Kellett School Strategic Report 2023

DECEMBER 2023

FOREWORD FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD

Kellett is an exceptional school, achieving outstanding academic results, but to most Kellett parents, including myself, it is far more than that. It is a supportive community where wellbeing is prioritised and our differences are celebrated. Indeed, it is this that I believe enables the students to reach the exceptional heights they do year after year.

Beyond that, the School places huge importance on learning, developing skills and enjoying learning alongside traditional academics. Sport, Expressive Arts and Innovation, are huge strengths of the school, and as with academics, excellence is expected, but it is not the primary goal. The goal is participation, learning new skills together and having fun.

Wellbeing and these areas of strength are deliberately chosen, and invested in, to achieve the school’s aim of engendering a love of learning and confidence for life. A love of learning so students can adapt and flex as the world around them changes, and a self-confidence to handle challenges that both they and the communities they inhabit will inevitably face.

This update showcases Kellett’s ingrained institutional drive to seek improvements to teaching and learning. It is a school that always goes beyond, which would not be possible without its exceptional staff and a highly committed parent body. Thank you to every member of our community who plays a role in making Kellett the School it is.

And just as Kellett goes beyond, I know our students will go beyond their time at the school to flourish and contribute to the world that awaits them.

Kind regards,

Silvia Pezzini Chairperson of the Board of Governors

INTRODUCTION

Our vision is clear and steadfast, and engrained in all that we do and strive for - we aim to instil a love of learning and confidence for life in our students by providing challenges, offering opportunities and entrusting responsibility.

Our experiences over Covid made us realise just how important the vision is. At times of stress and strain, it provides an anchor and a guide, a common purpose that shapes decision-making.

Significant periods of home learning undoubtedly impacted some of our students’ love of learning and their confidence levels, and as such, 202223 was a year of regeneration. We needed to go back to our core aim, and refocus our efforts to realise our vision.

As a not-for-profit, Kellett seeks constant progress and improvement, and we were careful to ensure Covid did not slow or impede these drivers.

Each year in this update we set out to check we have made good the commitments of the year before and our vision. It holds us accountable, creates a record of all we have achieved, and reminds us where we continue to strive for unrealised gains.

THE KELLETT LEARNER PROFILE FORMS THE BASIS OF KELLETT’S STRATEGIC AIMS

ACHIEVING PERSONAL EXCELLENCE

PREP CURRICULUM

The Prep curriculum has its foundation in the rigour and knowledge-based UK National Curriculum, but is adapted and extended to meet the level of challenge our students require to achieve personal excellence. Its strength lies in that flexibility: our subject leaders continuously review and update according to the needs of our cohort, working with teachers across both Prep School campuses and Senior to bring together expertise and support transition.

Our Science Subject Leads have worked alongside Senior colleagues to develop Science as a discrete subject from Year 4-6, which included staff training and the use of Senior lab technicians to help set up exciting and challenging new practical experiments. Within Mandarin, Prep staff have been working with Senior colleagues to develop the curriculum with the integration of rich Mandarin texts. This combined with our shift to slightly shorter but more frequent sessions, has had significant impact on student engagement and challenge. Digital Skills was introduced as a standalone subject in Years 4-6 so that our students are best prepared for new technologies at Senior and beyond. The ability to continuously reflect and adapt keeps our curriculum relevant and impactful for our students.

SENIOR CURRICULUM

The Senior School offers a curriculum built around the requirements of the rigorous British National Curriculum at Key Stage 3 and then a suite of demanding iGCSEs at Key Stage 4 followed by world renowned and highly regarded A Level qualifications in the Sixth Form, which are recognised as high quality entrance qualifications for the very best Universities in the World.

The subjects that are on offer are extensive and have remained stable over the past few years including the now established electives that are available in the Sixth form that include a Mini-MBA, Public Speaking and the Extended Project Qualification, and of course, innovation, Public Speaking and coding that were introduced at Key Stage 3. All year groups also undertake lessons in Positively Kellett that, along with the academic programme, ensure our students are ready for the demands they will face in the mid- 21 century.

Aspects of the curriculum are regularly reviewed to ensure that what we deliver and when we deliver it is age appropriate and relevant. During 2022-23 we adapted areas of our Positively Kellett programme in response to feedback from staff and students to include work around service and volunteering. Next year we plan to undertake a more widespread review of our curriculum to ensure that it remains the best that it can be.

Our curriculum, combined with quality first teaching has enabled our students to make exceptional progress, and for those graduating, to onboard at prestigious Universities worldwide.

KELLETT INSIGHTS

Across all Schools, business intelligence software has been utilised to create ‘Kellett Insights’ - an application for teachers to visualise and analyse academic and wellbeing data, allowing us to better identify and target individual students, as well as groups of students, who require additional support or challenge.

In parallel, work has been underway for some time to increase the detail and regularity of information shared with parents. Reports have been reviewed and enhanced, in Prep offering increased frequency and more teacher comments. In Senior, an adjustment of timing of reporting points, as well as the provision of more information, particularly on progress. In new parent-tutor sessions have been added in Senior and a new parent portal will be part of an effort to provide improved access and information for parents.

“Kellett Insights enables us to delve into the assessment and well-being data about students to help identify trends. This leads to rich discussions about what resources are required to support our cohorts across the school. It is a conduit for what makes Kellett an outstanding school: knowing our students inside-out, and using that information to help them achieve personal excellence.”

Sam Lehmann, Deputy Head of Pok Fu Lam

STUDENTS ATTENDING THE WORLD SCHOLARS CUP IN 2023

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Scholars’ programme was expanded with two new scholars joining the programme at KS4 so that we now have a cohort of four in each year for the GCSE years and three in each year for Year 7 to 9. The Scholars’ team won the Hong Kong round of the Ethics Olympiad and helped to train the Y6 KLB team, who also won.

Next year will be the first in which we have scholars in the Sixth Form and they will fall under the care of Mr Stacey and Mrs Wilson as part of the Oxbridge preparation programme. Discussions are ongoing with regards to expanding scholarships to cover subjects such as Sports, Music, Drama and Art, as well as extending to other year groups.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

An extension to the Harbour Dining Hall increased seating capacity at the KLB Campus enabling Prep students from Y1 up to enjoy lunch there. Meanwhile at PFL the former staff room has been converted into a flexible innovation space to spark creativity and ‘out the classroom’ thinking. In Senior a new learning space was created.

Thanks to a generous parent donation to K2, our curriculum enhancement fund, Reception at KLB Prep refurbished the indoor play area to provide a greener, more engaging space to play and learn, and PFL added a rooftop allotment to their learning spaces.

SPORT

Sport continues to go from strength to strength as we seek to become the premier school in Hong Kong and Asia for sports provision and performance.

Post-Covid we were quickly able to leverage the connections competitive sport facilitates. Matches between our two Prep Schools commenced first, then against other international schools as Covid restrictions gradually lifted, and by the end of the year we had teams competing in the FOBISIA Games in Thailand.

Our dedicated Heads of Sport, all experienced sports professionals themselves, oversee our major sports of football, rugby sevens, netball, basketball, and swimming, including the complementary cocurricular programme. In addition, we have a team of highly qualified and committed specialist coaches who provide instruction for games lessons across Years 3-13, resulting in a 12:1 ratio of students to specialist staff.

2022-23 saw an impressive 325 fixtures, with 75% of Year 7 students representing the school at some point in the year and 60% of Years 8-9. Students participated in two FOBISIA Games overseas and those on our Student Athlete Mentoring Programme (SAMP) heard from six specialist speakers on topics ranging from nutrition to pole vaulting.

“SAMP has taught me to be a better athlete. Sport is a lot more than just showing up on the pitch. I learned a lot more about the theory behind our games and about what goes into being an elite athlete.”

Awen, Y11 SAMP Student

Our diverse offering allows students in Years 10-13 to participate in our SportEX (sports & exercise) program and choose from a wide range of sports, including StrongFit, badminton, water polo, dance, boxercise, athletics and yoga.

EXPRESSIVE ARTS

Expressive Arts continues to be a strategic focus for the school. The Young Musician Programme is now well established developing our high-end performers and musicians, with many students enrolled and high attendance at workshops, concerts, and events. Media continued to support all major school events, with teams of students live-editing events with the department multicam technology, driving up the standards and quality of our video production.

Looking ahead, House Music is to be remodelled with a focus on house spirit, community, and student leadership, with a range of workshops and external performances to encourage students to explore alternative music.

The peripatetic programme is under review by the Director of Expressive Arts, considering the efficiency and efficacy of our systems, approaches, and resources. In addition, improvements are planned to our audio capabilities to raise the quality and capacity of live and recorded sound, including equipment and training, and our Composition Suite.

BEYOND KELLETT

We have hired a new counsellor to work with students on both university applications and careers. We now have two advisors, who will follow an American model, with both working on university applications and one specialising in careers and the other in Social and Emotional student concerns.

A guidance document has been produced to assist parents and students with Oxbridge entrance, and students applying to US universities receive assistance with SATS.

A LinkedIn Parents Group has been set up to enable the school to better connect and engage with parents in sectors of interest to students for talks, mentorship, internships and work experience.

OUR HIGHER EDUCATION & CAREERS GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR WORKING WITH OUR Y13 STUDENTS

INSTITUTIONAL EXCELLENCE

As an institution we also strive for excellence. Following a rigorous inspection in February 2023, involving inspectors touring all three schools, observing over one hundred lessons, meeting school leaders, teachers, students, parents and members of the governing Board, Kellett was awarded ‘outstanding’ across all categories, in all phases, assessed by British Schools Overseas (BSO).

“Kellett School is an outstanding school and provides an outstanding quality education for pupils”

BSO Inspection Report 2023

After intensive school-wide effort we were delighted to attain the ISO global standard of Data Protection, the first educational institution in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and China to be accredited. Moving forward we remain committed to data protection, maintaining our ISO standard status. And being proactive in implementing measures to safeguard our data, placing more emphasis on raising awareness on phishing email attacks alongside cyber security online safety training.

BUILDING TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

Having a broad curriculum is a hallmark of Kellett. Innovation, LAMDA, Coding, MiniMBA, Critical Perspectives, and Positively Kellett lessons continued, in addition, work began on development of a non-examined ‘GCSE’ on Sustainability, in part Innovation projects seeking to address the Sustainable Development Goals, and part Oceanography.

MINI-MBA

Our first cohort of 48 Sixth Form students completed the Mini-MBA using a flipped classroom model with weekly online sessions led by Leticia Ponce Hernández, Adjunct Professor of Strategy at IE University. Over the course of the 20 live lectures the students were mentored and reviewed in groups whilst also undertaking workshops on ideation, customers, validation, value proposition , business models , go to market strategies and final pitches.

TECHNOLOGY

In the Prep Schools, the 1:1 iPad programme has continued in Years 1-6 allowing convenient access during lessons, with devices managed by the school to ensure security and distribution of educational apps. Weekly Digital Skills lessons were introduced in Years 5 & 6, and this has since been expanded to include Year 4. Digital Citizenship (online safety) continues to be delivered through our Positively Kellett curriculum. The Prep Schools continue to support parents in navigating technology trends by offering events such as the Y5 Mobile Phone Discussion evening and webinars on safer use of technologies.

In Senior Y7 were provided with a new school managed device structure (iPad Pro), with great results. Students have been able to utilise the power of iPads across all their subjects, building upon skills developed in the Prep Schools.

The advent of generative AI is set to play a significant role in our digital future, and as such working parties are in place that are discussing, offering insights and considering structures as to how we will move forward with the technology.

INNOVATION

Innovation has become a hallmark of a Kellett curriculum and dedicated lessons, supported by an Innovation Technician, were expanded into Y9 and Years 5 & 6 in Prep. Now, Years 5–9 are benefitting from weekly lessons, carefully designed to facilitate teamwork, failing and refining, and building essential skills such as resilience and project management for the world of work. Y4 students will be introduced to aspects of innovation from Term 3 2023-24 through their humanities and topic in preparation for Year 5.

In Senior School students rotate between three projects, one per term, on challenges ranging from creating a roller coaster using simple tools, to building a synthesizer from circuit boards and electronic components, to prototyping novel methods of energy generation.

ECAs

In 2022-23, in response to the lack of co-curricular during Covid, we offered more clubs and societies than ever before, where sessions were as much about socialising as they were learning new skills. The diverse ECA line up included everything from Brass Band to Yoga for Prep students, and Robotics to Crochet at Senior.

Student wellbeing continues to be prioritised, informing our decision-making at every step.

Our approach incorporates two important aspects, pastoral care provided by teachers, tutors, counsellors and nurses, and dedicated Positively Kellett lessons to equip students with the tools to be able to handle the stresses and challenges of life.

CULTIVATING WELLBEING

PASTORAL

Senior School student wellbeing monitoring is in place via the Komodo platform once a fortnight. In response to our wellbeing surveys of students, we increased our number of school counsellors in 2022-23 from two to three. Senior also doubled tutor numbers to enable more 1:1s with students, with Tutors provided with training, along with two periods of protected time to undertake the role.

“It has been really noticeable since the beginning of Y9, how much more frequently I’m getting to see my tutor. It’s good because I can ask for help if I need to, and I know they are checking in on me, to see how I am and what’s bothering me. ”

Matthew,

Y10 Student

36 Senior students and 62 staff undertook mental first aid training. In addition, 12 peer mentors were trained under the guidance of our wellbeing team, and ten staff have been trained in Level 2 counselling skills.

Senior School switched to a democratic lottery for prefect roles resulting in a student leadership team that is diverse and truly representative. Alongside this, a regular ‘One Minute of Me’ podcast was introduced to allow students to share their passions in their own voice.

KELLETT WELLBEING TEAM

POSITIVELY KELLETT

In Prep Positively Kellett lessons moved to a new programme based on Jigsaw’s PSHE, designed to create thoughtful class discussion with meaningful activities. Weekly assemblies complement the Positively Kellett curriculum and a range of Feel Good Friday’s enhance different areas of the children’s development and broaden their understanding of the wider world. Moving forward there will be increased coverage of sustainability issues in Positively Kellett moving forward.

In Senior, the focus has been on developing our Positively Kellett Curriculum in line with the six domains of Positive Psychology. Lessons, taught weekly by our pastoral team, allow students to focus on fostering well-being and personal growth. The curriculum is flexible to meet the student’s current needs and is informed by trends we experience in school.

Positively Kellett lessons for the Sixth Form cover a range of topics including leadership, positive habits, preparation for university and life skills. We have also allocated time in the Critical Perspectives programme for the Year 13 students to have a series of workshops led by Heads of House of topics related to the transition to university.

WELLBEING OF STAFF

At Kellett we love learning and this extends to the development of our staff. A more cohesive approach to Continued Professional Development (CPD) has been introduced, with a Staff Development Group ensuring a whole school approach to enable staff to maximise continuous professional learning opportunities alongside completion of statutory and mandatory training.

Over the year three quarters of a million Hong Kong dollars were invested in staff development, on subjects as diverse as health coaching, mindfulness, perfectionism, swimming strength & conditioning, and Apple Learning coaching.

We also introduced an annual staff satisfaction survey, alongside termly ‘temperature’ (wellbeing) checks, and offer access to external counselling services where needed. Staff swimming, wellness workshops, yoga and gym sessions were, and continue, to be offered free of charge.

GLOBAL OUTLOOK WEEK

As travel restrictions eased up, 115 Year 6 students participated in a cultural and friendship-building trip to Japan. During their trip to Tokyo and Hakone, students explored temples and museums, visited an interactive art exhibition, learned the art of sushi-making, and participated in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. They also enjoyed the opportunity to participate in an assembly and meet students from The British School in Tokyo, returning with a deeper appreciation of different cultures and perspectives.

In Senior, in lieu of overseas GOW trips, students participated in activities linked to the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Year 7 enjoyed five days of teambuilding and adventure in ‘Rediscover Your City’, Year 8 had two days of adventure followed by a choice of baking, photography or sports. Older year groups could choose from PADI diving, mountain biking, community service with Sailability, an aviation simulator course, coral conservation, a Mandarin production of Hua Mulan, and much more. There truly was something for everyone.

SUSTAINABILITY

As a school we are conscious to ensure that education around climate change is both realistic and positive. We strive to ensure students understand they can contribute to the solutions, indeed we actively encourage them to develop their own solutions.

“We have sought to embed Kellett’s contribution to achieving and raising awareness of the SDGs into the fabric of the Senior School, from academic lessons to community service, fundraising and fun. Students are acutely aware that protection of the planet needs to high up on the agenda for their generation and it’s therefore important that they are educated on the issues and feel hope by exploring solutions”

Hayley Wilson, Deputy Head of Senior School

Efforts continue towards securing the first Green Flag accreditation for a Hong Kong school, led by the Senior Eco-School Committee. As part of the processs students have carried out curriculum audits, a food survey, and created an Eco School Code which is now visible in every Senior classroom.

REEFKEEPING SOCIETY

Like many coral reefs around the world, Hong Kong’s have suffered episodes of bleaching over recent decades. The Coral Conservation project began with a series of activities aimed at educating students on coral reef ecology and the threats they face globally and locally. To deepen the sense of connection, tanks were established and students tasked with learning about coral biology, microbiology, chemistry, and animal husbandry. Since the inception students have monitored the water chemistry and adjusted accordingly, to enable the introduction of more delicate coral species, with the ultimate aim of replanting the coral along Hong Kong’s shorelines.

“The Kellett Reefkeeping Society has been my favourite ECA this year, as it’s very unique: each week, we cultivate a living, breathing ecosystem and turn it into our own passion project, learning the basics of the nitrogen cycle, looking after marine life, and (of course) having fun! ”

Lorelei, Y11 Student

Taking sustainability education to the next level, Kellett has developed its own non-examined Sustainability course, composed of two components, Innovation and Oceanography, and centred around the SDGs, for Years 10 and 11. The Oceanography strand centres on coral conservation, and the loss of habitat and biodiversity to the Hong Kong marine eco-system. Students have their own tanks where they need to carefully balance the biodiversity to enable coral to thrive.

Y1 STUDENTS VISITING THE CORAL REEF TANK

KELLETT OUTREACH

In 2022 we were finally able to host, in partnership with Kellett Foundation Ltd, the long-delayed Kellett Outreach, providing Saturday lessons for approximately 100 children who otherwise wouldn’t have access to a Kellett education. Kellett staff give up their time at weekends to support Outreach and Senior students are given the opportunity to volunteer to assist. Students reported that volunteering helped grow their confidence and improved their wellbeing.

“I first joined Outreach to fulfil my service hours for HKAYP but had no clue what to expect but I ended up falling in love with it and forming some amazing friendships with the students. Now, I actually look forward to waking up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday. The environment is just so welcoming and it’s super easy to get involved and make a difference. It’s become a real highlight of my week. ”

Sophie, Y12 Student

ENTRANCE BURSARIES

We are committed to diversifying our student body and our perspectives. Our first ever Giving Day and the return of the Kellett Charity Ball meant that we were able to reinvigorate fundraising for the AMD Fund for bursaries to reach our goal of $26m by 2026. Our ever-generous community came together and we raised in excess of $5m. At the start of 2023 academic year we have seven bursary students in the School, who otherwise would not be able to attend Kellett.

CONCLUSION

Our vision of instilling in every student ‘a love of learning and confidence for life’ constantly drives our priorities and actions, and it was never more important than in our post-Covid bounce back year 2022-23. This Strategic Report evidences that drive, the resulting achievements and the School’s constant efforts to improve, striving for the best educational outcomes for each and every child. Collectively, with support from our parent body, we have bounced back higher than ever.

As a school, we commit to updating the parent body at regular intervals across the year and welcome feedback at any point via development@kellettschool.com or directly to the Board via board@kellettschool.com.