Kellett Kowloon Bay Preparatory School

What The Good Schools Guide International says

Interim head of school

Since Aug 2023, Shane Nathan. A management advisor and former head of primary at the British School Jakarta, Mr Nathan will hold the role of interim head of school before Rebecca Findlay joins as head in the summer of 2024.

Mr Nathan brings extensive experience in senior leadership of international primary schools. He spent the last 12 years in various roles at the not-for-profit British School Jakarta having been head of primary for nine years, interim principal for over a year and most recently management advisor (due to age limits for teaching visas). Previously he was head of the international school Brunei and deputy head at The English Speaking School (DESS) Dubai.

Principal and CEO
Since April 2024, Paul Tough, formerly principal at The British School of Tokyo, Japan.

Entrance

Waitlists in place, families can secure debentures for priority (individual or corporate). Many parents get names down early but places do come up, particularly further up the school. Recent political upheavals and the pandemic saw families moving out of the territory and as such more places became available (as was the case with most international schools in Hong Kong).

An additional number of ‘British’ schools opening in Hong Kong has further relieved Kellett of some of this pressure. The application forms are less onerous than other schools and the assessment process reasonable. But parents must be honest with any special needs or issues. They will try their best to cater for all abilities, within reason, but if any detail is omitted (deliberately hidden rather than undiagnosed needs) the child could be asked to leave.

Transferring into Kellett is non-selective, but from year 5 onwards students must take a maths and English test. Many move to Kellett from IB schools at this point, especially if they want to study in the UK further down the line. Some also from ‘Chinese’ or ‘bilingual’ schools once they have got their Chinese language skills up to a good level.

Families come and go in Hong Kong all the time, pupils are well used to students leaving and arriving and are exceptionally welcoming to those who are new. But with limited places being offered, families tend to be fairly committed long-term Hong-Kongers.

Exit

Most go to Kellett senior school, a few go to weekly board at Harrow Hong Kong with most others to boarding school in UK. The Kellett alumni group is a growing and supportive worldwide association (the OKs!).

Students are well versed in the English national curriculum, so if they move to UK at any point up to the end of year 6, they shouldn’t have many (academic) transition issues.

However, if the child needs to take any sort of entry test to prep (7/8+) or senior school, either for year 7 (11+) or year 9 (13+) entry, the school will not prepare them for these tests (which often start in the autumn term of Year 6). Children will therefore need at least some sort of external tutoring in exam technique or interview practice.

The school will give a special (and we hear ‘very useful’) school report for each potential school, but the exams will have to be taken externally. As Kellett has its own senior school, it would prefer students to stay, but understands that - due to relocation and other reasons - families often need to move back to UK, so is ‘supportive but not encouraging.’

Teaching and learning

National curriculum of England is the framework, but with the flexibility you would expect from a high performing independent day school. Non-selective, so all children are catered for to the best of their abilities. There's emphasis on each child reaching his or her academic potential rather than encouraging competition between them.

Unlike many schools in Hong Kong, Kellett is not a highly pressurised or stressful school. However, the parents here tend to be successful and supportive, so expectations are high – and largely met with the help of well-qualified, passionate teachers. It is definitely cool here to work hard and do well, in terms of academic, music, sport and drama. No-one is above joining in and having a go.

Being a purpose-built campus with two form entry, space is not a barrier to learning and children are subtly streamed in subjects such as Chinese and maths. Parents across both campuses say they would like more Mandarin taught, so we were pleased to see a KS1 Chinese class conducted entirely in the target language, and can report that the quality of teaching was good.

Children are assessed at the beginning of the year (INCAS) and at the end of the year (GL tests), with scores used to identify any areas of need or areas for development/further challenge for individual students and to benchmark the school against national/international standards. Parent-teacher meetings take place twice a year and detailed reports are given at the end of the year. In the meantime, the teachers are available on email and are happy to arrange one-on-one meetings with parents at any other time.

While laptops are used in the prep school, there is still an emphasis on handwriting and most work is still done in exercise books (much to the relief of many parents who get nervous about too much computer use). Handwriting should be neat and marking is done clearly and explicitly. Homework is set on Google Classroom in the upper years, preparing the children for senior school levels of independence, which the children deal with better than most parents.

Learning support and SEN

Kellett is non-selective but parents must be explicit about any special needs a child may have, as provision (although excellent) is limited to those who can thrive in a supportive mainstream environment. The inclusion co-ordinator recently spoke on dyslexia at the Asia-Pacific International Schools Conference, so the children are in expert hands.

Language Support

English is the language of the classroom and the language of the playground. There is no formal ESL provision as children are expected to speak English as a first language.

The arts and extracurricular

Head of art enthuses the children to such a level that the output is extraordinary for a primary school. As the campus is new and modern, the displayed art work and instillations give it some much-needed personality. An artist-in-residence recently produced an impressive piece which every single child and member of staff collaborated on.

Sport

As with most schools in Hong Kong, outdoor space is an issue and the school days are short, pupils are bussed home by 3pm. As such limited amount of sport during the school day and relatively few matches against other schools (by UK standards who allow for sport / matches within the longer school day). Competitive sport is generally done through paid-for ECAs or arranged by parents out of school (external sports clubs).

Despite all of this, Kellett children are a sporty bunch and when they do take part in Hong-Kong wide competitions, they can hold their own. And luckily there are ECA buses, which are a huge plus for the parents (‘would be impossible’ without them).

Sports Day becomes more competitive as the children reach the top two years, with a combined Kowloon Bay and Pokfulam sports day. Kowloon Bay definitely holds its own laying claim on numerous occasions to the year 6 trophy. Kowloon Bay children are also able to use the spanking new ‘ozone’ (no clorine) on-site swimming pool, so we expect great things from swimmers, too.

Ethos and heritage

The campus was completed and opened in 2013. While most things are done the same at the two primary campuses (eg the primary school children eat lunch at their desks rather than use the senior school canteen), a few things that continue on to the senior school (eg the Kellett Learner Profile). By and large, though – and with the exception of the vast entrance lobby - the two schools are purposefully kept very separate, allowing for the primary school to feel like a small school, where everyone knows everyone, rather than overwhelming the younger children.

The location of the campus caused some raised eyebrows at first as it is relatively inaccessible and in the middle of industrial Kowloon, with very few residential properties near-by. However, the design of the building cleverly mirrors the industrial style (the school wisely ‘refused’ to refurbish an old school, insisting on building from scratch), while at the same time being comfortable and exceptionally light.

The classrooms are the best we’ve seen in Hong Kong, both in terms of size and lightness. All the mod-cons are there, as well as year-group colour-coded chairs and tables. All classrooms are spread across two floors (younger years below, older above) around a central atrium with windows across the entire length of two walls. This allows an incredible amount of light in and also allows anyone in the atrium to look into the classroom. Teaching and learning can therefore be continually observed and both teachers and students are fully used to this level of casual observation (they didn't even look up at us).

The school is owned by the parents (all pay a small annual sub to join the Kellett Association) and this is very evident in the involvement level of the parents who make up a high percentage of the school board. These board members appoint the heads of school and have appointed a new overall principal.

There is no house system in the prep school, although some parents feel this could be a way to encourage team spirit and create unity across the two prep campuses. Each class votes for school council representatives (like a prefect), who meet once a week to discuss issues such as sustainability and suggestions for fun, charitable events such as Feel Good Friday.

Sustainability is big at Kellett, evident by bins collecting plastic bottles (to be made into sports kit), as well as recycling bins everywhere. Although the children and staff seem completely on message with this, the school has commissioned a sustainability audit to formulate a future action plan.

There is talk about putting in solar panels and a traffic light system in classrooms to let the students know how much power they have left that day (which would mean laptops off, pen and paper out!). We can’t wait to see if ground-breaking initiatives like this are put into place.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

The school emphasises the importance of giving to those in need, particularly through its Kellett Cares programme (run by a committee of parents), which is integrated into almost all school events and School Council initiatives.

Discipline is neither too relaxed nor severe. The school rules are clear and known by all students, and by all accounts encourage the development of a strong moral code and sense of justice that has been instilled at school and at home.

There is very little bullying and if there were, it would be dealt with swiftly. The school tends to look at the problem holistically, counselling both victim and perpetrator.

Pupils and Parents

Most families are British, followed by Australian, European, and a (very) few local Chinese families. Entry is recommended as early as possible, with no passport priority, but English must be the first language, and is the only language spoken in the playground.

There are no nationality cliques here. Despite the numerous British franchise schools opening in Hong Kong, Kellett is still the most popular school for British nationals. It has a 40-year track record and is a brand in itself, rather than being an import of a British boarding school. There are some alumni who are now sending their children here (they get entry priority).

Families come from all over the territory, but due to the location, generally ‘island families’ stick to the island and go to the Pokufulam campus, whereas those in Clearwater Bay, Sai Kung, Kowloon and New Territories or those with older children in the senior school choose Kowloon Bay. There is no catchment area, many parents just prefer one campus over another. However, no switching is allowed once the choice has been made.


While the location is ‘tricky’, and tunnel traffic from the island can be bad at times, school and ECA buses are available. The school points out that there are 800 car parking spaces nearby, so parking is better than the Pokfulam campus.

There is less of a school gate culture in Kowloon as children tend to either take the bus or car share. However, there is still a huge amount of parent involvement, volunteering and socialising. There are lots of class drinks and coffee mornings for parents, and parents are able to use the senior (Starbucks-esque) school café.

Money Matters

School fees are reasonable by Hong Kong standards (the ‘new’ British schools end up being a lot more). Debentures are available if you absolutely cannot wait for your turn on the waiting list.

The last word

Kellett Kowloon Bay combines the traditions and track-record of Kellett with a stunning, innovative campus. Ideal for those who want a well-balanced British education among a predominantly British peer group. This impressive building has been designed to enjoy the benefits of a large through-school, while remaining small and personable.