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Moving on up: Applying to secondary schools in Hong Kong

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By Anne Murphy

Many parents and students worry about getting into the right secondary school. We all know a parent or two (or three) who feels that if their child doesn’t get into a top school they will be disadvantaged for life.

Here in Hong Kong, it’s easy to become infected with this kind of hysteria, with conversations revolving around where your child is going next— whether they’re going to stay in the same school for secondary or move on to another, whether they will wait to move for Sixth Form, whether they’ll get into Cambridge and so on…

It’s also common to hear people sharing admissions stories—some good, some bad and some downright scary! Whatever you’ve heard, the truth is that the secondary admissions process doesn’t need to be a stressful one, as long as you’re prepared.

Getting a foot in the door

For Year 7 entry, schools take many things into account, including grades, test scores, extracurricular activities and the all-important interview.

Spaces can be quite limited for Year 7 at certain schools, though not all, and if your child does not attend a ‘through-train’ school, or if you wish to switch your child from one school to another, there are a few options available. Don’t fret just yet!

On Lantau, the international school choices are Discovery Bay International School and Discovery College in Discovery Bay, and YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College in Tung Chung. There are also a number of schools outside of Lantau that accept students from the island.

Each school expects prospective students to sit an entrance test and to attend an interview with the head of school or a senior member of the teaching staff. Commonly, students are tested on their English comprehension and writing skills. Some schools also expect a child to complete a maths test, as well as a verbal and non-verbal reasoning test.

When preparing for these tests, students should ensure that all subjects are afforded attention, but should divide that attention proportionally according to their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s also a good idea for them to sit practice papers under exam conditions well in advance of the test date, in order to become comfortable with the examination environment. Structure your child’s preparation so that subject learning decreases and revision increases as the day approaches.

Preparation is key

It’s very common to hear teachers and admissions managers telling students that little—or even no—preparation is needed for interviews and that the head of school “just wants to know the real you,” and “all you have to do is be yourself.” To a point, this is very good advice, however it’s only part of the story. Who, in all honesty, would not want their son/ daughter to be well-prepared for their interview? While schools do genuinely want to know more about the prospective student, for more competitive interviews—perhaps for selective schools—the interviewer really wants to understand how a candidate’s mind works too.

So, is it possible to prepare for an interview? Yes, it absolutely is! But to do this effectively your child needs to practise thinking and putting their thinking processes into words.

Interviews and the art of conversation

For parents, the interview is the most dreaded part of the process. After all, most parents feel more responsible for their child’s social graces than they do for their maths skills.

“The worst thing is you don’t know what to expect,” says Judy Lynch, whose son was successfully interviewed, after his entrance test, for Harrow International School. “Most 11 year-olds are not used to talking formally to adults. They’re not used to presenting themselves in the way we know they need to. We’ve all heard stories of children being asked what they like doing at home and answering [that they] like playing computer games. It’s quite terrifying.”

If you can, talk to parents whose children have been interviewed at the school before to get an insight into what your child might be asked. Help your child to prepare by getting them to consider possible interview questions and to think about them in depth. They may be asked why they would like to come to the school or  whether they have applied to any other schools and, if so, why? It’s also common for interviewers to ask what the student can offer to the school and what they like to do in their free time. They may even be asked non-school related questions such as who they admire and why, or what interesting news stories are going on in the world at the moment.

On the day of the interview, dress appropriately—smart but casual—and try not to stress your child with last-minute instructions—you don’t want a child on the brink of tears when they walk through the door.

In the end, the most important thing is for everyone to try and stay relaxed. If you think the stress or pressure is getting to be too much, seeking the advice of confident academic consultants can reassure you and your child, so don’t be afraid to ask for help.


Contact Anne Murphy, director of ITS Education Asia (School Advisory Services) at [email protected], or visit www.itseducation.asia.


This article appears in The Best of Lantau 2017/ 18 annual guide. Read it online here or email [email protected] for your FREE copy.

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