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When it is time for your child to move from our Prep Schools at Pok Fu Lam or Kowloon Bay to Senior School, we do everything we can to make the transition as seamless as possible for both the students and their parents.
The transition process is designed to make students feel excited about the move to Senior School. They are entering a different phase of education, which is deliberately different to Prep so that students are invigorated by the change. They are, however, leaving familiar surrounds, so we aim to make students and their parents feel that they are part of a welcoming community, well before they start Year 7.
Our Prep students are fortunate that the PFL and KLB curriculum and activities across each and every year group mirror each other, resulting in a huge range of shared experiences with their contemporaries in the other campus.
There are a number of activities and annual events that provide opportunities for Prep students to work together and build relationships, such as combined Christmas Parties on the beach, a Year 4 residential trip to Lantau, an Intra-School Swim Gala, as well as football and netball tournaments (Y4 and above), plus a wide range of musical opportunities through the joint orchestra, choir and ensembles.
And of course at the end of every year a Whole School Assembly is held. This is where Prep students get a feel for being part of a bigger school and see the Senior Students involved in the Assembly, be it through speeches or performances.
Every year Prep parents are invited to attend the Senior School Open Evening, usually held in November, where the Senior School Leadership Team make a presentation to current Prep parents, followed by a tour of the Senior School. If parents would like a tour during school hours then they are invited to request a tour which will be tailor made for existing Prep parents.
We recommend you follow the Kellett Senior School on Twitter (#KellettSenior) to get an insider's view of what the Senior students get up to on a day to day basis.
Parents will be asked to confirm places for their children in the senior school in late November/early December of Year 6 following the Taster Day (see below) and Senior School Open Evening.
In Year 5 we are seeking to deepen friendships with peers based on the other campus through more regular interaction and jam-packed residential trip to China.
In April/May students from across the two Prep campuses go on an overseas visit to Beijing. Throughout the visit they work in mixed campus groups to ensure students get to know one another. As a result many long-lasting friendships are formed on this trip.
All Year 5 classes come together again in June to say hi to their newfound Beijing buddies and compete in Sports Day in November. There are additional opportunities across the year to hook up again through FOBISIA Music and Games which are open to Years 5 and 6 in both Prep Schools.
Moving into Year 7 is a big step, and we provide students every opportunity to start the next phase of their academic career with confidence and enthusiasm. In order to make this process straightforward, we run a series of activities that help children become familiar with the Senior School to alleviate any worries they may have about moving into Year 7.
The carefully managed process begins around October when students are in Year 6. During Taster Day, they spend the day experiencing life at Senior School, including an introduction to the House system and the different leadership roles that are available across different platforms.
The Taster Day is closely followed in December by an Outward Bound residential trip to Sai Kung, where students from across the two Prep campuses camp together and work in mixed campus groups to ensure students are able to renew friendships formed on the Year 5 Beijing visit.
In February, students have the opportunity to name five friends who they would like to be in the same Senior House with. Typically siblings will be in the same House, and each student will be with at least one of their named friends. Meanwhile behind the scenes Prep and Senior staff are liaising to pass over insights and ensure the Year 7 Tutors begin to get to know the students, their strengths, weaknesses, idiosyncrasies and preferences.
During the later half of Year 6 students are selected, based on ongoing continuous testing and assessment, and invited to apply for a Scholarship. The scholarships provide honourees with opportunities to stretch and develop through the Scholars rewards programme, as well as a school fee remission of 10%. To apply they must attend an assessment day taking into account character, academic ability and potential, after which a limited number of Kellett Scholarships are awarded.
In May Transition Lessons in Maths, English and Science are held over 4 weeks with Senior school teachers attending the two Prep campuses to teach Year Six students. At this stage Tutor Groups are finalised and parents are informed which member of staff will be overseeing their child’s academic and personal progress as their Form Tutor in Year 7.
Later on in the year in June, Kellett holds a Transition Evening for students and parents to provide more information. The evening starts with a short presentation in the David Kidd Theatre where more details are shared about life in Senior School. Families then break out to meet their Form Tutor and Head of House in person. Many members of staff who will be important in your child's life at Kellett Senior will be present, and the uniform shop will be open for you to make purchases.
The final stage for our Year 6 students is Transition Day where Prep students, plus any students new to Kellett entering Year 7, spend the whole day at Senior School. Together they explore their exciting new surroundings, including Science labs, the Media Studies hub, and Design Technology lab, which will no doubt feel like home before too long. They also compete for the first time in their Houses with older students in a competition which is designed to begin the team building process, whilst giving them the opportunity to show their sporting and academic talents.
And the transition efforts don’t stop when the students walk through those Senior School doors.
At the start of Year 7 students start one day before the rest of the school to familiarise themselves with the school and help them settle in. Shortly afterwards at the beginning of September, Year 7 experience the ever-popular Treasure Island trip, a team building day on Lantau Island.
In October Year 7 participate in their first Global Outlook Week which is a residential visit, normally to Northern Thailand, where they undertake some learning service activities in House teams to assist the local Thai community. As group air tickets and arrangements have to be reserved months in advance, payment is due in the preceding term, i.e. in the Summer term of Year 6. This trip is an excellent opportunity to cement new friendships and grow in confidence.
The Kellett Preparatory School Virtual Open Evening 2021 will take place on Thursday 11 March via Zoom from 6pm until 7:30pm HK time.
There is also a Reception Virtual Open House on Thursday 18 March from 1:30pm HK time.
Both events are for families not currently at Kellett School, however the Reception Open House is specifically for those looking for Reception entry from August 2022 and beyond.
Click here to register for both Open Evenings.