We hear from the teams at Malvern College Pre-School (MCPS) and Malvern College Hong Kong (MCHK) about what’s in store for 2025/26.
New & Notable at Malvern College Pre-School
Updates from:
NATALIE GLEESON (English Principal, Coronation Circle Campus)
EMMA-JANE RITCHIE (English Principal, Island West Campus)
VIRGINIA LIAO (Chinese Principal, Island West & Coronation Circle Campuses)
#1 Key focus of Malvern College Pre-School
This year, we’re really excited about building strong, positive relationships with our new pre-nursery children and their families across both campuses. It’s a great way for everyone to feel welcomed and comfortable from the start. For children already in K1 and K2, the focus is on nurturing their growth and supporting their ongoing development. We also have our wonderful Culturama event planned which celebrates children from all around the world through hands-on activities and experiential learning – this was first introduced last year and was very popular. We aim to make it even more memorable this year!
In addition, Malvern College Pre-School will be running Stay and Play sessions throughout the year so families can see and share in the children’s learning journey. We’ll also be celebrating community festivals like Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese New Year Entrepreneurial Market, Sports Day and Easter Picnic, which bring everyone together in fun and meaningful ways.
#2 Communication with parents
We know how important it is for parents to stay connected and informed, so we’ve launched Blossom, a new all-in-one platform that’s making communication much easier and more personal. Now, parents can directly send messages to their child’s class teachers, access weekly newsletters, and read the Principals’ Post for updates. Best of all, they can upload photos, videos or anecdotes from home, and receive detailed, personalised “Golden Moments” highlighting their child’s learning achievements throughout the year.
#3 Malvern College Pre-School qualities
While the Malvern Qualities – such as resilience, curiosity and kindness – are already part of what we do, this year we’re taking it a step further. We’re creating fun characters, engaging stories and catchy songs based on native animals from the Malvern Family of Schools. These stories and songs will help our little learners understand what these qualities look like in real life, both at school and at home. It’s all about making these qualities tangible and relatable, so children can see how to demonstrate them in everyday situations.
#4 Bilingual learning in the early years
We’re really proud to be working with the Bell Foundation to strengthen our pre-school bilingual curriculum pathways. Our goal is to support both native and non-native speakers in making confident progress, regardless of their starting points. We’re constantly looking for ways to make language learning more engaging and effective, helping children develop a love for language while building their confidence to communicate effectively in both languages. It’s about creating a truly inclusive environment where every child feels supported on their language journey.
#5 Malvern Pre-School curriculum
We’ve got some fantastic additions this year! First up, our Forest-Beach School (FBS) is now including more adventurous hikes designed to build resilience and encourage children to take healthy risks in nature. Our forest area has been further enhanced with new nature-based activities, creating a beautiful, nature rich environment for learning. The FBS leader is also inspiring the whole school community to make more sustainable choices in their daily lives.
Also, we’ve linked our Financial Literacy curriculum to global goals like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Children will apply their entrepreneurial skills by designing stalls to sell items and raise money for causes they care about – learning valuable lessons about sustainability, responsibility and teamwork along the way.
New & Notable at Malvern College Hong Kong
Updates from:
PAUL WICKES, Headmaster of Malvern College
#1 High school trips
We have a number of exciting initiatives that we’re rolling out this year. One that I’m particularly excited about is the launch of our new Curricular Expeditions, which are embedded in the teaching curriculum rather than stand alone extras. In September, for example, our FY1 pupils will travel to Koh Lanta in Thailand where they will deepen their understanding of oceanography by conducting first-hand research in a stunning setting.
#2 The Signature Programme
The Signature Programme is designed to challenge and stretch pupils, inspiring them to discover their passions through immersive, experiential learning opportunities. In academics, we will be supercharging our STEAM pathway, for those whose passion lies in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts or Maths, and building on the already outstanding support we offer students aiming for the best universities in the world. At the same time, we are developing our Elite Sports Programme, initially in football, badminton and swimming, giving pupils access to the best external coaching so that they can fulfil their potential.
In order to further stretch and challenge our pupils, we will also be expanding the Aston and Wheeler Bennett Societies where our scholars push the boundaries of their knowledge and understanding, and also hosting our first ever TEDx event.
#3 Malvern College campus updates
Our new Dynamic Learning Hub features flexible workstations equipped with high-performance indi-bots/bee-bots, interactive displays for group projects, and immersive learning technologies such as VR headsets that transport students beyond traditional learning boundaries.
Our new caterers have redesigned the kitchen and redesigned The Grub, and we can now offer seven different dishes at lunch, including a new carvery station and salad bar.
We’ve also re-laid The Junior with artificial turf and invested heavily in new equipment, offering our younger pupils fantastic facilities for play – and all the physical and mental benefits that come with that. Next summer, we will complete the expansion on the sixth floor, further enhancing the academic facilities for our senior pupils.
#4 Leadership
Another novelty this year is our Student Leadership Programme, bringing in world-class expertise to develop their leadership skills. The recent growth of our student voice and leadership has been phenomenal, and I am particularly excited to introduce a new coaching programme this year which will help them become outstanding leaders in their chosen field.
#5 Other events and milestones
Along with the aforementioned co-curricular expeditions, our first TEDx event, and the new Student Leadership Programme, we are expanding both our STEAM pathway for the Able, Gifted and Talented, and our enhanced Elite Sports Programme. Meanwhile, the Performing Arts goes from strength to strength as we continue to invest in outstanding facilities. I strongly encourage parents to see for themselves at our Open Day on 27 September – they’ll be amazed at the talent on show!
I would also like to congratulate our graduating cohort for their achievements; over a third of our pupils scored more than 40 points in the Diploma Programme, including our first ever perfect score of 45/45 in just our third cohort. This is down to a combination of factors, not just our outstanding teaching and incredible resources but also the intrinsic motivation of our students – something we take considerable care to actively nurture.
Malvern College Pre-School Hong Kong
Island West: G/F & 1/F Viking Court, 165-166 Connaught Road West, Sai Ying Pun
Coronation Circle: G09-12 Coronation Circle, 1 Yau Cheung Road, West Kowloon
3898 4668 | malvernpreschool.hk
Malvern College Hong Kong
3 Fo Chun Road, Pak Shek Kok, New Territories
3763 0111 | malverncollege.org.hk
This article on Malvern College Hong Kong and Malvern College Pre-School Hong Kong first appeared in the Autumn 2025 issue of Expat Living magazine. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe so you never miss a copy!
