HIKSVS International School is a unique collaboration between Hopeland International Kindergarten (HIK) and Sutton Valence School (SVS) in the UK. It is the very first stand-alone primary school, licensed by a UK independent preparatory school, in China. The Sutton Valence School Educational Ethos is expressed as the ‘Four Journeys’ undertaken by every pupil, woven into the timetable and the curriculum throughout every year group.
THE JOURNEY AS PART OF THE WIDER COMMUNITY
- A genuine community, ‘a family’, where ‘each cares for all and individuality is cherished’; where pupils take responsibility for one another as well as themselves
- The House system and extensive inter-House competition is a key feature; the four Houses named after castles in Kent, England
- A wide range of community events, engagement of staff and parents
THE ACADEMIC JOURNEY
- Academic challenge and support (including small group and individual help when required)
- A rich, stimulating and ‘warm’ classroom learning environment
THE JOURNEY OF ENRICHMENT
- A wide range of stimulating clubs and activities
- Outdoor learning through highly varied areas - wildlife area, garden, outdoor fort, green spaces, playground play zones and games
THE JOURNEY OF LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE
- School Captains, School Prefects, Team Captains, and other roles of responsibility
- Every child will be a member of and lead activities within four day Houses, providing inter-House competitions requiring hard work, teamwork, leadership, and above all the taking of initiative, which is itself rewarded in the House system.
HIKSVS International School seeks to combine the very best of the Socratic and Confucian traditions in education through following and promoting the UNESCO ‘Four Pillars of Learning’, expressed through the SVS ‘Four Journeys’. The UNESCO four pillars of learning are fundamental principles for reshaping education – the core aim of the Chinese government in setting out to create a ‘Learning Society’ in China and opening Chinese education to Socratic principles and to global cultural understanding.