A ‘Forest School’ ethos and robots in the classroom will mark out Malvern Colleges’ newest campus in Chengdu, which will also be the first British school in China to teach all lessons outdoors for one day a week.
The move to integrate the ‘Forest School ethos’ into the curriculum is in response to growing demand from Chinese parents for alternatives to exam-driven systems.
The announcement forms the foundation stone for the College’s sixth international campus was unveiled in Chengdu by British consul-general Cecille El Beleidi and Malvern College headmaster Antony Clark. The school is set to open in 2019.
The Forest School movement, which originated in Scandinavia, aims to develop children’s independence and build skills in risk-taking, leadership and teamwork by getting them to spend extended periods outdoors.
In another first, the state-of-the-art campus is commissioning a specially designed robot for each primary school class which will help teach pupils Chinese and English language as well as literacy skills.
A unique bilingual primary curriculum is also being developed by the college which aims to blend Asian and European styles of education.
Clark said the school is proud of its reputation for innovation in the education sector and the Malvern team is delighted to be offering “groundbreaking” opportunities.
“We are meeting a need for a more holistic style of education from parents, who want their children to experience something other than the exam-focused Chinese education system,” he added.
Together with the College’s existing campus in Chengdu, the school will provide education for up to 2000 children between the ages of three and 18.
Earlier in 2018 Malvern College Hong Kong opened to 400 pupils, following on from a pre-school which opened there in 2017.
The Worcestershire-based boarding school also has campuses in Qingdao, China and Cairo, Egypt.
