West Island School
250 Victoria Road
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2819 1962
Fax: (852) 2816 7257
Website: www.wis.edu.hk
Strength from Diversity
Inspiring students to become responsible global citizens
The School Profile
2011-2012
Upper School Leadership
Principal : Ms Jane Foxcroft
Vice Principal : Mr Rob Stitch
Head of Upper School : Ms Kim Isaac
jane.foxcroft@wis.edu.hk
robert.stitch@wis.edu.hk
kim.isaac@wis.edu.hk
Higher Education Counsellors
Ms Catherine Schofield
Ms Ellie Tang
catherine.schofield@wis.edu.hk
ellie.tang@ wis.edu.hk
The School
West Island School, established in 1991, is part of the English Schools Foundation of Hong
Kong (established in 1967); a group of multi-ethnic international schools funded by shared
government and parental fee contribution. The School’s vision is to create an inclusive,
dynamic and challenging curriculum which encourages students to become internationally
aware citizens of the future.
The School comprises of approximately 1,225 co educational students from age 11 to 18 in
Years 7 to 13 (equivalent to Grade 6 to 12 in the USA), comprised of over 40 nationalities: the
largest population is Eurasian with strong representation from Indian, Japanese, Chinese,
European and Australian origin. The vast majority of students come from homes where one or
both parents have a professional background.
The School has a diverse faculty. There are 8 nationalities represented among the academic
staff. The approximate number for the main nationalities of the academic staff is 62% British,
21% Australian and 6% Chinese. The overall teacher to student ratio in the Upper School is
1:11.
All students are residents of Hong Kong who are able to benefit from an education in the
medium of English; there are no other entry requirements. Our students access universities
worldwide including the UK, USA, Canada, Hong Kong and Australia.
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West Island School
250 Victoria Road
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
School Profile
Strength from Diversity
Inspiring students to become responsible global citizens
The Curriculum
The School provides a broad and balanced curriculum from Year 7 to 13 with options
available for students from Year 10 onwards. The School does not rank order students and
provides performance grades within the year as appropriate to the programmes studied. We
have an appointed Gifted and Talented co-ordinator at the school who creates appropriate
programmes for the most able identified by benchmark testing data. The Mathematics
department work closely with the main Hong Kong university to provide a gifted programme
of education.
Middle Years Diploma
From Years 7-11 the School has created a unique middle years diploma at West Island
School. Students are accredited for core courses of creativity, action and service, a personal
inquiry project in Year 9 and core PE.
Students work in both disciplinary and cross-disciplinary subjects in Years 7-8 to ensure
rigour and depth as well as critical thinking and inquiry. In Years 10-11 a number of IGCSEs
are followed which equate to a total point score. At the end of Year 11 students are given a
Middle Years Diploma at Pass, Merit or Distinction.
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West Island School
250 Victoria Road
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
School Profile
Strength from Diversity
Inspiring students to become responsible global citizens
Middle School Programme – Year 10 & 11 (Year 9 & 10 for US equivalent)
All students follow a two year course preparing them for IGCSE (International General
Certificate of Secondary Education) examinations. This includes a compulsory examinable
core of Mathematics, Science and English. Students choose other examinable electives in
the areas of Language, Humanities, Technology, Sport and the Creative Arts. In addition all
students follow a non examinable core of Physical Education, ICT and Learning Skills.
Grading of IGCSE
Most students will sit for 9 examinations at the end of Year 11, while some will complete
10 or 11. (Please refer to the certified photocopies of IGCSE certificates for examination
board grading.)
IGCSE Grade
A*
A* to A
A* to B
A* to C
A* to D
A* to E
A* to F
A* to G
A* to U
Worldwide % 2011
Pending from
CIE Examination Board
West Island School % 2011
26.18
55.18
82.77
96.03
99.06
99.80
99.93
99.93
100.00
Pre-university programme – Year 12 & 13 ( Year 11 & 12 for US equivalent)
The School offers two pathways for students in their final two years at the School. The
first is the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) programme which was started in the
School in 2009 and replaced the British General Certificate of Education Advanced Level
(GCE A Level) programme. The second programme is the Business & Technician
Education Council (BTEC) programme. Students in both pathways follow a sports
programme and are expected to complete the CAS component of the IB pathway below.
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West Island School
250 Victoria Road
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
School Profile
Strength from Diversity
Inspiring students to become responsible global citizens
International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB)
The IB is a rigorous course of study designed to prepare students for university style study. IB
diploma students study six courses, 3 at higher level and 3 at standard level. Students must
choose one subject from each of groups 1 to 5, thus ensuring breadth of experience in
languages, social studies, experimental sciences and mathematics. The sixth subject may be
an arts subject chosen from group 6, or the student may choose another subject from groups
1 to 5, depending upon their preferences for university study.
In addition the programme has three core requirements that are included to broaden the
educational experience and challenge students to apply their knowledge and understanding.
The Extended Essay (EE) is a requirement for students to engage in independent research
through an in-depth study of a question relating to one of the subjects they are studying. The
EE requires a student to write a 4000-word essay on academic research and develop
independent primary/secondary research capabilities.
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a course designed to encourage each student to reflect on the
nature of knowledge by critically examining different ways of knowing (perception, emotion,
language and reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic, mathematical and
historical). TOK provides a forum for research, discussion, introspection and learning that
enhances the development of multi-disciplinary understanding.
Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) requires that students actively learn from the experience of
doing real tasks beyond the classroom. This requires a minimum of 150 hours of extracurricular activities. Students can combine all three components or do activities related to
each one of them separately.
Typically between 85% and 90% of WIS students follow the IB pathway.
IB course listing provided by the School
Note: Unless indicated all subjects are offered in Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL)
GROUP
1
2
3
4
5
6
English
Chinese, French & Spanish
Economics, Geography, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Business & Management,
Environmental Systems and Societies (SL only)
Biology, Chemistry, Design & Technology, Physics
Mathematics, Computer Science
Theatre Studies, Visual Arts, Film Studies, Music or a subject from Group 3 or 4
(if needed for university entrance requirements)
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West Island School
250 Victoria Road
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
School Profile
Strength from Diversity
Inspiring students to become responsible global citizens
Grading of IB diploma
The IB diploma is scored out of a maximum of 45 points. Each subject is scored from 1 to 7
(with 7 being the highest score), and the core (Theory of Knowledge, Creativity, Action &
Service, Extended Essay) is awarded up to 3 points extra.
A score of above 24 points is awarded the IB diploma. Grades are based between 20% and
30% on internal assessments and between 70% and 80% on externally-marked exams
taken at the end of Year 13. Scores below 24 are awarded IB certificates and the English
Schools Foundation (ESF) diploma.
During Year 12 and 13 students are evaluated on an ongoing basis on the IB grading scale
of 1 to 7 for all six subjects. Additionally teachers predict students’ final grades at the end of
Term 1 of Year 13. These predicted grades are sent to the universities to which the students
apply along with their transcripts.
Class rank
The School does not rank its students. In 2010 academic honours were introduced for
Year 13 students in the top 5% of each Higher Level IB subject.
GPA calculation
The schools of the English Schools Foundation do not use the US system of GPA grading.
WIS follows the IB grading system of 1 to 7 for each subject.
International Diploma
Students following this pathway elect specialist subjects accredited by the Business and
Technician Education Council (BTEC). Students choose from a range of Award (equivalent
to one British GCE A Level) and Certificate (equivalent to 2 British GCSE A Level) courses
which are widely accepted university entrance qualifications in the UK and other countries.
In addition all students complete a GCE AS equivalency in research skills and a BTEC work
skills with equivalent to a GCE AS to augment their specialist subject areas. These may be
augmented by individual subjects from the IB programme.
Grading of International Diploma
BTEC Award and Certificate programmes are graded at Distinction, Merit and Pass levels.
Distinction level is equivalent to British GCE A Level Grade A (120 UCAS tariff points), Merit
level is equivalent to A Level Grade C (80 UCAS tariff points) and Pass level is equivalent to
A Level Grade E (40 UCAS tariff points). A British GCE A Level pass is Grade E.
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West Island School
250 Victoria Road
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
School Profile
Strength from Diversity
Inspiring students to become responsible global citizens
Standardised test results
Highlights of 2009-2011 IB results
Year
No. of IB
diploma
students
% passed
diplomas
WIS average
diploma
score
Worldwide average
diploma scores
2009
117
95.7
33
29.5
2010
128
96.9
34.1
31.8
2011
125
100.0
34.6
Pending. Please refer to the
IBO website for latest score
IB Points
WIS 2011
Cumulative
IB Points
WIS 2011
Cumulative
IB Points
WIS 2011
Cumulative
45
0
0
37
11
50
29
4
113
44
1
1
36
6
56
28
7
120
43
2
3
35
7
63
27
1
121
42
1
4
34
9
72
26
2
123
41
5
9
33
9
81
25
2
125
40
8
17
32
10
91
24
0
125
39
7
24
31
11
102
38
15
39
30
7
109
Note: Cumulative statistic as calculated by IBO
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West Island School
250 Victoria Road
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
School Profile
Strength from Diversity
Inspiring students to become responsible global citizens
Highlights of 2009-2011 BTEC results
WIS students 2009
Distinction plus Distinction
Distinction plus Merit
Merit plus Merit
Merit plus Pass
Pass plus Pass
GCE A Level equivalent
A and A
A and C
C and C
C and E
E and E
Number of students
10
3
2
1
3
WIS students 2010
Distinction, Distinction plus Distinction
Distinction plus Distinction
Distinction plus Merit
Merit plus Merit
Merit plus Pass
Pass plus Pass
GCE A Level equivalent Number of students
A, A and A
2
A and A
9
A and C
3
C and C
3
C and E
1
E and E
2
WIS students 2011
Distinction, Distinction plus Distinction
Distinction plus Distinction
Distinction plus Merit
Merit plus Merit
Merit plus Pass
Pass plus Pass
GCE A Level equivalent Number of students
A, A and A
5
A and A
11
A and C
2
C and C
2
C and E
0
E and E
3
SAT Scores Summary Data for Class of 2011
SAT 1 scores
Middle 50%
Mean
No. of students
tested
Critical Reading
520-670
596
37
Mathematics
610-720
660
37
Writing
540-670
611
37
WIS CEEB Code: 670777
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West Island School
250 Victoria Road
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
School Profile
Strength from Diversity
Inspiring students to become responsible global citizens
University Placements 2008 – 2011
West Island School students have been accepted into the following institutions:
UK institutions:
Aberystwyth, Aston, Bath, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Britannia Royal Navel College, Brunel,
Cambridge, Cardiff, Central School of Speech and Drama, Central St Martins, Chelsea College of Art & Design,
City University London, College of St Mark & St John, Coventry, De Montfort, Dundee, Durham, East Anglia,
Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier, Exeter, Glasgow, Goldsmith’s College University of London, Hertfordshire, Hull,
Imperial College University of London, Keele, Kent, King’s College University of London, Kingston, Lancaster,
Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan, Leeds Trinity & All Saints, Leicester, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores, London
College of Communication, London School of Political Science & Economics, London School of Fashion,
Loughborough, Manchester, Myerscough College of Higher Education, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northampton,
Nottingham, Nottingham Trent, Oxford, Oxford Brookes, Peninsula Medical School, Portsmouth, Queen Mary
University of London, Royal Holloway University of London, Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam, Southampton, St Andrews,
Stirling, Strathclyde, Swansea Metropolitan, Sussex, University College London University of London, University of
the Arts London, University of Creative Arts, University of Wales Institute Cardiff, University of Wales Swansea,
University of West England, Warwick, Westminster, Winchester, York
US institutions:
Academy of Art University San Francisco, American University, Bates College, Boston, California Institute of
Technology, California Polytechnic, California State, Chicago, Cornell, Duke, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University, Emory, Endicott College, Georgetown, George Washington, Illinois Urbana Champaign, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Miami, Michigan-Ann Arbor, Mills College, Mount Holyoke,
Montana State Bozeman, New York, New York Steinhardt, North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Northeastern, Ohio State,
Oregon, Parsons New School of Design, Pennsylvania State, Purdue, Rhode Island School of Design, Rochester
Institute of Technology, San Francisco, Savannah College of Art & Design, School of Visual Arts, Smith College,
Stanford, Texas-Austin, Texas-Dallas, Tufts, University of California Berkeley, University of California Los
Angeles, University of California San Diego, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Virginia,
Washington Seattle
Canadian Institutions:
Alberta, Alberta College of Art & Design, George Brown College of Applied Art & Technology, Guelph, McGill,
Ontario College of Art & Design, Ottawa, Queen’s University, Simon Fraser, Toronto, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver Film School, Western Ontario
HK institutions:
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Hong Kong Community College Hong
Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology,
University of Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong School of Professional & Continuing Education
Australian institutions:
Australian National University, International College of Hotel Management Adelaide, Monash University,
Queensland University of Technology, University of New South Wales, University of Sydney
Other institutions:
Beijing Language University, Hotel School of the Hague, Les Roches International School of Hotel Management,
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, St George’s Medical School Grenada, University of Delhi, Stellenbosch
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University, University of Pretoria, Waseda University
West Island School
250 Victoria Road
Pokfulam, Hong Kong
School Profile
Strength from Diversity
Inspiring students to become responsible global citizens
Beyond the Classroom
Leadership and Activities
The School offers a broad and dynamic range of leadership opportunities for students. The student
body is divided vertically into six “dynasty” houses to engage in competitive sports, service, fund
raising and creative activities. Students are elected as Dynasty Leaders and Head Students to
oversee for example, service committees. Students are also chosen to lead sports teams, organise
an annual cultural evening, school performances and mentor younger students. We offer a model
United Nations experience, Amnesty International involvement, debating teams, academic
competitions in Maths and creative writing as well as in chess and design, and engage in a wide
range of competitive sports tournaments across Hong Kong, and within the region.
Community Outreach
Upper School students are encouraged and committed to taking responsibility within the immediate
community as leaders and as active mentors to younger students in the wider Hong Kong
community through a strong programme in areas such as aiding street sleepers; teaching in a
partner school for the blind and the disabled and in a refugee centre and in environmental projects.
Internationally students have links with Cambodia where the School has built scores of houses, an
orphanage in Thailand, partner schools in Laos and Aceh. The School is committed to service in
each trip arranged. The School holds an annual Horizons Week where students can extend their
commitment to the areas of Action, Service and Creativity in Hong Kong and abroad to strengthen
these communal ties. All students in the Upper School must log their involvement as an
expectation.
Jane Foxcroft
Principal
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