Hong Kong schools,
a world of opportunity
植根香江 機遇無限
Annual Report
2008-2009
Table of
contents
02 A message from our Chairman
16 Our students
03 A message from our Chief Executive
18 Education developments in ESF
04 Our vision
20 Developing alumni relations
05 Our mission and our values
21 Sport
06 Governance
22 Managing our infrastructure
08 A year of academic achievement
24 Our staff
10 Creativity, Action, Service
26 Our finances
12 Higher Education destinations 2009
28 ESF Educational Sevices Ltd (ESL)
14 The work of our Parent-Teacher
Associations
A message
from our
Chairman
I am pleased to introduce ESF’s Annual Report for 2008-09. In its pages you will find evidence of another splendid year
of achievement for our schools and for the whole organisation.
The year saw the establishment of our new Board of Governors, which met for the first time on 28 October 2008. The
Board comprises people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Eight are parents of children in ESF schools, including one
with a child in Jockey Club Sarah Roe Special School; ten independent members are drawn from the business world,
Higher Education, finance, the law and public service; three Chairmen of School Councils and four staff members,
including the first member of the support staff to have a place within our governing structure, complete the Board.
Despite such a variety of backgrounds, the group has come together well and we have taken some important decisions.
In the 2009-10 budget we made the difficult decision to freeze pay and fees, owing to the economic situation. We also
submitted a funding application to the Government for the major building project at Kowloon Junior School. Towards the
end of the year we moved our headquarters to Quarry Bay and established an expanded Sheung Wan Kindergarten
(soon to be called Hillside) on our previous Stubbs Road site. This also allowed our education team to work alongside us
and freed up valuable space at West Island School for IB accommodation and a new Learning Resource Centre. All of
these decisions were made within the framework of ESF’s Strategic Plan for 2009-12, which can be downloaded
from our website.
In addition to making these significant decisions, the Board has devoted a considerable amount of time to monitoring
the quality of education your children receive. We have received detailed analyses of primary school test results and of
performance at GCSE, IB and ESF Advanced Diploma level. One of our most pleasant tasks has been visiting the schools,
and I know I can speak for all my colleagues when I say how warmly we were received by the Principals and teachers
and how impressed we were by the teaching and learning we saw taking place in the classrooms. We were pleased to
see excellent results and to work with the professionals to identify areas for improvement.
It has been a good year for ESF and I am confident that the new Board has begun to add value to the work of the schools.
But you will find plenty of other examples in our latest report – from sporting activities to the valuable contribution of
Parent-Teacher Associations – of how many other constituencies all help to make a difference.
Felice Lieh Mak
Chairman
English Schools Foundation
02
A message
from our
Chief Executive
As we put the finishing touches to the 2008-09 Annual Report – the fifth since I became CEO of ESF – I feel an increasing
sense of pride in the achievements of our students, teachers, Principals and support staff. The schools and kindergartens
have had a terrific year.
The most conspicuous educational change this year has been that five ESF schools (including ESL-operated Renaissance
College) entered students for the IB Diploma for the first time and achieved excellent results that were well ahead of
world averages. Nearly 92% passed the Diploma, compared to a world average of 79% and 8.9% gained 40 points or
more out of a maximum of 45 (world average: 5.4%). Of the 690 students who passed the IB Diploma, 69 achieved a
Bilingual Diploma in languages ranging from Chinese to French. Students and staff alike worked incredibly hard to reach
this satisfying position, and I am grateful to them, to the Principals for their leadership, and most especially to Sha Tin
College, our long-standing IB Diploma school, which was so generous in sharing its expertise with us.
The kindergartens and primary schools have also made great progress this year. A good deal of time was spent in
planning the new kindergarten at Wu Kai Sha (which at the time of writing had already opened with 210 students on
roll). The other three kindergartens have remained heavily subscribed and have made substantial progress in modifying
their curriculum to prepare children better for primary school and the Primary Years Programme.
Three ESF primary schools are now fully authorised PYP schools, with all the others at different stages of the authorisation
process. We were delighted by the many positive commendations that the schools received.
The primary schools have made very good progress with the Chinese programme which ESF has facilitated for the past
two and a half years. It is a joy to see children enjoying Chinese in learning pathways that are matched to their interest
and ability. Great credit is due to our team of Putonghua teachers and Educational Assistants, whose hard work and
commitment are transforming our students’ experience of Chinese language.
All ESF schools are committed to an internationally respected self-evaluation process, accredited by the Council of
International Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. We see this process as a better way of
engaging stakeholders, including students, in assessing how well their school is doing, and as a much more constructive
approach to quality assurance than traditional inspections. Three schools have now achieved accreditation and we are
confident that more will follow during the 2009-10 school year.
Proud as we are of our academic achievements, we know that the things that make ESF special are the performing arts
events, the design and visual arts displays, the music, the debating, the sports – all those activities which inspire adults
with wonder at how much the young – even the very young – can achieve. These activities give our young people the
confidence, the interests and the values to live their lives well. I have been moved, excited and engaged by so many
over the last year that it would be invidious to single any one out. Instead, I wish to thank our Principals, teachers and
support staff for making these things possible.
Heather Du Quesnay
Chief Executive
English Schools Foundation
03
Our vision
Hong Kong schools,
a world of opportunity
ESF is committed to developing young people who are internationally
minded and recognise their common humanity. We respect our
students as individuals and seek to support the aspirations, talents
and needs of each one.
We encourage our students and their teachers to be ambitious,
innovative and conscientious in their learning, drawing on leading
edge research and exploiting learning technologies to the full, while
retaining a secure foundation of basic skills and knowledge.
ESF offers opportunities for young people to achieve in many
different ways to enable them to grow as responsible, caring and
contributing members of the community and to lead successful
and fulfilled lives.
Our students gain the qualifications to secure access to universities
and professional and business life world-wide, while developing the
confidence to make the most of their opportunities.
04
Our mission
To provide the people of Hong Kong with a seamless, affordable
English language education focused on excellence in learning and
catering to the diverse needs of the community.
Our values
ESF achieves its mission by:
being passionate about Learning and Teaching;
having high expectations for every student;
empowering the people we work with;
discovering and building talent;
respecting the needs and rights of others;
fostering cultural understanding;
building trust through demonstrating integrity;
being accountable for what we do and the resources we use;
taking care of our environment to help ensure the future
of our world;
continually improving our practice.
05
Governance
Prof Felice Lieh Mak
Mr Kevin Taylor
Chairman
Vice-chairman
Independent Governors
School Council Chairmen
Mr Peter Clarke
Prof Cheng Kai-ming
Mr Gordon Lamb
Chairman of Audit
Committee
(until 24 February 2009)
Mr Bill Sharp
Ms Virginia Wilson
Mr Nicholas Bilcliffe
Mr Mark Clifford
Dr Neil Drave
Ms Elaine Leung
Dr Russell Williams
Ir Dr Albert Yeung
SEN Parent
Governor
Committee of Parents’
Representative
Ms Nicola Clark
Mrs Jane Tracy
Mr Eric Chin
(until 8 October 2009)
(from 8 October 2009)
Parent Governors
Prof Sudipto Dasgupta
Mr Tim Gallie
(until 3 September 2009)
Ms Sophia Kao
Dr Kim Mak
Chairman of Remuneration
Committee
Mr Samuel Poon
Mr Nick Sallnow-Smith
Treasurer and Chairman of
Finance Committee
Mr Markus Shaw
Mrs Elizabeth Bosher
(from 8 September 2009)
(from 11 September 2008)
Mr Alan Wong
(from 10 March 2009
until 11 September 2009)
06
Committee of
Principals’
Representative
Committee of Support
Staff’s Representative
Mr Perry Tunesi
Mrs Helen Brown
Mr Mike Draeger
(until 26 June 2009)
(from 5 November 2009)
Teacher,
Secondary
Teacher,
Primary
Chief Executive
(ex officio)
Mr Gilbert Halcrow
Ms Vanessa Mansfield
Mrs Heather Du Quesnay
Following a transitional Board meeting at the beginning of October 2008, the Board met on seven occasions during the
2008-09 academic year. Summary minutes of each meeting can be found on the ESF website under ‘News’.
Schools
Advisory committees
•
•
•
•
•
School council chairmen
Principals
Teaching staff
Support staff
Parents
Chief Executive Officer
Senior Management Team
School Councils
Board of Governors
Our system of advisory and standing committees, along
with School Councils, has served ESF extremely well in the
last year. They have advised the Board and the Senior
Management Team on everything from senior
appointments to the most complex of audit-related issues.
School Councils generally meet twice a term and play an
invaluable communications role. Consisting of
Standing committees
• Remuneration
• Audit
• Finance
representatives from teaching and support staff, parents and
community representatives, as well as the Principal, School
Council Chairman and CEO’s representative, they ensure that
all constituencies are given a voice in decision-making and
that communication is two-way and transparent. Student
representatives are frequently invited to participate.
07
A year of
academic
achievement
The IB Diploma
The first year in which the IB Diploma was offered across all ESF Secondary schools
generated results that were above world averages. Nearly 92% of our students were
awarded the Diploma, against a world average of 79%1. 8.9% scored 40 points or
more, compared to a world average of 5.4%. There were some outstanding individual
achievements, including Xiang Ding and Vincent Cheung from King George V who
scored the maximum 45 points, closely followed by Gary Yan and Shivina Harjani who
scored 44 points. Last year, only 74 students worldwide achieved the maximum score.
Scores in individual subjects were also high, with 11.6% of subjects taken being
awarded the maximum seven points, against a world average of 7%. ESF performed
significantly above world averages in Sciences, Arts, Social Sciences and Languages and
in line with world averages in English and Mathematics. As ESF gains more experience
with the IB Diploma, students will receive improved advice on the choice of subjects and
levels. Improved career and Higher Education counselling will help in this process and
we are working to achieve closer alignment between predicted and final grades in the
coming year.
Of the 690 students who were awarded the Diploma, 10% achieved the Bilingual
Diploma. These were achieved in a range of languages, from Putonghua, Japanese and
Korean to French and Spanish. A detailed analysis of IB Diploma performance can be
downloaded from our website.
IB Diploma point scores 2009
40-45
8.9%
35-39
23%
30-34
34%
25-29
25%
24 or below
9%
1: World averages are for 2008 – the latest year for which data is currently available
08
The Advanced Diploma
Around 60 of our post-16 students opted for the ESF Advanced Diploma this year. The
Advanced Diploma is built around a mixture of BTEC qualifications, IB Certificates and
applied A Levels, while borrowing much of its philosophy from the rounded approach of
the IB Diploma. BTEC qualifications are assessed purely on course work. They lead to Higher
Education options in a wide range of areas, such as Art and Design, the Performing Arts,
Business and Design & Technology. The Advanced Diploma represents a valuable alternative
pathway for those students who are not attracted to traditional academic courses and who
wish to pursue a university or Higher Education programme of study.
GCSE and IGCSE
In recent years an increasing number of our students have shifted from the UK-based GCSE
examination to the IGCSE, offered by Cambridge International Examinations. The latter is
taken by students from around the world and therefore competition for top grades is
slightly tougher, though in the judgement of many teachers it is better preparation for the
IB Diploma.
This year more than 900 Year 11 students took over 8,000 GCSE and IGCSE examinations.
As with previous years, performances were very strong across all academic disciplines, with
almost 200 students achieving eight or more A or A* grades. Bowie Kung and Michael To
from Island School achieved the extremely impressive result of eleven A* grades.
% of GCSE
papers resulting
in these grades
100%
80%
2005-2006
60%
2006-2007
2007-2008
40%
Grades
A*-A
2008-2009
A*-C
Year 3 and 6 assessments
For the third year in succession, we have used InCAS (Interactive Computerised Assessment
System) to measure student achievement in English and Maths in Years 3 and 6. The assessments
allow us to measure the performance of our students against the average for their age.
% of students
Year 3
At or above
chronological age
Year 6
Two or more years above
chronological age
At or above
chronological age
Two or more years above
chronological age
Maths
87%
32%
88%
43%
English
86%
50%
93%
48%
09
Creativity,
Action, Service
CAS, as it is known, is an integral part of the IB
Diploma. However it permeates right through life
in all our schools and in all age groups.
Our Secondary schools engage in a wide variety of activities during dedicated
CAS weeks each autumn. But CAS activities are also present through the
Primary years. The following are just a few examples of the sorts of activities
taking place across our schools:
ESF Film Awards
In May 2009 Discovery College hosted the inaugural ESF Film Awards. In a nod
to the Oscars, the ceremony included nominations for Best Film, Best Director,
Best Editing and other familiar categories that showcased students’
achievements. The standard in both Primary and Secondary competitions was
impressively high.
Film-making and media related programmes are on the increase across ESF.
GCSE Media Studies and IB Film Studies are currently taught at two schools,
while KGV offers Advanced Diploma digital media options. Recognising the
growth in media based courses as well as the importance of digital literacy,
ESF continues to invest in this subject area.
“ The awards acknowledged and celebrated the creative talents of
budding young filmmakers in both primary and secondary across ESF.”
Peter Lasscock, Deputy Head of College, Discovery College.
10
‘Making new friends through English’
Inter-school Debating
In an initiative designed to encourage students
to practise letter writing skills, a group of Year 3
students from Kowloon Junior School were
paired with pupils from Po Leung Kuk Tin Ka
Ping Primary School in Tai Po. After sharing
information about their school, hobbies, family
and friends, the students finally had a chance to
meet their respective pen pals at a Friends’ Day
event at the Po Leung Kuk School that included
fun-based information exchange activities and
team building games.
ESF schools have a strong tradition of
debating, and another year of inter-school
contests culminated in a full day finale at
South Island School in June 2009. Twelve
teams of Year 7-9 students from both ESF
and local schools put on their thinking
caps to debate such issues as whether all
public transport in Hong Kong should be
free.
“ This exchange has encouraged both groups of
children to express themselves through the
medium of English,” explained Brenda Cook,
then Vice-Principal of Kowloon Junior School.
“ But above all it gives the children the
opportunity to make friends from different
parts of Hong Kong and from many different
ethnic and social backgrounds.”
South Island School, ably coached by Mary
Garland, won a closely contested
showdown. Considering their level of
dedication, perhaps the victory wasn’t so
surprising:
“ We trained so hard for this,” explained
winning team member Tiffany Chung.
“ Even when one of our squad was sick
during the build up, we practised
debating by video link to his bedside!”
Physical theatre
During the past year our secondary schools have
continued to work with Australian-based Zen
Zen Zo physical theatre company. West Island
School staged a stunning production of The
Tempest while Renaissance College collaborated
on a performance of The War of the Worlds.
11
Higher
Education
Destinations
2009
As stated at the beginning of this report, 2009 was the first year that the IB Diploma was
offered across all our schools. Other developments that had an impact on students’ future
studies were the first cohort of the Advanced Diploma (see p.09) and the employment of
full-time Higher Education counsellors in all our Secondary schools. These staff play a vital
role, not only in advising students on study options, but building and strengthening
relationships with universities and other institutions worldwide.
This year, we have been able to identify 85% of student destinations, compared to 72%
last year. As in previous years, we are unable to deliver a completely comprehensive set of
data due to some application processes (such as that in Australia) taking place later in the
year and gap year students who have yet to decide. We are proud that our students win
places at such a range of prestigious institutions worldwide. But it is also important that
we are enjoying ever greater success in ensuring that students with lower academic
records find places on appropriate courses.
Certain tendencies among our schools remain unchanged: a greater proportion of
students from schools on Hong Kong Island, for example, attend UK universities. There are
less clear patterns with US universities, but 31% of students from Sha Tin College opted
for Canada. There is a steady growth in the popularity of Hong Kong universities, many of
which have climbed the various worldwide rankings. The fact that Hong Kong is a more
economical option in these uncertain times may also be relevant. The number of students
choosing Hong Kong in 2009 was 95, up from 63 in 2008 and 58 in 2007.
Subject
Australia 9%
UK 46%
Canada 14%
Hong Kong 14%
USA 15%
Country destinations
% of students
Humanities
6.9%
Business
6.6%
Law
6%
Science
5.9%
Social Sciences
5.9%
Medical / Veterinary
3.9%
Art
3.7%
Economics
3.7%
Accounting
3.3%
Engineering
3.3%
As stated above, not all course choices are yet confirmed.
Once they are, we are confident that Business will emerge
as the most popular subject area, as in most previous years.
12
Institutions attracting five or
more students from ESF
Number of
students
Institution
0
10
20
30
40
50
University of Hong Kong
43
University of British Columbia, Canada
34
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
28
University of Exeter, UK
24
University of Nottingham, UK
20
University of Toronto, Canada
19
University of Warwick, UK
17
University of Edinburgh, UK
14
University College London, UK
13
King’s College London, UK
12
New York University
11
University of York, UK
9
London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
9
University of Manchester, UK
9
University of Bristol, UK
9
University of Southampton, UK
8
Brunel University, UK
8
Chinese University of Hong Kong
8
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
7
University of Leicester, UK
7
Queen Mary, University of London, UK
7
Oxford University, UK
6
University of Leeds, UK
6
University of New South Wales, Australia
6
McGill University, Canada
6
City University of Hong Kong
6
Durham University, UK
6
London College of Fashion, UK
5
University of Southern California
5
0
Institution
10
20
30
40
50
Number of
students
13
The work
of our
Parent-Teacher
Associations
A PTA-organised Christmas music evening at KGV
Sarah Cook is in her second year as Chair of the
King George V PTA and has been a parent there
for eight years.
What attracted you to getting involved in PTA work?
I have two sons and what really spurred me to get involved with the KGV PTA was
the planned curriculum switch from ‘A’ Level to IB. I wanted to learn more about it
to see if it was the right qualification for my sons. I went on to be the PTA rep on
the IB sub-committee for three years.
What does the PTA add to the spirit of the school?
We’re very much a part of the school, supporting the aims and the culture of KGV.
We’ve formed strong links with the KGV alumni – in fact two members of our
committee were students here in the 1980s! We use the annual PTA membership
fee to support a school shop and two staff members.
What, for you, was the highlight of the last school year?
Last year we hosted a Night Market. We asked some of the acts that had recently
performed at the KGV Festival of Music and Dance to entertain us. It was very well
supported – we raised $100,000, which was used to construct a covered area to
provide shade for PE.
How else do you think PTAs can contribute in the future?
A big fundraising push is planned as the redevelopment of KGV in 2011
approaches. Many of our parents and alumni provide work experience and
mentoring for students. The support our alumni offer is testament to their belief
in the school, and it’s good to have KGV “past and present” working together!
14
Sarah Emslie is a mother of two who became
Chair of Peak School PTA in 2008.
What attracted you to getting involved in PTA work?
Peak School has a very strong community – being Chair of the PTA is pretty
much a full time job but it’s so rewarding and we’ve been able to do a lot for
the school. We contributed a third of the cost of the library refurbishment and
it’s now twice the size. We all work together here.
What does the PTA add to the spirit of the school?
Of course, the PTA adds material support – we raised a lot of money for a new
playground lighting system so that the school can offer activities after dark
and let out those facilities. But more than anything else, we’re about
nurturing the school community, with all three stakeholder groups working
together: the parents, the school staff and the children.
What, for you, was the highlight of the last school year?
The Family Fun Day last May turned out to be one of the rainiest days of the
year! Yet everyone still came along. As well as helping to fund the library
refit, we also hosted CIS/WASC representatives, who made presentations to
the school. The whole event was the culmination of a lot of hard work and we
ended up having a great day. In fact, the rain made us even more determined
to put on a good show!
How else do you think PTAs can contribute in the future?
Certainly more of the same, but PTAs also need to change in the same way
that schools change over time. We try to be responsive to the school’s needs
and work with the school as much as possible.
15
Our students
Information on the ethnicity of our students has become much more accurate now
that families are able to submit data themselves through our Online Admissions
System. The percentage of ‘Other’ or ‘unspecified’ has dropped from 13% to 4%
as a result. All other ethnic groupings have increased slightly compared to the
previous year, with 45% of our student body identifying itself as Chinese.
The number of languages spoken at home by our students has increased slightly,
with just over 2% speaking Putonghua as their first language. While English and
Cantonese continue to dominate – spoken at home by 84% of our students – there
are significant numbers of other languages being spoken. Our records show 24
languages with ten or more speakers in our student body. We have listed them
below to give readers a flavour of the diversity to be found in ESF. We are
continuing to develop ‘mother tongue maintenance’ programmes for many of these
language groups (see p.18) as mastery of one’s first language greatly assists the
acquisition of others.
Languages spoken by ten or more students in ESF (excludes English and Cantonese)
16
Korean
418
Swedish
22
Mandarin
377
Hebrew
21
Japanese
252
Tagalog
21
Hindi
170
Russian
20
French
70
Tamil
19
Dutch
65
Thai
15
Gujarati
43
Bengali
14
German
36
Marathi
14
Italian
33
Danish
13
Urdu
33
Finnish
12
Spanish
29
Punjabi
11
Indian 11%
Eurasian 12%
Other East Asian 8%
Caucasian 20%
Other 4%
Chinese 45%
Ethnicity of ESF students
Other East Asian 5%
Other Chinese 2%
Cantonese 16%
Indian Sub-continent 2%
European 2%
Other 3%
Other East Asian 11%
Other 9%
Chinese 9%
American 8%
Indian 8%
Australian 9%
Hong Kong 7%
English 68%
First Language of ESF students
Canadian 11%
British 28%
Nationality of ESF students
17
Education
developments
in ESF
Teachers and principals from Zhongguancun No. 1 Primary School, China, visited Glenealy School in March 2009.
Undoubtedly the biggest outcome at ESF in the last year was the graduation of
our first ESF-wide cohort of IB Diploma students. We benefited greatly from the
guidance of colleagues at Sha Tin College, which has been offering the IB Diploma
since 2001, but it was nevertheless a period of some anxiety for parents, students,
teachers and school leaders.
Ultimately, the body of teachers who have ensured excellent A Level results over the
years were able to produce a similar outcome with the newly-adopted qualification.
There were some variances between predicted and actual results in a number of
subject areas and this is being carefully analysed across all our schools. To cite one
subject, Mathematics is offered at four levels of increasing complexity in the Diploma
and ensuring that students select the right level is a crucial decision to produce the
most positive outcome possible.
Results in Modern Foreign Languages were encouraging: 10% of students qualified
with the prestigious Bilingual Diploma.
Mother-tongue maintenance
Our programme of mother-tongue maintenance for students whose first language
is not English continues to expand. Research clearly shows that one’s first language
serves as a crucial ‘anchor’ when learning other languages. We work with Primary
Schools setting up mother tongue maintenance programmes, which are parent-led
classes, under the supervision of the language centre. We have also started to
develop first language pathways to increase Bilingual Diploma opportunities.
“ It builds confidence and pride for our children to learn their own
language at their own school. It is fantastic to have continuity
through Primary into Secondary.” West Island School parent.
“ The role the ESF Language Centre plays for our children is greatly
appreciated in terms of creating a continuous pathway from Year 7
to the Diploma.” Parent of two students at South Island School.
18
CIS/WASC accreditation
More of our schools continue to receive accreditation from the Council for
International Schools/Western Academy of Schools and Colleges. External moderation
is essential to ensuring that standards remain high. Last year Sha Tin College, Glenealy
and Peak School achieved accreditation and currently West Island, Kennedy, South
Island and KGV are in the process of gaining full accreditation. This is a five-year rolling
programme, which means that schools are continuously engaged in a system of
internal self-evaluation and development with external review.
Further developments in the Education Assistant programme
Education Assistants (EAs) play a vital role in the Primary years. One EA is allocated
to support each class of students in our Year One to Three classes. We now have 503
EAs working with us on a full-time or part-time basis. Over a hundred EAs have
completed basic training at the Hong Kong Institute of Education in the last year and
just over 200 are now enrolled on Advanced Courses. One Educational Assistant is
now a fully-qualified teacher and we are confident there will be many more.
Building links between ESF and mainland schools
Many of our schools now organise regular visits to partner schools in mainland China.
These are invaluable opportunities for our students to practise their Putonghua with
their mainland peers as well as to gain an understanding of the cultural contexts
which are so vital to learning a foreign language. We are also pleased to host visits
from teachers and leadership teams from mainland schools.
Applied learning
All of our Secondary schools now offer alternatives to the IB Diploma for students
who prefer study that is more focussed on course-work assessment rather than a
summative examination. As well as applied A Levels and the opportunity to study for
individual certificates of the IB Diploma (which are increasingly being recognised by
Higher and Further education institutions), BTEC qualifications are proving a popular
option. Last year seventeen students studied for BTEC qualifications which led to
further study in areas such as Business, Art & Design and Sport in institutions as
varied as the University of Manchester, Savannah College of Art and Design and the
University of New South Wales.
Professional Development
The year saw a busy programme of professional development for staff, notably in
the Primary Years Programme and the IB Diploma. There were also key initiatives
in Primary Science teaching and Incas training. A Senior Leadership Conference was
held in January, attended by 120 senior staff, which explored such areas as transition
from primary to secondary school, the use of data and managing change.
19
Developing
alumni
relations
Across ESF schools, the development of alumni associations has been quite mixed for
understandable reasons. Some long-standing schools, such as KGV and Island School,
have associations that have been active for decades and have established a pattern of
social events across the year. Newer schools have alumni that are barely out of their
twenties and who are busy developing their careers.
Last year the ESF Board approved a strategy to give alumni associations a boost through
the development of central support. This would be rolled out first among Secondary
schools and then onto their Primary ‘feeder’ schools. Alumni can help as mentors to our
students and providers of careers advice. We believe their contacts and expertise can
give material and non-material help for schools to develop.
The first element is the roll-out of a bespoke web service, YourMembership, which has
already been widely implemented at Island School and is now promoted to all students
as they leave ESF. Compared to freely available social networking sites, it offers a much
more secure environment and – crucially – is not subject to the changes in fashion that
have seen immensely popular networking sites suddenly fall out of favour.
The main role of ESF Centre as this strategy unfolds is to help alumni associations and
schools’ communications officers to market their individual associations and to help
them identify social events which may appeal to members from all associations, thus
creating greater networking opportunities.
South Island School YourMembership homepage
“ KGV Alumni Association, founded over 24 years ago, actively facilitates
former pupils to communicate, network and meet. We encourage interaction
and support amongst our members, the school, students and teachers.
We coordinate programmes to give back to the school and the students.”
Eleanor Sackett, Chair, KGV Alumni Association.
“ The Island School Alumni Association is working with Island School to grow our
alumni community. Our aims are to help the alumni network through various
events and our web portal. We also contribute back to the school through
mentoring, having a say in school governance and involvement with the Island
School Trust.” Bo Fussing, Chairman, Island School Alumni Association.
20
Sport
2008-09 has been another exceptional year of
sporting participation and attainment for ESF
schools. Commitment and passion, combined
with a strong sense of sportsmanship,
were evident during a busy programme of
inter-school competitions and events.
Our students continue to represent Hong Kong
at international level and the strong ESF rugby
playing tradition was evident again this year as
seven of the twelve members of the Hong Kong
Sevens squad were former ESF students.
Meanwhile, the next generation of Sevens
players demonstrated impressive ball handling
skills and bursts of pace at the ESF Invitational
Tag Rugby Festival. Sixteen mixed primary
school teams, comprised of both experienced
players and newcomers, played with purpose
and pride in an exciting tournament.
Rugby stars in the making received an
inspirational visit from former All Black Ian
Jones, who visited Bradbury School to offer
coaching tips to Year 6 students as part of a
rugby awareness raising programme.
But rugby is far from being the only sport
that fires up our students (and their parents).
Throughout the year we had keenly fought
tournaments in sports such as cricket,
swimming, hockey, tennis, volleyball, football,
athletics and squash.
21
Managing our
infrastructure
System development
2009 saw the start of the next phase of development for the Facilities Management
system. Detailed surveys of all existing facilities have started, along with the establishment
of standard specifications and replacement cycles.
Kowloon Junior School redevelopment
We commenced the detailed design phase of the new KJS campus project in mid 2008.
Several meetings and workshops have been held over the year, with internal design
sign off in March 2009. The General Building Plans were submitted to the Buildings
Department of the Government and approval obtained in July 2009. In addition to this,
the associated statutory plan submissions for aspects of the project, such as demolition,
site formation, superstructure, foundation and drainage design were completed by the
end of August 2009.
An application for HKSAR Government funding was formally submitted to the Education
Bureau in August 2009 together with our draft Technical Feasibility Statement and
supporting documents. These applications were made in time for the 2009-2010
Government Resource Allocation Exercise.
Summer Works Programme
2008-09 saw another major leap forward in respect of the ongoing repair, maintenance
and improvement works undertaken in all of our schools. The Facilities team at ESF
Centre continued to develop closer partnerships with schools, gaining greater insight
into issues and aspirations for ESF learning and teaching. This teamwork approach
allows not only for better service delivery, but avoids unnecessary work and enables
economies of scale across the organisation.
22
Glenealy School
(before redevelopment)
Glenealy School
(after redevelopment)
West Island School
(before redevelopment)
West Island School
(after redevelopment)
Our new kindergarten at the old Stubbs Road building
KGV expansion and development
Design meetings and workshops continued throughout 2008-2009 for the development
of the two new teaching blocks. Design schemes were internally signed off in June 2009.
In order to facilitate the project, tree felling proposals are required and the consultant
team made a submission to the HKSAR Government Lands Department in February 2009,
with final approval pending.
In June 2008, new height limits were applied to the KGV site under the draft Outline
Zoning Plan by the Government Planning Department. In order to mitigate the constraints
this imposed to the development potential of the campus site, an Air Ventilation
Assessment, together with a Section 16 Planning Amendment Submission, was submitted
to the Planning Department in March 2009. Town Planning Board approval with minor
conditions was obtained in August 2009.
A detailed building survey was also carried out during the Easter break in 2009 to identify
underground utilities and other potential constraints. Comprehensive utility diversions will
be required before the ground breaking for the new blocks.
An application for Government funding was formally submitted to Education Bureau
in August 2009, together with our draft Technical Feasibility Statement and supporting
documents. These applications were made in time for the 2009-2010 Government
Resource Allocation Exercise.
ESF Centre relocation
To facilitate consolidation of ESF Centre services across three different locations and to
free up accommodation for the development of West Island School and Bradbury School,
as well as creating additional kindergarten places in the old ESF Centre building, a
relocation project for ESF Centre from its Stubbs Road location was taken to the Board of
Governors in early 2009. After gaining endorsement from the Board the project was
implemented from February 2009.
ESF Centre relocated to its new facility in Quarry Bay/Taikoo in July 2009 and
refurbishment of vacated facilities at West Island School (into a new Learning Support
Centre) was completed in August 2009. Work to develop additional space for Bradbury
School at the old Stubbs Road building continued into the new academic year.
23
Our staff
Staffing the schools
ESF, including ESL, employs more than 3,000 people in its fifteen ESF schools, two ESL Private
Independent Schools and four kindergartens: there are 1,920 full-time staff and more than
1,100 part-time staff and supply teachers.
More than 940 full-time teachers form the largest portion of the workforce, along with
21 principals, 52 vice principals and 68 part-time teachers. There are 626 education assistants
and support staff, including laboratory technicians, librarians, nurses, occupational therapists
and administrative staff.
Recruitment and diversity
ESF recruited to 138 teacher vacancies
and promotional positions across ESF for
the 2009-10 school year. Teachers are
attracted to ESF from within Hong Kong
as well as from around the world.
Recruitment campaigns are conducted in
Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and
Australia, as well as openings being
advertised internationally through the ESF
website, the Times Education Supplement
and the Weekend Australian.
Newly recruited teachers for the start of 2009-10 came from:
Hong Kong
51.1%*
United Kingdom
33.7%
Australia and New Zealand
4.3%
Other (including China)
10.9%
* including internal movements among ESF schools
ESF employs teachers of more than 24 different nationalities, enhancing the diversity of
the organisation.
Human resources policies
Over the past year there has been a concerted effort to ensure greater clarity and consistency
in HR policies. This has led to the launch of 38 new or revised HR policies. The policies
provide consistent procedures and guidelines designed to underpin work and management
practices. Policies align to relevant Hong Kong employment legislation. They have been
distributed across the organisation and training has been provided to schools in their use.
Education Assistant development
Education Assistants (EAs) are the second largest job family in ESF next to teachers. A review
of EAs was conducted during the 2007-08 academic year. Numerous improvements were
made to EAs’ conditions of service. In 2009-10 work will continue to ensure that there is a
sustained focus on the important role that EAs play in the classroom. This will include
promotion of training opportunities for EAs and specific internal training in SEN, EAL (English
as an Additional Language) and the Chinese curriculum.
24
Retention
ESF has an enviable track record of retaining teaching staff. The overall turnover rate for
teachers across ESF at the end of the 2008-09 academic year was 8.4%, a reduced
percentage compared to the previous three academic years when turnover was in the
range of 10-11%.
Tenure of ESF teachers
ESF has a stable teacher workforce, with 54% having been employed by the organisation
for four years or more.
Range
No of teachers #
Percentage
Less than 1 year
115
13%
1-3 years
290
33%
4-6 years
163
19%
7-9 years
113
13%
10-12 years
68
8%
13 years+
121
14%
Total
870
100%
# Full-time ESF teachers as at November 2009
HR and payroll system: ENet and EAccess
The implementation of the ENet core HR and Payroll system was successfully completed in
July 2009. Members of the Senior Management Team and administrators in all parts of ESF
are now using the system to manage workflow and generate reports. Direct and shared
access to information is more effectively and easily generated. EAccess, which allows staff
to view their personal information online, has been rolled out to most ESF staff. Complete
implementation will be achieved by January 2010.
25
Our finances
Economic climate
The outlook for the Hong Kong economy remained uncertain during this reporting period
and has continued to do so. Despite this, our enrolments have remained strong and there
is still plenty of demand for the sort of education that ESF offers. We are confident that
this demand will continue, but there are other challenges that we need to resolve.
Financial sustainability
The key financial issue facing ESF in the medium to long term is financial sustainability.
Current Facilities Development priorities include the rebuilding of Kowloon Junior School
on a single site, the extension and modernisation of KGV and the re-building and possible
relocation of Island School. Acknowledging that all our school buildings have a finite
useful life, it is essential for us to plan a vision for Facilities Development over the next 10
to 50 years. We believe that Government capital grants will play an essential role in this.
These can be supplemented by our own surpluses, by borrowings and by the introduction
of a Refundable Capital Levy (RCL). We are currently consulting on the introduction of
RCL, to be paid once by all parents (those with children currently in Years 6 and above
would be exempt). As well as reducing our borrowing costs, such a levy demonstrates
to the Government and the wider community that ESF parents are also supporting our
capital projects and long-term sustainability.
Investment in systems
We continue to make appropriate investments in systems that will make our operations
more efficient and allow us to provide a better service to schools and parents. The Human
Resources Information System (HRIS) is now operational and processes payroll for over
3,000 staff every month. We have started the implementation of a new billing system
called PASS. This will become operational in April 2010 and will improve account
management and the interface between other financial systems. In time, it will allow
us to move towards electronic billing. Another key innovation this year has been the
introduction of an online admissions system (OAS) for new students.
All of the above investments in efficiencies and the modernisation of processes allow us
to continue to delegate more and more funding control to schools. Almost 80% of our
expenditure (HK$1.2bn in total) is now delegated to schools to manage.
26
ESF Actual and Budget 2008-09 and Budget 2009-2010
2008-09
Actual
HK$000
2008-09
Budget
HK$000
Increase
(decrease)
HK$000
2009-10
Budget
HK$000
Government grant
268,591
267,403
1,188
269,146
Tuition fees
942,991
942,332
659
939,688
5,010
3,450
1,560
3,500
64,875
45,560
19,315
51,930
4,708
4,072
636
2,600
13,499
13,499
-
15,500
1,299,674
1,276,316
23,358
1,282,364
Staff expenses3
945,407
992,306
(46,899)
1,004,051
Other expenses
255,252
244,215
11,037
257,278
1,200,659
1,236,521
(35,862)
1,261,329
99,0154
39,795
59,220
21,035
2008-09
HK$M
2007-08
HK$M
Fixed assets
804
775
Cash and cash equivalents
347
224
53
55
1,204
1,054
Less current liabilities
(469)
(418)
Net assets employed
735
636
735
636
-
-
735
636
Income
Interest
Rents/ other income
Donations
1
Development &
operating income2
Total income
Expenditure
Total expenditure
Surplus (deficit)
ESF’s balance sheet at year-end 2008-09 and 2007-08
Assets employed
Other current assets
Funded by
Reserves5 (retained surpluses)
Net bank borrowings
Notes:
1 Donations to schools, principally from parents through PTAs, can be used by schools to supplement ‘capitation’ (the allowance provided centrally).
2 Payment of fees from ESL to ESF for providing fixed assets and professional support to Private Independent School projects.
3 Lower due to savings in schools’ spending, pension fund and gratuity write-backs and reduced R&M expenditure on residential property.
4 Surplus increased due to school-based savings, pension fund and gratuity write-backs and higher income.
5 This does not represent cash balances.
A full set of accounts can be found on our website www.esf.edu.hk under ‘About ESF’.
27
ESF
Educational
Services Ltd
(ESL)
ESL, the affiliate company of ESF, operates our kindergartens and delivers
out-of-school language and sports classes. More children will have the
opportunity to attend an ESL kindergarten following the opening of Wu Kai
Sha in August 2009 and the decision to relocate Sheung Wan kindergarten to
Hillside, the site of the former ESF Centre offices located on Stubbs Road, in
February 2010. ESL kindergarten children continued to move successfully into
ESF Primary and Private Independent Schools, with 94% of children staying in
the ESF system.
The sports programme offers a wide range of sports classes and the numbers
of children taking part in these classes rose over 20% compared with the
preceding year, reflecting the on-going popularity of these activities. ESL
extended the programme into Discovery College and continued to cooperate
with schools’ PE departments by delivering in-school, sport-specific coaching,
including swimming at a number of schools.
Becoming only the second examinations centre in Hong Kong authorised
by Cambridge ESOL (English as a Second or Other Language), ESL began
to offer Young Learner of English (YLE) and other English examinations.
The first examinations were held in August 2009 as the culmination of
an intensive course run during ESL’s summer language camps. ESL’s own
English curriculum for primary aged children was redesigned to incorporate
external accreditation with the Cambridge suite of examinations. The new
programme was launched for the 2008-09 academic year.
28
English Schools Foundation
25/F • Fortis Centre • 1063 King’s Road • Quarry Bay • Hong Kong
Tel +852 2574 2351 • Fax +852 2818 5690
www.esf.edu.hk