FAQs
General Information
When did Harrow Hong Kong open?
Opened in September 2012, Harrow International School Hong Kong is the first international boarding and day school in Hong Kong.
How many pupils are in Harrow?
Our School has approximately 1,500 pupils from 36 different countries.
What time does the day start and end?
Morning registration starts at 8:10 am for all pupils.
Our EYC pupils end their day at 2:00 pm, our Lower School pupils end their day at 3:30 pm, and our Upper School pupils finish at 4:30 pm. Although pupils in the Lower School and Upper School have Co-curricular activities available to them after school, ending at 4:30 pm for Lower School pupils and around 5:45 pm for Upper School pupils.
Can my family visit the school?
Harrow arranges Open Events for prospective families to visit the school.
You can find information about our Open Events via https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/admissions/visit-us/.
Are there school buses?
The School has a mandatory bus policy and its bus service is currently run by Chun Wo Bus Services Limited. The bus service operates routes to and from Hong Kong Island (including Stanley), Kowloon, Discovery Bay, Tung Chung, Gold Coast, Siu Lam, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long.
The School’s Operations Officer – Transport and Trips, Ms. Eliza Lau (elau@harrowschool.hk), liaises with Chun Wo Bus Services Limited on the day-to-day running of the bus service and handles individual queries from parents. Questions about the service more generally, the fees, and the routes should be addressed to Chun Wo Bus Services Limited via telephone on +852 2683 5266, or email at harrow@chunwobus.com
Where can I get school uniforms?
School uniforms can be purchased from the online store (https://www.ha.ufsonline.com.hk/), School Shop, or the shop in Lai Chi Kok.
The School shop opens on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 08:30am to 2:30pm during normal school days.
The Lai Chi Kok shop is located at:
8 Floor, China Pacific Industrial Building,
No. 10 Wing Hong Street,
Lai Chi Kok
Tel. (852) 3598 0073
Enquiry email: uniform_info@midasltd-hk.com
WhatsApp & WeChat: 9540 2814
Admissions, Fees, and Scholarships
How do I apply to the School?
Families can apply for a place 1-2 years before the date of the admission.
Please refer to our the information below with regard to Admissions – https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/admissions/admissions-timeline/ – and our age guideline for the appropriate year group – https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/admissions/age-guidelines/.
Please apply via our online application system. More details can be found https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/admissions/applicationform/.
For further information, please contact the Admissions department at admissions@harrowschool.hk or +852 28249099.
What is the assessment date and format?
We begin our assessments around one year before the year of intended entry.
Please refer to our key dates for the approximate date for your applying year group – https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/admissions/admissions-timeline/.
The assessment system evaluates the current level of proficiency in English of the applicants in an age-appropriate way in different age groups, in addition to their academic performance, co-curricular interests, and their potential to thrive in and contribute to the School’s diverse international community.
Please find out more about the assessment format at https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/admissions/assessments/.
What are the tuition and boarding fees?
Please visit https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/admissions/fees/ for a detailed breakdown of the current tuition and boarding fees.
Are Capital Certificates/Debenture a requirement for entry?
Pupils are not required to purchase Individual Capital Certificates or Debentures to enter the School. As no further batches of Individual Capital Certificates and Debentures are expected to be issued in the future, for pupils without Capital Certificates and Debentures, there is an annual payment of the Capital Levy.
The payment is non-interest bearing, non-refundable, and non-transferable. The levy amount is reviewed each year. The current annual Capital Levy charge is HK$60,000 per year per pupil.
Do you offer Scholarships?
Harrow Hong Kong offers Scholarships to the brightest and most talented pupils in order to support, nurture, and challenge their talent or academic prowess and dedication. We offer scholarships for Year 6 entry, Year 9 entry, and Year 12 entry.
For further information, please visit https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/admissions/scholarships-and-bursaries/ or contact us via scholarships@harrowschool.hk.
Do you offer Bursaries?
Harrow Hong Kong offers bursaries to ensure that talented pupils, irrespective of their parents’/guardians’ income, have the opportunity to access a Harrow education. The Admissions Department should be informed at the application stage if parents would like their child to be considered for a bursary.
For further information, please visit https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/admissions/scholarships-and-bursaries/ or contact us via scholarships@harrowschool.hk.
School Curriculum – Academics, CCAs/SCAs
What curriculum does Harrow follow?
Harrow follows the UK National Curriculum.
The Early Years (Nursery and Reception) follows the English-based ‘Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (England and Wales)’.
The Pre-Prep School (Year 1 to Year 5) follows the English-based ‘National Curriculum of England’ with additional stretch and challenge work.
The Prep School (Year 6 to Year 8) offers a skills-based framework centred around the UK National Curriculum plus, designed to manage the transition from the Pre-Prep School to the more subject-specific curriculum in the Upper School.
The Senior School (Year 9 to Year 11) curriculum is based on IGCSE and GCSE courses studied over three years.
The Sixth Form (Year 12 to Year 13) curriculum is based on A level courses studied over two years, together with the Extended Project Qualification.
What is the language of instruction and what foreign languages does Harrow offer?
English is the inclusive language of the classroom, playground and boarding Houses for all pupils, irrespective of their mother languages.
In addition to English, all pupils have the option of studying Chinese (Mandarin), French, and Spanish.
When do pupils start to learn Chinese and how many lessons do they learn?
Pupils start Chinese lessons from Nursery. Year 1-2 pupils have 8 hours of lessons per fortnight, Year 3-9 pupils have 6 hours of lessons per fortnight. In Year 10 and 12, pupils have the option of taking Chinese at GCSE and A level.
Our pupils learn Simplified Chinese.
What are the university destinations for your graduates?
We support our pupils in their university applications wherever they decide to apply with many often applying to more than one country. We currently have alumni studying in the UK (Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL, Imperial College, Bristol, Durham, and top ten, G5 and other Russell Group institutions), the US (Yale, Columbia, UPenn, UC Berkeley, NYU and others), Hong Kong (HKU, CUHK, and HKUST), Canada (the University of Toronto and McGill) and Australia (University of Sydney).
You may find out more about last year’s university destinations at https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/academic/sixth-form/university-destinations/.
What kind of co-curricular activities does Harrow offer?
The Harrow Horizons Programme immerses pupils in a vibrant menu of opportunities and challenges through sport, charity and service, expeditions, drama, art, music, and academic extension.
Our Super-Curriculum Activities (SCA) Programme is a part of the school day. Pupils in Year 1-13 choose two SCAs. We believe that Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) broaden horizons, and instil a sense of adventure, leadership, teamwork, and decision-making, complementing what takes place in the academic curriculum and Super-Curriculum. You can view the Lower School SCAs & CCAs at https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/harrow-horizons/lower-school/
You can view the Upper School SCAs & CCAs at https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/harrow-horizons/upper-school/
What is Harrow’s special education needs provision?
For pupils enrolled who have identified learning difficulties, intellectual giftedness, or multiple exceptionalities, the Individual Needs Department coordinates interventions while monitoring pupil progress and wellbeing. The Individual Needs Department works alongside the Language and Learning Department, Counselling, and Class Teachers to ensure that the academic, social, and pastoral needs of pupils are met through quality differentiation and effective collaboration between educational stakeholders.
Boarding and Pastoral
How many pupils are weekly boarders?
Approximately 40% of our Upper School pupils are weekly boarders.
What is a normal schedule for boarders?
A day in boarding is full of purpose, activity, and a mixture of academic studies and Co-Curricular activities.
6.45 AM Wake up
7.15 AM Boarders to breakfast
8.00 AM Day pupils arrive and Call-over for the whole House
8.15 AM Period 1
9.15 AM Period 2
10.10 AM Break (snacks, which are brought to the House)
10.35 AM Period 3
11.35 AM Period 4
12.40 PM Period 5 (Lunch and Call-over)
1.35 PM Period 6
2.35 PM Period 7
3.35 PM Period 8
4.30 PM Day pupils sign out to go home
4.45 PM Co-Curricular Activities or Lectures etc.
6.00 PM Supper for Prep Houses
6.30 PM Supper for Senior Houses
6.50 PM Call-over in House for boarders
7.00 PM Prep (Wednesdays are prep-free in the Prep School Houses)
8.45 PM – 10.30 PM Staggered bedtimes in House depending on Year Group
How many pupils share a room?
Pupils in the Prep School usually share their rooms with 3-4 other pupils their age.
Pupils in the Senior School usually share their rooms with 2-3 other pupils their age.
Pupils in the Sixth Form usually share their rooms with another pupil their age or have their own individual room.
How many houses are there?
We have 4 Prep Boys’ houses and 3 Prep Girls’ houses – one of the Boys’ houses is for day pupils only. You can find more details at https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/pastoral-boarding/houses/prep-houses/
We have 4 Senior Boys’ houses and 4 Senior Girls’ houses – one of the Boys’ houses and two of the Girls’ houses are for day pupils only. You can find more details at https://www.harrowhongkong.hk/his/pastoral-boarding/houses/senior-houses/
Please do not hesitate to contact our Admissions Department if you have any further questions, we would be more than happy to assist.