House Captain

Strong academic strength, a diverse campus learning experience, and outstanding holistic education results… These are key words certified by Harrow Beijing students and have contributed to Harrow Beijing’s esteemed position in the hearts of parents. At Harrow Beijing, we inspire students to grow with confidence, develop their strengths, and set an example for the entire school by embodying values of humility and mutual support. The Lower School at Harrow Beijing is the foundation of the school’s academic excellence. In this issue, let’s explore unknown stories from Harrow Beijing Lower School through interviews with two of the House captains.

LS House Captain
SONGQINGLING House

Respect Individuality and Needs

We interview the male and female House Leaders of the Song Qingling House, Terrence X and Olivia Y. Terrence joined Harrow Beijing in the first year of Lower School, while Olivia has been at the school since Early Years. When asked about the biggest change they experienced after joining Harrow, both students unanimously mentioned an increase in self-confidence. Harrow Beijing respects the individuality and needs of each student, providing a platform for children with different needs to shine. This is the source of confidence for Harrow students.

Olivia Y is a bright and outgoing student who loves to share, and she never feels nervous when standing on stage. She is a member of the school choir and frequently performs at various school events. Olivia also actively participates in core school activities, such as the sports day, house music concerts, and STEM week. Through these activities, Olivia’s self-confidence has steadily grown, and she has learned how to better present herself. Olivia also shared the school’s approach to leveled reading, where teachers select books appropriate for students’ reading levels, helping them improve their reading skills according to their abilities. At Harrow Beijing, the progression of English reading levels is gradual, and teachers encourage students to read a variety of books to expand their vocabulary and lay a solid foundation for writing. With each level gained, the students’ confidence in English reading continues to rise.

For Terrence X, his increased self-confidence comesfrom the public speaking lessons in the LAMDA program. By using mind maps to help him memorize his speeches, he no longer struggles with forgetting lines and is able to speak confidently on stage. Having just completed Level 5, Terrence has already earned an introductory-level acting certificate and a Level 1 public speaking certificate. The public speaking course that Terrence mentioned is one of the unique offerings at Harrow Beijing as part of the LAMDA program. The LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) courses are a collaboration between LAMDA and Harrow Beijing, providing public speaking, poetry, musical theatre, acting, and PCERT certification courses for students from Year 1 to Year 13. These courses help to enhance students’ overall abilities, supporting Harrow Beijing’s holistic education approach, and building students’ self-confidence and self-esteem.

Humility and Followship

The values upheld by Harrow School in London have served as a guiding principle throughout its 450-year history. At Harrow Beijing, the school’s approach to the development of both students and staff is rooted in four core values: courage, honour, humility, and fellowship.

In an interview with two students, when the topic of Harrow values came up, they began to evaluate each other and surprisingly both agreed that “mutual support” best represented the other. Terrence described Olivia as being particularly helpful, always willing to assist her classmates when they need help. Olivia, on the other hand, felt that Terrence always wears a smile, excels in his studies, and inspires others to work hard while actively solving problems when faced with challenges. At Harrow Beijing, the values education is deeply integrated into daily learning and life. This is not only reflected in polite behaviors such as greeting others or holding the door open for elders but is also deeply embedded in students’ classroom activities and interactions. They support each other in their learning, striving for collective progress within their houses or classes. The weekly wellbeing sessions bring students and teachers closer, allowing teachers to gain a deeper understanding of each student’s academic, emotional, and physical wellbeing. This fosters an environment where children can grow and thrive in mutual support and friendship.

As exemplary students, Terrence and Olivia are also models of mutual support during group discussions. They mentioned that in class, they often form different groups with their classmates to discuss various topics. By exchanging different perspectives and angles, they deepen their understanding of the same knowledge points. Throughout this process, they also help other students complete tasks assigned by the teacher. At Harrow Beijing, whether in mathematics or English, teachers use group discussions and group assignments as a teaching method. Students of varying abilities are grouped together to discuss a particular concept or learning material. This allows diverse viewpoints to be shared and refined, while also enabling newly joined students or those with lower proficiency to gain more knowledge through discussions with higher-achieving peers. This approach not only helps less experienced students but also encourages stronger students to improve their ability to approach problems from different perspectives.

At Harrow Beijing, we create a safe and nurturing community environment for our students, where teachers provide guidance and support. Based on our vision of “Educational Excellence for life and Leadership,” we aim to cultivate six leadership qualities in our students that they can demonstrate both within and beyond the school: active participation and social responsibility; creativity in problem-solving; compassion and the wise use of talent; fairness, integrity, and a sense of responsibility; communication, collaboration, and followship; resilience and determination in the face of challenges.