Introducing Sophie Che, HQP Principal

Ahead of the opening of their first bilingual classes in Early Years in January 2025, Sophie Che, Hanqing Bilingual Pathway (HQP) Chinese Principal took some time out of her schedule to describe her journey to joining Shrewsbury and the unique attributes of this new bilingual offering.

‘Hong Kong has a unique pull, especially for families from mainland China - and the quality of international education is at the top of the list. From my initial interactions with the team at Shrewsbury it was clear that high quality teaching and learning is at the centre of everything the school does. A setting exclusively for younger children, I could see how well students are cared for and how their involvement in the direction of the school supports their personal and academic growth. Joining the community has been a great honour and privilege and I look forward to contributing to the School’s growth.’

‘The Hanqing Pathway is a culturally rich programme of study that supports the development of native or near-native level Chinese and international standard English. It is designed for parents who want their children to develop high levels of English proficiency, whilst enhancing the depth of their appreciation for the Chinese language and its cultural context. Graduates will carry the knowledge and skills that allow for seamless entry into the wide range of secondary schools familiar to all other Shrewsbury students - they have full access to international school curricula and will be ready to study the Chinese language at first language level.’

‘The HQP has been developed bespoke. Delivery will draw upon the skills of an exceptionally talented and generously appointed academic team, with a current ratio of one teacher for every seven students on roll. Offering a harmonious balance, Chinese and English will be used within each classroom everyday and language instruction guided by native speakers. Chinese Mathematics will be taught by a specialist teacher, capable of providing bilingual instruction, so as to ready students for entry into an international programme at the point of graduation. HQP students will benefit from more specialist instruction within the fields of Aquatics, Music and Physical Education and enjoy full access to the facilities held within our award winning campus.’

‘With an exceptional founding team already onboard, and the Early Years curriculum design complete, I look forward to extending this into the Primary Years in August 2025.’

Those keen to learn more are warmly encouraged to register for an upcoming information session here.