Kellett Kowloon Bay Preparatory School

What The Good Schools Guide International says

Head of school

Since 2024, Rebecca Findlay, BEd NPQH. Previous leadership and teaching positions at state and independent schools in the UK. Has spent the last decade in international schools: deputy head teacher at The British School in The Netherlands and head of primary at The International School @ ParkCity, Kuala Lumpur. Ms Findlay draws upon these experiences to deliver the very best primary education she is so passionate about.

Positive feedback from parents, who disclose the prep community ‘exhaled a huge sigh of relief’ on her appointment. Parents are hopeful Ms Findlay will stay beyond five years, the duration of her previous roles.

By her own admission, she is ‘always a teacher at heart’. The magical pirate ship dominating the early years play area in the central atrium was born from her watching children play on a plain wooden structure, developing it further (with input from teaching staff) into the imaginative and creative play space we saw on our visit.

Instantly likeable and popular with her students, her campus tours are like royal walkabouts. On our visit she returned to her office laden with gifts from the children. She chats with most of them - her mission to learn each child’s name has started on a positive footing.

She likes nothing more than getting down with the children, literally sitting on the floor with them in one of her favourite spaces, the play area for reception class. This hands-on approach continues into the upper years when she conducts critical thinking lessons for years 5 and 6 raising thought-provoking dinner table discussions for family time such as ‘Is graffiti art, or the destruction of property?’.

With two daughters out in Asia, one training to be a teacher in Kuala Lumpur, her second daughter has slotted into sixth form life here with comparable ease. A large smile appears on her face as she tells us she barely sees her; acknowledging this as a good sign, her daughter drops into her office on occasion, mainly when she needs lunchtime money!

Principal and CEO, since April 2024, Paul Tough BA MA. Formerly principal at The British School in Tokyo, he arrived off the back of high praise flowing out of that community. A return to Hong Kong (previous head of Discovery Bay International School and deputy principal of West Island School), he is delighted to be back in his old stomping ground, spending the first few months getting under the skin of the Kellett community, talking to staff, parents, and students alike.

Entrance

Key entry points in reception and year 1. Two form entry (as opposed to three at Pok Fu Lam). There are currently wait lists for both years. Prospective parents aren’t put off, prepared to wait for those gold dust places. School tours continue unabated along with open evenings; six hundred through the door on their most recent one, a live link to the atrium for those who couldn’t secure a seat inside the auditorium.

Previously acknowledged that you had to put your child’s name down at birth, it is terrifyingly close to that once more. Parents required to specify campus preference on application, there is no switching to the other campus once a place has been allocated.

Exit

Unless there is a family relocation, majority of students head across the ‘corridor’ at the end of year 6 into senior school. This rite of passage sees graduating prep classes from both campuses merge into one cohort.

Previous exodus in years 5 and 6 for boarding school has diminished. Those intending to head to the UK or elsewhere should note that the school does not provide exam preparation or interview practice. Student reference provided by Kellett, for a fee; external invigilation at the British Council.

Teaching and learning

Passionate, driven, dedicated and caring teachers work here. Visibly supported by the head, enthusing teachers to work to the best of their ability. Early years follow EYFS, moving onto the English national curriculum as they progress through prep.

Academically in line with many of the top schools in the UK, maths and English in particular, parents are plugged into this knowledge and constantly make the comparison. We spotted one child in class working out a maths equation on his wipeable desk, with cries of ‘too easy!’

Mandarin taught from reception, less intensively than in seniors but parents say it is hard for non-native students to get a good grasp of the language. Two streams: near native (taught solely in Mandarin) and non-native. Plans afoot for the library to stock a diverse range of language books.

Learning support and SEN

The provision has vastly improved with a dedicated and recently updated additional support needs (ASN) classroom and teaching staff. For those that don’t need learning support per se, extra support is offered (by class teachers) at the start of the day - to help with phonics or reading to bring them up to speed. Teachers go above and beyond; parents notice and appreciate.

Language support

Many students are bilingual but need to be fully fluent in English to access the curriculum. As such, there is no language support provided.

The arts and extracurricular

A fabulous art room, complete with a passionate and talented art teacher, who shares her own work with students on a regular basis to inspire them.

Year 6 graduate portraits adorning one wall were of such a high calibre that we questioned whether they had been done by a teacher. Not so! Each student sketched them using a grid technique. Art club is highly popular and over-subscribed, the art teacher and assistant informing us with wide smiles that ‘they just can’t turn anyone away’. An impressive display of pottery on show at the entrance to the art room by year 5s, who created digital sketches of the Hong Kong skyline before applying them to their ceramic vessels. Reassuring to see Christmas decorations being re-used for Diwali celebrations, all in line with school's sustainability mantra.

Innovation (akin to a maker space) occupies one area of the atrium, neatly stacked to one side when not in use. Popular with the children, a few parents have raised the issue of having a separate DT offering instead of it being under the guise of innovation.

Extracurricular activities (ECAs) from year 1. There is a limit to how many the younger years can do. Most sports on offer as an ECA, music and drama offering highly popular too.

Sport

Use of the swimming pool is limited, much to parent frustration, timetabled into one six-week teaching block. No offering for those in reception, although under consideration.

Inter-school competitions have gone from strength to strength thanks to a new director of sport who has worked with students across the whole school. A positive uptick is that there are more opportunities for students to be in more teams. Parents would love to see more students invited to watch prep and senior sporting fixtures to inspire and fuel those passionate about sport.

Ethos and heritage

Kellett was founded by a group of parents in 1976 as a non-profit organisation to provide a British education to the English-speaking community within Hong Kong. The thriving prep school expanded in 2010 to include a senior school which along with an additional prep school moved into a brand-new campus, Kowloon Bay, in 2013.

The campus, surrounded by an industrial landscape with little residential housing, is as easily accessible to those residing on Hong Kong Island as those in the New Territories or Kowloon. The early start ensures that parents can drop off before the arduous traffic builds up in the cross-harbour tunnels into the city (which has considerably eased in the last few years thanks to a new tunnel and an alignment of cost). There is an efficient one-way system for morning drop off, afternoon pick up involves parking up and collecting in person. Parents can opt for the school bus or for independent travel using public transport (year 5 and above and only if they have a mobile phone, the norm in Hong Kong).

The modern purpose-built structure reflects its surroundings and is in excellent condition. The campus is large, light, and spacious. Although the two schools have shared spaces (the huge entrance atrium, dining room, swimming pool and sky pitch) they are in effect separate, each with its own entrance, allowing the prep school to flourish away from the seemingly daunting senior students.

Two outside play areas provide space for students to stretch their legs. The designated areas for reception and year 1 is on the small side but the students seem happy enough, with years 2 and above using the larger area of the sky pitch on the roof. The younger years (reception, year 1 and year 2) enjoy further play spaces in the prep atrium.

Classrooms are positioned around the outside of the large atrium, mimicking the senior layout, with older years positioned on the floor above the younger years. All classrooms are bright with windows facing outward and inward into the atrium, for observation. Space, although not cramped, is at a premium.

Lovely theatre which sees weekly assemblies being put on by different year groups. Along with musicals (years 5 and 6), parent information and briefing sessions and the all-important year 6 graduation; it is a well-used space.

Previous system of lunch in the classroom has been changed, much to the relief of parents. Staggered lunch times see younger students eating before senior students in the Harbour dining room, with the option to order a hot meal - a welcome adjustment.

Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline

Charity initiatives are instilled early on via Kellett Cares. Students raise money for external charities, anything from dress up days to creating and selling christmas cards and wrapping paper. Students totally onboard and do so with enthusiasm.

Inclusion is key, an over-riding message throughout prep. A unique display outside of each classroom unites classmates. Ranging from passions and interests to nationalities, we particularly liked one display with jigsaw imagery, each piece a different child, slotting together as one.

Class teachers are first point of call if problems arise, parents kept abreast either through direct email or via the Kellett learning diary. Fabulous wellbeing team; visible throughout the day, they are positioned between prep and senior with a direct link through an open door from the prep atrium. They have eyes on the children who need it, as well as those who don’t.

Classroom and community

Parent volunteering is hugely popular for both working and non-working parents. Engaged and involved, there is no shortage of parent support, especially for trips outside the campus when they are always ‘inundated with volunteers’.

Parent stress levels rocket up at the end of year 6 when intensive planning goes into graduation celebrations and one-upmanship prevails over the production of a red book celebrating the child’s journey at Kellett prep with photos, artwork and messages.

Students seem genuinely happy. On our visit there were lots of smiles and happy chatter, even while learning in the classroom. Cohesiveness reinforced by the recent introduction of a house system, separate from the senior house system (unclear why), students champion their house and learn to unite across year groups.

Where possible, events held throughout the year unify students across both prep campuses, from sports days to visiting lectures and global outlook (GO) week. The ultimate highlight is a trip to Beijing in year 6. Seen as the pinnacle of the prep years, students adore this experience; a dabble with independence they visibly grow up overnight.

Money matters

After the initial debenture outlay, fees are undeniably less expensive than a UK prep school, parents are aware of this. Additional costs include bus fees, lunch (subsidised), uniform, overseas visits, exams and some ECAs.

Bursaries on offer to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, most come through the school’s outreach programme held on campus on the weekends. Scholarships awarded to prep students at the end of year 6.

The last word

Kellett is a stand-alone brand with its own dynamic force offering students an outstanding prep education within the framework of the English national curriculum. A well-balanced school, with caring, dedicated and driven teachers. Demand for places is high, our advice is to get your child’s name down early, possibly before they can walk.