The King’s School Shenzhen International (KSS) is a sister school to the King’s School in Canterbury, founded in 597 AD and described as the oldest school in England and Europe. At the heart of a King’s education is the pursuit of both academic and co-curricular excellence. The school believes in stretching but not stressing, stimulating but not overwhelming its students, with an enlightened approach to education.
Accredited by the Chinese Ministry of Education, KSS is an inclusive international school open to students of all backgrounds, though the majority are Chinese. The Pre-Prep (kindergarten) opened in Nanshan District in September 2019, and the Prep and Senior School, currently under construction, will open in the autumn of 2022. The new campus lies in Qianhai, a new area of the city dedicated to innovation and international connections. Though the state-of-the-art, purpose-built school is designed for 1,000 international students, KSS is looking to initially enroll around 200 students across Grades 1-10. This means that the founding staff will need to be flexible and involved in many areas of school life.
The Pre-Prep campus sits near The Evergreen Resort, a well-known, natural scenic spot in Shenzhen. Compared with other international kindergartens in Shenzhen, KSS Pre-Prep features a large outdoor space where children can explore the natural world.
Covering more than 50,000 square meters, the new campus in Qianhai is based on the courtyard model of King’s in Canterbury, with many features to enrich living and learning. Though discrete areas are for Prep and Senior Schools, common facilities will be shared by all ages. In addition to fully-equipped, bright classrooms, multi-functional gymnasiums, and science laboratories, the school is proud of its unique spaces: a laboratory dedicated to space studies; workshops for robotics and AI; a music centre which includes an orchestral room, music technology labs, a fully-equipped recording studio, dedicated classrooms, and individual tuition and practice rooms; and a drama and dance department comprising two main halls for performing, a black box theatre and a dance hall. The boarding school also has a 24-hour medical centre.
Guided by the “whole-child” philosophy, KSS focuses on challenging young people through curriculum breadth and depth, with a high degree of active and creative learning and a wide-ranging co-curricular programme. All of this is supported by high-quality pastoral care.
The school delivers the UK Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which focuses on learning through play and discovery and provides a series of arts courses, mindfulness lessons, and a wider co-curricular programme that includes crafts, music, sports, and other interesting activities. Primary and Lower Secondary (Prep School) follow a curriculum that blends the requirements of the Chinese national curriculum and UK's Cambridge Pathway. The Upper Secondary curriculum (Senior School) will offer the International General Certificate of Secondary Education and International A Levels as provided by the Cambridge Examination Board. These qualifications provide access to universities all around the world. There are also King’s featured courses, such as design technology, drama and dance, robotics, space exploration, and more.
KSS seeks to hire educators of diverse profiles and experiences. They should all hold an academic degree and, preferably, a teaching qualification.
Along with a competitive salary, the benefits package includes a furnished apartment or a housing allowance, a settling-in allowance, and an annual airfare for home leave, with dependents’ airfare under consideration. Tuition is free for up to two dependent children. Additionally, an End of Contract Gratuity—equivalent to the employee’s monthly salary—will be paid at the end of the first two-year and subsequent contracts. KSS provides professional development opportunities. Worldwide health insurance—except for the The King’s School Shenzhen International’s full profile on the Search Associates database, including a list of any vacancies, candidates can apply for membership by clicking here. Candidates already registered can easily access the school profile directly through their dashboards.
Please note: The information presented about this school was valid on the date published. This information may change, and the most up-to-date information can be found on the school profile.
