Creating Future Leaders and Innovators in Hong Kong

Stamford American School opened in Hong Kong providing high quality, innovation-focused education with an eye to the future

In September 2017, Stamford American School opened in Ho Man Tin, one of the well-established school networks in the city. A member of the Cognita School group which has 68 international schools around the world, the school offers an inquiry-driven curriculum to students from pre-primary to grade 7, and will eventually grow into a through-train school up to grade 12.

Malcolm Kay, Superintendent, said that while the school has been operating in Singapore for eight years, they saw a rising demand for high quality education in Hong Kong, and want to bring its successful model to the city.

“We have operated in places where overseas companies are incredibly important as they attract along many expatriate employees,” Kay said, “Hong Kong is a major inward investment hub, which also brings in families who want quality and premium education. It is a natural place for us to be in.”

With its vision to develop future leaders with innovative minds, the school is devoted to providing forward-thinking education programmes that focus on children’s growth. The programmes are also combined with strong core standards to ensure the math and literacy skills are developed to a high standard while students create innovative ideas.

“Our teaching is based on what we know children would need in the future,” Kay remarked, “we want every child to achieve more than they believe.”

The school’s STEMinn programmes (science, technology, innovation and math) concentrate on problem-solving skills and innovation which, the school believes, are essential for future leaders that will thrive in this global marketplace. This programme is woven into the curriculum and therefore is a focus of multiple periods a week. Dedicated class sessions in the STEMinn lab focus on critical thinking and building ideas for real-world application, from coding to solving social problems through technology.

“Our goal is to change the dialogue of education, to get people to start question what quality education looks like, and what suits children best in terms of the future,” Kay added.

In its first year of operation, the school now has some 350 students and plans to grow steadily every year. It is expected to reach its full capacity of 1,000 in four years. In addition to the current 72 academic and administrative staff, the school also plans to steadily expand the team as they receive more students.

Stamford American School was connected with InvestHK before its setup in Hong Kong. Kay said that the department has provided helpful support for their preparation work. “InvestHK is a key agency in helping us understand the environment here before we set up. It’s so important to have their assistance,” Kay remarked, “they are also key to bringing in foreign investors together with their families, whom we want to provide education for.”