Island School (Chinese: 港島中學) is a co-educational international school located on the Mid-levels, Hong Kong. Established in 1967, it is a founding member of the English Schools Foundation. The school has been accredited by international organisations such as the Council of International Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The school currently houses over 1,200 students across 33 nationalities.
The school has relocated itself twice since its establishment. Using the site of a former British military hospital from 1967 to 1972, the school permanently settled in 20 Borrett Road, Mid-Levels from 1972 to 2017. However, due to redevelopment work, the school temporarily moved to two campuses in Sha Tin District from December 2017. The school has since returned to 20 Borrett Road as of August 2022 after 4 years of redevelopment work.
Island School is a registered IB World School and offers the IB diploma program along with an alternative BTEC program in the senior years. Island School also offers the IGCSE in Years 10-11.
History
The school opened in 1967 to meet increasing demand for schooling for the children of expatriates living in Hong Kong. As there were no secondary schools for English speaking children on Hong Kong Island, the Hong Kong government established the English Schools Foundation (ESF) in 1965 to provide additional schools for expatriate British children. Island School was the first ESF secondary school, adopting the Chinese name of 英童中學, literally translated as "Secondary school for British children". It was located in a former British military hospital from 1967-72 until it permanently settled in 20 Borrett Road, Mid-Levels from 1972-2017.
The first principal of Island School was the Reverend Geoffrey Speak who was appointed from St Paul's College in 1967. Rev. Speak, a graduate of Selwyn College, Cambridge, combined the principalship with managing the ESF between 1967 and 1971, during a rather inauspicious time. In 1967 the Cultural Revolution was in its throes with bombs detonated in Central, water was rationed to four hours every fourth day and with Prime Minister Wilson's devaluation the prospect of working in Hong Kong became less financially appealing. The Rev. Speak will be remembered at Island School for his introduction of the "House System" as the basis of pastoral care and for teaching, a system which is still in place today, and as a pioneer of extracurricular activities.
In 1971 C. Ronald Rivers-Moore was appointed to succeed Rev. Speak as principal. Rivers-Moore, a Cambridge graduate, continued Rev. Speak's vision both in academic policy and through the continuation of the extracurricular program. The introduction of the Nepal Trek, the School Camp, a school zoo and the Student Union are examples of his commitment to that vision. Chris Forse, former Deputy Head and Island School Historian, referred to Rivers-Moore as a man who combined his "integrity with liberal benevolence in roughly equal proportions".
Succeeding Rivers-Moore in 1978 was Charles Jonathan Driver (commonly known as "Jonty Driver"), a graduate of Trinity College, Oxford. Driver had been the President of the National Union of Students in South Africa and had been detained by Police in this role for his opposition to apartheid. Driver extended the Island School curriculum to include Drama, Photography and Computing and a pastoral curriculum. A believer in community education, Driver founded the Island School Evening Institute which provided adult education to parents and friends of the Island School community. It was also during Driver's tenure that Island School's lasting student periodical, "The Islet", was established, succeeding the original student newspaper "The Echo". Jonty left Island School in 1983 to become Headmaster at Berkhamsted School, later moving to the prestigious Wellington College in Berkshire. He later published a book about his experiences, at Island School and others, under the title "Some Schools".
Dr. Colin Niven, a graduate of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and Brasenose College, Oxford, was principal of Island School between 1983–1988. During his tenure, Dr. Niven raised the prestige of the school internationally, tripling Oxbridge entries while gaining membership of the elite Headmasters Conference. There was a major investment in a new library and the school uniform was replaced. After leaving Island School Dr. Niven became a fellow at Westminster College, Oxford and later the principal at the prestigious Alleyn's School in London.