HIK SVS Preparatory School International School Excellence in Education

HIK SVS Preparatory School International School excellence in education www.hik.cn

HIK SVS Welcome to HIK SVS International School, Tianjin

A warm welcome to an inspiring journey! Set in the heart of Tianjin, the HIK SVS International School is a new English speaking, 7-12 years domestic and international primary school in a single co-educational setting, a unique collaboration between Hopeland International Kindergarten and Sutton Valence School in the UK. It is the very first stand-alone primary school licensed by a UK independent preparatory school in China. Sutton Valence School is a historic and ancient foundation, one of England’s leading schools, and currently in the top 2% of all independent schools in the UK for adding the most academic value to pupils’ attainment. The ethos and curriculum at HIK SVS International School are founded on Sutton Valence School’s Total Curriculum and four Journeys - Academic, Enrichment, Leadership and Service, and Community.

Each pupil in HIK SVS International School will set out on a unique educational journey; a journey fuelled by self-confidence, hard work and high academic standards. We welcome a broad cohort of students, and we are proud of our capacity to identify and develop the skills and talents of each of our students, supporting and challenging them to outperform their expectations. The School will have outstanding facilities, giving the pupils the opportunity to enjoy many enrichment activities, with sport, drama, music, dance, the arts, outdoor pursuits and leadership challenges all part of day-to-day life. Individual educational journeys are all part of our Total Curriculum that adds so much to the character and health, both physical and spiritual, of our pupils.

I am delighted that Sutton Valence School is known today for the quality of its education both nationally and internationally. I am committed to sharing this educational quality more widely. This is a milestone project to import the very best of British Education to Tianjin, and for our historic School it is a step into an exciting new global future. We look forward to welcoming you to HIK SVS International School.

Bruce Grindlay, Headmaster, Sutton Valence School HIK SVS International School’s Mission

To provide students with the highest quality educational experience grounded in the Sutton Valence ethos of the four Journeys (Community, Academic, Enrichment, and Leadership and Service), combined with HIK’s ethos of Excellence in Education, enabling every student to achieve the highest levels of personal attainment socially, academically, culturally, and in motivation and confidence, thereby preparing them to be well- informed, balanced and responsible global citizens.

Welcome from the Chairman of HIK Group

I am delighted to welcome you to our School. We are very proud of the collaboration between Hopeland International and Sutton Valence School, one of the UK’s foremost educational institutions. I am passionate about the quality of education for all young people, and as a former parent of Sutton Valence School, I know first-hand the exceptional educational standards and expertise the School will bring to this project. We have very strong links with Sutton Valence School, both personal and professional, and the commitment of their Governors to a long-term agreement and partnership has launched this new School.

HIK SVS International School is a high-quality, leading establishment building on the excellence of the HIK Kindergartens established in Tianjin, providing a pathway for all students through the ages of 7-12 years. Our strategic plans for the future are to consider further collaboration with Sutton Valence School in developing a Senior School for the ages of 13-18 years, so that we can make provision, through our close partnership, for students from the ages of 3-18 years. Our aim is excellence – in the standards, curriculum, facilities and whole experience of the School, and in the progress all of our pupils make.

HIK SVS International School is a venture in which two foundations, two traditions, and two educational philosophies, with the common goal of excellence in delivering a holistic and academic education, are developed as one in a single school. The synergy and energy created by such a project make it very exciting. Please join us on our journey as an international leader in bringing these traditions together.

Fenglan Wang, Director, HIK Vision

Through membership of our community and the academic and enrichment opportunities it provides, we believe that all young people in our School will be enabled to fulfil their true potential. We want our pupils to be confident, civilised, tolerant and open-minded individuals who possess a love of learning and a strong set of moral values.

Our Mission is to provide:

• A caring, supportive and inclusive community for the education of children aged 7-12;

• A challenging, relevant and broad curriculum delivered in ways that allow all to achieve;

• An outstanding range of sporting, artistic, cultural and social activities, and opportunities so that children can develop skills such as self-discipline, commitment, leadership and teamwork;

• A safe, secure and stimulating environment which promotes excellence, independence and high standards whilst providing support to all who need it.

• A grounding in moral and spiritual understanding which will promote respect for others, along with self-respect.

Ethos

The ethos is one of high expectations, hard work and achievements; a community where each cares for all and individuality is cherished. Our Rich History

Sutton Valence School has been educating pupils since 1576. There is a strong royal connection running through the history of the School. William Lambe, Master of the Clothworkers’ Company of London who founded the School, was a pupil of the great English musician and composer Thomas Tallis, and is reputed to have sung at the celebrations at The Field of the Cloth of Gold for Henry VIII of England – a meeting of great pageantry and ceremony between Henry VIII and Francis I of France. The Clothworkers’ Company was founded through a series of Royal Charters and is one of the twelve great livery companies of London, the leading guilds or fraternities of the merchants of the capital city of England. Initially, the Fullers’ Company was founded by Edward V in 1480, and the Shearmen’s Company by Henry VII in 1508, and then they were amalgamated in 1528 to form the Clothworkers’ Company. The Company Coat of Arms was granted by royal warrant in 1530. William Lambe was ‘a gentleman of the Chapel Royal’ as a chorister – and music remains a rich part of our curriculum and history. The Company’s crest was granted by the Clarenceaux King of Arms in 1587.

Following a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1576, Sutton Valence School was founded by William Lambe to provide a good education for the boys of Sutton Valence village in Kent, ‘the Garden of England’, where he was born. It remained in the original School buildings (known as Lambe’s) until 1912 when it expanded into new buildings on a ridge overlooking the Weald of Kent. The traditions and history of the School are rich – customs and rituals established over the centuries still thrive. For example, the Headmaster still receives the annual rent of one English rose given by the village for use of the village green, and the Baton Race is still run, through the School’s grounds and playing fields.

Control of Sutton Valence School remained under the Clothworkers’ Company for centuries until 1910, when it was taken over by the United Westminster Schools Foundation. As a result, the School has very close ties with Westminster Abbey. The School has received royal visitors over the years, including a visit from Princess Alexandra in 1980 and students sing at the Abbey and other venues in London. By 1980 it had become a day and boarding school, for boys and girls, and it has grown to include Sutton Valence Preparatory School, with nearly 900 students altogether. HIK SVS Partnership

The collaboration between Sutton Valence School and HIK has been developed through a measured approach over the last two years, with HIK’s input led by Karl Yin, Fenglan Wang’s son and a former pupil of Sutton Valence School. We are therefore very confident that this is an exciting and well-thought-out, high-end educational development.

The School is a ground-breaking project, with a mix of students, and unique as the very first stand-alone English- speaking primary or preparatory school developed through a UK independent preparatory school branding and ethos in China. The longer-term vision for the School is to provide a continuity of education, to UK standards, up to the age of 18.

The brand of the new HIK SVS International School in Tianjin reflects ‘Excellence in Education’. The Hopeland Group was founded in 2001 by Fenglan Wang in Tianjin. HIK Group has been focused on providing exceptional quality private kindergarten services for the past 15 years in China, where it is now a premier brand in the sector, rated by industry research institutions, based on its facility standards, revenue and campus size. Hopeland International adheres to the philosophy of ‘Holistic Education, Happy Growth’, and continues to improve, research and evolve – working with Sutton Valence School is part of this exciting growth and search for excellence in academic, enrichment, leadership and community provision.

The HIK SVS Difference

• Bringing together the very best of the Western educational system with the very best of the Eastern educational system, so that our pupils really do learn how to acquire knowledge, but also to apply it creatively in problem-solving and lateral thinking;

• Combining pupils’ effort with excellent teaching to produce results that exceed expectations;

• International and Chinese pupils integrate across many activities but also divide for some academic subjects;

• Chinese-English and English-Chinese pupil exchanges and visits;

• Provision of first-class English tuition;

• An enrichment programme that offers a breadth of experience, growing essential skills for now and the future;

• A School which is big enough for diversity, small enough to care;

• Limitless opportunities for leadership, service, challenge and growth;

• A caring community which goes above and beyond in order to support one another;

• Balancing traditions with innovation: giving our students a sense of place and history. ‘Balancing traditions with innovation, giving our students a sense of place and history’ ‘Pupils will experience a wide variety of activities from Sport to Music, Art to Drama’ Our Journeys

At whichever point children join us they embark on their own journeys, each one different and each one with differing emphasis on the four areas we hold dear: Academic, Enrichment, Community and Leadership and Service. For each of our pupils, our ultimate destinations are the same: that they will work hard to fulfil their true potential and add value to their lives.

Academic We pride ourselves on providing outstanding learning opportunities for all children. Well-qualified, dedicated and experienced teaching staff deliver a vibrant, diverse and challenging curriculum, with favourable staffing ratios and superb facilities that enable the children to make outstanding academic progress.

Excellence is achieved through passion and perseverance and your child will be supported and challenged. Each child will be known well and staff are able to identify strengths and help your child use the confidence gained to strengthen their weaknesses. With state-of-the-art facilities, pupils have access to the best possible resources and the exciting and engaging curriculum will take students out of the classroom to extend and develop their understanding.

Passionate teaching delivered by our staff ensures our children develop and fulfil their potential in every aspect of their lives. Enrichment HIK SVS International has such an exceptional range of opportunities that every child is able to find their ‘thing’. Pupils will experience a wide variety of activities from Sport to Music, Art to Drama, and highly-varied clubs and societies including Forest School, community service and charity work.

The enrichment programme supports the academic curriculum and allows students to explore their own capacity and abilities, identifying talents and developing skills, promoting creativity, challenging their fear of failure, developing respect for others, acquiring resilience and teamwork and a breadth of experience and understanding. This is a crucial component of our commitment to success in all areas. Leadership and Service We are developing young leaders of the future, during their formative years. In a rapidly changing and dynamic world of global values, business and cultural exchange, where at least 50% of pupils will work for themselves and have multiple careers, transferable leadership skills are vital to support their success. The best leaders will be the best learners for life.

We are, therefore, firm believers in creating opportunities to enable children to develop the appropriate skills. These are embedded in our curriculum throughout the year groups. Indeed, by Year 8 our children will take on key positions of responsibility, such as prefect, sports captain, gardening monitor, charity representative or even take part in business and enterprise competitions. They are equipped for success as a result of being taught at every step of their school journey. Community The community is the backbone that supports school life. HIK SVS International is a family where each cares for all and individuality is cherished. Strong relationships are built between parents, pupils and teachers creating a strong supportive foundation on which the children feel confident to learn and grow as individuals.

There are four Houses, named after castles in Kent, which encompass pupils from every year group. Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for each other; older children for younger ones. Each House is a smaller family setting within the wider school community.

Through teamwork and play, children are taught the value of friends and family and learn good manners and respect for others, which will support them throughout their life.

We believe in building a strong relationship with parents and take a holistic approach to each child’s education, ensuring their emotional, physical and intellectual needs are fully met. The opportunities on offer at HIK SVS International are exceptional. We have high expectations of every pupil.

Please join us on this journey.