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Year 13 pupil, Morgan Jack, explains why the Sixth Form (Years 12-13) at Harrow Hong Kong provides the perfect preparation for university and life beyond.
1. Excellence
We all want to achieve the very best of our potential and give ourselves choices in life.
At Harrow Hong Kong, the A-level grades are outstanding, with 30% of results in 2018 being A*, 61% at A*-A and 83% at A*-B. This track record, along with the School’s focus on leadership and an all-round experience for its pupils, means we have a choice of top universities around the world, with alumni at Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Columbia, Toronto, HKU and beyond.
2. Diversity
Harrow Hong Kong is an inclusive environment where everyone can learn about a variety of nationalities and cultures amid the vibrancy of Hong Kong. The diverse staff and pupil body means the School embraces a range of perspectives.
We recognise a myriad of festivals from around the world, as well as local ones, so pupils can experience all customs and traditions.
3. A unique blend of traditional and modern
Although Harrow Hong Kong has itself only been open for six years, the connection to Harrow School in the UK, with its rich 450-year heritage, means it has an amazing combination of well-preserved history and traditions whilst also developing and utilising the modern student voice. Among the key traditions we have inherited from Harrow UK include the House system, aspects of the uniform, and Speech Day and the Bill, where on the final day pupils tip their hats to the Head and say ‘Here Ma’am’ during the final ceremonial roll call of the School year.
Another key tradition is the Long Ducker, which emulates the 16km charitable run the boys undertake in the UK. At Harrow Hong Kong, we utilise the stunning natural environment of the Maclehose Trail to recreate the distance, which ends with an array of food, charity stalls and games within the School grounds and brings together the entire School community.
To keep a continuation of this connection there are trips where all the schools in the Harrow family come together. The pinnacle of this is the Harrow Fifth Form Leadership Conference, where selected Year 11 pupils travel to Harrow UK to hear from a range of engaging and inspiring speakers. The pupils are also put into teams with others from Harrow UK, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai and John Lyons schools to complete a community project that they then present to the entire conference.
4. A caring community
The teaching staff genuinely care and are willing to go above and beyond what is expected of their job as they genuinely form connections with their pupils and know them as individuals. The House system provides an added layer of pastoral care, and both House Master or House Mistresses as well as tutors are always accessible to discuss anything. Harrow Hong Kong’s unique weekly boarding option allows even stronger connection to form between the pupils and staff, allowing students to prosper and grow both personally and academically.
The School also has its own Counsellor and Psychologist to help underline positive mental health and wellbeing practices of the pupils.
5. Sixth Form-specific support
This year Harrow Hong Kong has opened a Sixth Form only zone – proudly named the ‘Hawking Sixth Form Centre’ – providing a bespoke place for older pupils to study and collaborate. The Sixth Form also has a new uniform to provide the older pupils with more recognition and help mark that transition into adulthood and the beginnings of our professional lives. The ultimate honour is the fact that Year 13 pupils can apply to be Prefects and become ambassadors for the School in a range of roles.
As well as numerous social activities, there is also an academic family programme between the Year 12 and 13s in order to really create a nurturing community within the Sixth Form. Once you hit Sixth Form, academically you have specific tutors and advisors for universities, including specific separate advisors for both Oxbridge and US university applications.
6. Beyond the books
Harrow Hong Kong gives its pupils the option to try out many unique activities and really find their passions through its Super-Curriculum and Co-Curricular programme. Within sports, the School has high performing teams in football, rugby, volleyball, netball, tennis and swimming. Pupils can take up a sport for purely the social and fitness aspect, or they can engage competitively within the teams and Harrow offers athletic scholarships to those who excel.
Every term there is at least one Drama performance and ensembles concert. Drama has productions specifically for Prep School pupils or Senior pupils, as well as those that are open to all pupils, as this allows a strong bond to form within the cast as well as opportunities for different year groups to take a lead. The Music department has a range of ensembles including guitar ensembles, jazz orchestra, choirs and a pop orchestra.
The charitable aspect of Harrow’s Super-Curriculum programme is immense as we nominate dedicated House charities and have pupils volunteering in the Kids4Kids reading programme, Crossroads and Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centre. Finally, Harrow hosts a myriad of academic societies including Law, History, Psychology, human rights, Physics, debating, and engineering as well as many more.
7. The stunning campus
The quality and range of facilities at Harrow Hong Kong has to be noted, especially with a whole new phase that has just opened resulting in the School having exceptional sports, Drama, Music and boarding facilities. Sports facilities include an expansive state-of-the-art astro pitch, outdoor netball and tennis courts, and 25m indoor swimming pool and an indoor sports hall that can accommodate basketball, badminton and volleyball as well as a gym with extensive fitness training equipment. The Music department has specific practice rooms for extra instrument-specific lessons as well as for pupils to book out if they want to practice out of hours.
With the new building Harrow has further added outstanding modern facilities, such as a drama black box, an additional dining room and spacious classrooms.
The campus being located on the Gold Coast means we have access to Gold Coast beaches for sports training sessions and House socials, as well as direct access to the charity Crossroads which we have weekly volunteers at.
8. The unparalleled School spirit
Every motto and school vision statement Harrow has is truly reflected in the amazing community we have created. It’s an environment of compassion, pride and unity. The School very proudly extends this community to involve parents and other family members to ensure they feel connected to the pupil’s education as well, for example, through our Celebration of Learning days where we open the doors for parents to experience taster lessons along with their children.
Overall, Harrow Hong Kong is a school where every pupil, regardless of interests, nationality or background, will find a place to thrive.
Harrow International School Hong Kong Sixth Form
The opportunities are endless