When you consider that Malvern College UK was founded in 1865, it’s easy to imagine the rich history, strong traditions and impressive legacy that come with such an established institute of education. Malvern’s academic rigour, scientific heritage and the pursuit of holistic education, has given it an enviable reputation for being one of the most established IB schools in the UK.
The founders of Malvern College Hong Kong drew upon this heritage as well as the ethos of Malvern College UK when creating the campuses in Hong Kong. Playtimes had the opportunity to speak with the founders of Malvern Hong Kong to gain a better understanding of what’s known as Malvern DNA, their Five Centres of Excellence as well as a recent expansion of the Malvern family of schools.
About Malvern College Hong Kong
Malvern College Hong Kong (MCHK) operates in authentic partnership with its parent school, Malvern College UK, and takes pride in delivering the same quality education. Opening its doors in 2018, MCHK intends to provide around 1,200 places for both Primary and Secondary pupils. In 2017, Malvern College Hong Kong Pre-School started with a new campus added in 2019. The pre-school features one of the first Forest-Beach-School programmes in Hong Kong, managed by Level 3 certified Forest School leaders.
Nature, the Environment and Entrepreneurial Thinking at Malvern
The environment in which we live has an impact on business, economics and our general existence. In the wise words of Mrs Jacqueline McNalty, “Children connected to nature care for nature now and in the future”.
Through its unique outdoor Forest-Beach-School environment, pre-school aged children learn with the Entrepreneurial approach in mind. They learn and care about world problems like pollution and come up with ideas, goals and actions in innovative solutions and value-added ways of handling such issues. Children are encouraged to take risks in adding to the ideas, play a part on a team and this enhances their well-being and learning capabilities simultaneously.
Why Choose Malvern College Hong Kong
While each Malvern campus has its own unique identity, all Malvern schools share the same DNA and have an ethos built around our ‘Five Centres of Excellence’, namely, British-style pastoral care; Enhanced Learning; Entrepreneurial Education; Outdoor and Environmental Education and a Global Network. Of the five, Entrepreneurial Education is considered to be the most valuable due to the ability of this type of thinking to equip students with the skills necessary to become responsible leaders of tomorrow.
Pastoral care is another important aspect of the Malvern system and is at the crux of students’ mental health and stability, which “once established allows for academics to flourish”, says Dr. Lister. The students in MCHK are in excellent hands as Dr. Lister was previously Senior Deputy Head at Malvern UK. He is acutely aware of how keen his students at MCHK are to learn and mentioned that he has to be careful to keep them from working too hard at the expense of their mental health. He emphasised, “pastoral care is at the heart of a good education”.
Learn more: Malvern College Pre-School
What’s New at Malvern College
With a recent expansion, Malvern College Switzerland will be added to the Malvern network of schools in September 2021 in the Alpine town of Leysin. The new Swiss campus will offer places for a maximum 150 students, with entry in Year 10 or Year 12 and additional options for students seeking a pre IGCSE course in Year 9 or a pre-A level course in Year 11. The campus’s picturesque location, at the east end of Lake Geneva, will offer year-round mountain sports and recreational facilities together with the exceptional education for which the Malvern family of schools is renowned throughout the world.
Additionally, Malvern College UK will open a new dedicated boarding house in the coming academic year, “Malvern College International Academy”, for Malvern pupils around the world. The new academy will provide Malvern students from any of the other campuses the opportunity for a short-term, fully immersed, boarding experience for up to one term in length.
According to Ms Jacqueline So, “These two new additions to the Malvern Family are a further realisation of our concept of a global campus. They allow us to significantly broaden the positive experiences gained from multi-cultural, shared learning, for both our pupils and our staff. This multi-cultural capability with an international outlook, is critical in supporting our pupils to become responsible leaders, able to cope with the constantly evolving environment of their future.”
More about Malvern College
Malvern College Hong Kong first opened its doors in August 2018. Adjacent to the scenic Tolo Harbour, its seven-storey state-of-the-art campus is designed specifically with the college’s culture, ethos and philosophy in mind. Its 26,000 square-metre campus houses the primary and secondary school including academic, sporting and recreational spaces, incorporating the latest innovation and technology in teaching, learning and environmental sustainability.
This post was sponsored by Malvern College and was first featured in the Spring Edition of Playtimes 2021
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