Principal’s Message
Dear Parents, Staff, Students and Friends of WIS,
It was a real pleasure to attend the ESF Chairman’s Awards last week and recognise excellence amongst our students. West Island students achieved another set of exceptional outcomes. The largest cohort of students taking the IB achieved 100% pass rate, with seven students achieving the sought after bi-lingual diploma. Our overall average score is 6.6 points ahead of the world average which compares very favourably worldwide.
One of our shared beliefs in teaching the IB is the value of teaching Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and Extended Essay. They are some of the best preparation students receive for advanced study and I regularly receive feedback from Universities who welcome applications from West Island students because of their rounded and mature approach to learning. 75% attained A-B in TOK and 62% attained A-B in their extended essay.
Of equal value are the achievements of our BTEC students who have also demonstrated some of the highest attainment to date. The number of students who choose BTEC courses and the variety of course combinations allows us to personalise learning. 100% of learners passed, 57.1% achieved Distinction or above and 95% achieved Merit or above. BTEC graduates have an impressive range of choices for their future careers in Engineering, Business and Performing Arts at universities from Exeter to Edinburgh Napier.
Preparation for this year’s careers talks has already started and we were delighted to host University College London to talk with students about admissions and writing personal statements.
There are many students to congratulate for their endeavours during the summer. Well done to Erin Rose Brown for receiving her award of Outstanding Female Athlete of the year. At the same ceremony, West Island School received third place in the Bauhinia Bowl. Well done to sports teams and athletes in WIS who helped us achieve this, just a small push next year to beat St Paul’s Secondary School.
Virginie Ding in Year 11 is also achieving in the top of her field and has been selected to represent Hong Kong at the 13th National Games of China. This athletic event is hosted every four years and is deemed the highest-level sporting event in China. Virginie will join three other women golf players to compete against all provinces of China.
It was great to hear from Professor Wu at Chinese University Hong Kong who let us know that James Hooi (Class of 2013) has been part of a research team that has published the first meta-analysis of the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection. The infection can be found in over two thirds of the world’s population and the published results will have significant impact for clinical practice. His Science teachers have told me they were often kept entertained by his curious mind. James has offered to come and talk to any potential medical students from West Island later in the year.
Our very recent graduate Alumni, Aminah Nihal (Class of 2017) has also been busy and is currently representing West Island School at a conference held at the United Nations in New York. Aminah will be talking about the impact of the UN on women’s rights in economically developing nations.
And so to business, we have settled our new Year 7 students, congratulated the returning Year 12 on their early iGCSE results (more to come next Thursday) and begun our learning in earnest. As you update your calendar for the year, don’t forget the calendar icon on the website which is updated regularly and will keep you well prepared.
For the time being, please note the following big dates for all families in our community:
22 October 2017 – ESF Family Fun Day
6 December 2017 – ESF 50 Year Gala Dinner
10 March 2018 – WIS Fair
Yours,
Christopher Sammons
(Principal)
