutions around the world.<\/p>\n

\"School<\/h5>\n
D: What have been some of the challenges of the past year or so?<\/h5>\n

J: Language is an ongoing challenge – we\u2019re trying to create an immersive bilingual environment, not just a Chinese school with some English classes added on. We\u2019re teaching subjects and lessons in a mix of both Chinese and English. Obviously, Chinese is the first language of the vast majority of our pupils, so we need to ensure that they are learning what they need to while taking into account the difficulties of studying in another language. Some parents have expressed concern that their children are picking up subject content at a slower pace, especially in comparison to pupils studying in an all-Chinese environment, so we need to make sure we\u2019re doing all we can to support students in their language learning. This includes increased English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction and adapting our curriculum model to reflect students\u2019 learning pace. But, it\u2019s early days yet and research shows that pupils in dual-language immersion programs<\/a> can actually outperform peers who only study in one language. Our students will pick up their pace dramatically in the coming years and be extremely adept at working in the two languages – skills that will stand them in very good stead in the future.<\/p>\n

D: How important is it that parents are supportive of what the schools are trying to do?<\/h5>\n

J: It\u2019s absolutely crucial. By sending their children to our schools, parents are indicating that they\u2019re supportive of our model. Indeed, many say that they love our vibrant, diverse and bilingual campus cultures. But, of course, we\u2019re doing something very different and at times parents might struggle with that process, especially as it involves their children\u2019s education. As we progress, working more closely with parents to explain what\u2019s happening and to ensure their buy-in is going to be really important.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

D: What\u2019s next for the schools?<\/h5>\n

J: Well, there\u2019s really such a lot still to do, it\u2019s a journey of evolution for everyone involved. We\u2019ll keep reacting and responding to challenges and opportunities as we move into a new phase of development, after our crucial first year. Each of the schools will continue to develop their own cultures and identities, staff will become more settled and experienced, and students more comfortable in the learning approach. We\u2019ll continue to expand our provision and open up grade levels. Away from Hangzhou and Wuxi, we\u2019re in the process of opening new schools in partnership with King\u2019s College School, Wimbledon<\/a>, in Chengdu and Changzhou<\/a>. In addition, we\u2019re well on our way to opening Shanghai Huaer College School Kunshan, which combines Chinese and American education. The demand for internationalized education in China is huge, we\u2019re really just scratching the surface. There\u2019s plenty to keep us busy for the next few years!<\/p>\n

Please note that since January 2022, Shanghai Huaer Collegiate School Kunshan has been known as Dipont Huayao Collegiate School Kunshan.<\/em><\/p>\n

Are you a teacher or education professional? Check out\u00a0our vacancies page<\/a>\u00a0for the latest teaching jobs in China.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dipont Education opened its first two independent schools, RDFZ King\u2019s College School Hangzhou and Nanwai King\u2019s College School Wuxi, in September 2018. 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